My experience, too, has been to first apply the catalog number in a way
that it can be easily removed, and, second, to either remove it or
otherwise "mark out" the number upon deaccession. I do know, too, that
there are museums that do not follow this practice.
My motivation in the initial post to the list was a "just in case" one.
The shoes themselves did not appear to have significant free-market value,
but who knows who belonged to them before they were accessioned? Or
whether they were part of a larger theft? Finding them might lead to
recovering other pieces...
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 17:52:25 -0500, Jacqueline D. Frank
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
><P>Ideally, we try to completely remove the number without harming the
object the deaccessioned object. Of course, in the past, some
curators have adhered numbers to objects that in the process of removal
have lost paint, etc. and could not be successfully removed. In these
cases, the number has been removed to the best of ability and/or clearly
indicated that it is no longer a museum piece. Paperwork relating to
the deaccessioned object is a good idea, especially for objects with a
higher monetary value. </P></DIV>
><P>It seems that it is in the best interest of a museum to adhere numbers
in a way that can be easily reversed, not only to protect the object from
damage when it is owned by the museum, but helps avoid complications
after the object is deaccessioned. </P></DIV>
><P>Jacqueline D. Frank</P>
><DIV></DIV>
><P>Neville Public Museum of Brown County<BR><BR></P>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>
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