A friend in the USA paid the following sums to send an C18th oriental mirrored painting to an auction house in New York:- 1. $1,000: insurance (painting + glass + frame) 2. $300: crate for transportation [interestingly, this is not being returned to my friend] 3. $500+: half the shipping costs [he is required to pay the full shipping costs for its return]. It was valued at around $30,000, with a possible auction price of twice that amount. It failed to reach its reserve. Whilst in the premises of the auction house, a corner of the frame was broken off - and lost. The auction house has offered to repair the frame (presumably they will recoup that cost from the insurers). They have also released my friend from his obligation to pay a 15% commission on $30,000 for the painting not having sold. However, is this 'sharp' practice on the part of the auction house? Surely the value of the object has decreased because of the damage to its 250-year old frame? My concern is that an insured object entered a reputable auction house and was damaged (and probably devalued) whilst in the 'care' of that auction house. There is no evidence of accepting culpability for either the damage, or the loss of the frame's corner. It doesn't fill me with confidence about auction houses. How safe are our objects when we place them there? If anyone has had a similar experience, or has any comments, I should like to hear them. With thanks, Jane Burrell Museums Officer West Dorset District Council ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://museums.state.nm.us/nmmnh/museum-l.html. You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).