Do Historical Artifacts Value More Than Gold Or Silver?
@gregario888 (1276)
Aurangabad, India
September 22, 2015 5:13am CST
Some of the villages in vicinity of my town, have a plethora of historical buildings, of whom very little is known. Such structures spring up surprise finds which are truly amazing. Like it happened in one such old house which had a cellar. A portion of its wall broke to reveal a staircase, which led to what must have been an armory during old times; here, the discovery included a few spears and daggers, but the most surprising item on the find, was, four or five suits of chain mail. These chain mail suits were in mint condition, and rumor has it, that the fellow who owned that house, made a kill of his life, on their disposal to a "fence".
It appears that some of these artifacts, which routinely turn up in excavations, or "finds", might be more precious than gems or even gold, for the amounts they fetch from folks willing to buy them.
Would love if you have a similar incident to share.
3 people like this
4 responses
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
22 Sep 15
They apparently do fetch a lot of money...I visited Cochin and the Jew street there which sells all sorts of old things ,I saw a very old door handle carved in bronze was being sold at Rs 25,ooo plus, so one can see how valuable these old artifacts are
1 person likes this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
Yes Kiran! Indeed, some of these artifacts are priceless. It could be the reason that those chain mail suits, bought an unexpected windfall to the owner of that house.
1 person likes this
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
22 Sep 15
@gregario888 We have some old palaces here close to my place built during the time of Mahaveera ( Jain) and now they are being dismantled and the sturdy rose wood doors with carvings and brass inlay and other such things are being sold at astronomical prices.
1 person likes this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
@kiran8 There is a very interesting matter relating to a Mahaveera statue, which was located in a field, which I intend to make a topic of discussion. But more of it later, yes, those temple owners are sure to to mind themselves in the windfall of sorts. Since in India, such things have a very significant religious value as well.
1 person likes this
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
22 Sep 15
In order for something to be valuable you need someone who wants to buy it.
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
Yes, there are people who have a fad for collecting such stuff.
@topffer (42156)
• France
22 Sep 15
I don't understand how these chain mail suits were forgotten in a cellar, but it is indeed a very interesting discovery.
Finding something with a real value is rare. In my country the discovery is shared equally between the person who makes the find and the owner of the land/building. 95/100 times these discoveries are fortuitous, and have to be declared to the state to be legally sold. The state can decide to buy them if they represent a real interest. When an item is common, it is not difficult to know its trade value, but when it is something unique, it is more difficult. I give you a weird example. After the discovery of a prehistoric cave with paintings in South France, the state decided to buy the cave to protect it. They offered at first about $5000 to the speleologists who discovered it as an indemnity for their discovery. The speleologists sued the state and obtained $100000 after many years, shared between the owner of the ground and them. If you think about it, $50000 is not bad for a cave with paintings that will be never opened to the public (the entrance is in the middle of a steep cliff).
1 person likes this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
That cellar, in fact, had been cordoned off by a wall like structure. It was an accident that a portion of it collapsed and revealed an inlet. It appears that France has some of the most friendly laws, in regard to archaeological finds and preservation of historical structures. The case of the Southern prehistoric cave, surely gives an indication to that. In India, there are also laws, well intending laws. But the enforcement of these laws leaves a lot to be desired.
@skysnap (20153)
•
22 Sep 15
Gold and Silver loses the value over a period of time. You have to think about what value it contains and what they can be doing for the historical value. I can tell you that historical timeslines often are within such artifcats. So you have to find out how it impacts the hisotry. even gold and silver coins can tell you a lot about things around. like language and few other stuff there as well.
1 person likes this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
You are spot on Skysnap. It could be the reason that some statues fetch astronomical sums on auctions. It is more than a goldmine, to the "fences", who deal in such stuff surreptitiously.
