False Advertising: “Makes the Weak Strong”

I'm currently evaluating this misleading and hyperbolic gem for an auctioneer. Duffy's was famous for false and misleading advertising.

Take Duffy's pure malt whiskey when you are not looking well. Makes the weak strong.

Uh huh.

Critical Thinking in Appraisals

It is common for an appraiser to find themselves serving a client that has very strong ideas about the identity or historical provenance or characteristics of their item or collection. Sometimes these ideas or beliefs are founded in family lore or some other long-accepted tradition or reason. However, it is the appraiser’s job to apply critical thinking to whittle things down to ‘just the facts.’

It’s probably not hard to imagine how uncomfortable that position can be, especially when faced with a client for whom their story means the world. They’ll wonder why you’re so concerned or skeptical over seemingly mundane background facts. After all, great grandma said George Washington once tripped over this!

One of my professional advantages is that I bring university training in historiography to my appraisal practice. The times when this training helps me shed new light on an item by identifying some hitherto unknown or underappreciated characteristic are truly momentous and among the most rewarding for me personally. Of course, clients are happy as clams if the detail adds value, but more often than not, they’re just as thrilled with the intellectual value I’ve identified. After all, there’s a lot of satisfaction in adding a footnote to history.

Now, this is not possible without me applying critical thinking, defined as the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment, to my historiographical formulae.

This means that I must view items dispassionately when I am valuing them for monetary worth. Instead of focusing on the good, brightest and most immediately attractive aspects, I must give equal attention to the flaws, the cracks, the chips, the repairs, the patina, the wear, the missing parts, the broken parts, the incompleteness, the anachronisms, etc.

The more significant a piece purports to be – historically or monetarily, the more sternly I must focus on the detractive or negative aspects. A thorough and honest valuation is the goal, so an item must stand up to the most rigorous and skeptical standards. This is the hard part because, like everyone else, I’d rather be celebrating greatness!

That’s not to say there isn’t nuance in this job. Often enough, an examination points toward the inconclusive on one or more points. All is not necessarily lost, but additional work must be done. For very significant items, the appraisal itself could be scuttled at this moment. At this point, I begin to search for why something may be the way it is. Has it been tampered with over the intervening years? Can we tell if the tampering innocently or maliciously executed? Was the tampering done to obscure another fact? Was the tampering done to enhance the item?

And, of course, the most important question I must answer in terms of the appraisal for monetary value is: does this impact value one way or another?

The answer may not always be to the owner’s liking, but the goal remains to get us closer to the honest truth.

An Auction Result is Not an Appraisal!

Auction results are a large part of the data an appraiser interprets to for their value conclusion – but they are far from the only thing!

In any first consultation with me, a client identifies the intended use of the appraisal, and together we determine the objective. These two things help me determine the most appropriate market or markets to search for sales and pricing data, whether for comparable sales, or prices of like items or reproductions.

The most appropriate market is where the items are most commonly bought and sold by buyers and sellers in full possession of all relevant facts about the items and under no compulsion to either buy or sell.

On top of all this is an item’s physical characteristics, and often enough in my corner of the appraisal world, a provenance that establishes additional historical significance. Both can have an effect on value.

So you see appraisals are a multi-faceted process with many moving parts! It takes a mind adept at compilation, interpretation, and interpolation of data to reach a justifiable value conclusion – far more than a simple search of realized prices!

Confederate Monuments Should Go

Orbiting near the center of events roiling the United States today is the public display of symbols of the American Confederacy.

I really do think it's time for all busts, statues, sculptures, memorials and other representations of the CSA - excluding cemeteries - be removed from outdoor public spaces and placed in state or federal museums on permanent display.

As an appraiser that specializes in historical artifacts, part of my approach to value is to consider an object's highest and best use. This principle is tied directly to recognizing an object's value characteristics and possible uses.

I submit the highest and best use of these usually artful representations of a defeated regime whose existence was brutally supported atop the shoulders of their fellow men is in institutions where they will receive professional conservation and proper historical context, and serve to educate future generations.

Let there be no censorship or whitewashing of the people or cause they represent. Likewise, let there be no destruction. Just put them where they belong.

(Lead image by the author, taken at the Confederate Cemetery on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville, VA.)

Be Sure of Identity and Value -- Call Your Appraiser!

Pretty sure this didn't end well.

Sometimes Originality Isn't So Obvious!

One of the issues appraisers face when evaluating antiques is the impact an object's current state has on its value versus its original state. Detecting subtleties can be tricky, unlike this example!

Always check your appraiser's credentials and experience!

Kandinsky Shows "Trump Effect" is in Effect?

 Bild mit weissen Linien

The so-called "Trump Effect" hinted at in my March 15^th post seems in full effect now, based on the strength of Sotheby's June 21^st Impressionist and Modern Art sale, which not only beat the same sale in 2016 by 45 percent, it also saw the record for Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) smashed – twice.

The first smashing painting was Murnau—Landschaft mit grünem Haus (1909), painted in his Fauvist period. It closed at a breezy $26.4 million, higher than the last comparable painting, at approximately $17 million in 2013.

 Murnau – Landschaft mit grünem Haus

However, a mere six lots later, Kandinsky's abstract Bild mit weissen Linien (1913) shattered Murnau’s new record by raking in $41.6 million.

It’s result – and in fact that of the entire sale - $187.7 million, may be seen as a barometer of the brighter mood of the higher end art market, even if only a few lots rose above their estimate.

It doesn't even really matter if the $41 million paid for Bild was within the estimate range – the record is impressive. The previous record for a comparable Kandinsky, $21 million set at Sotheby’s in 1990 for Fugue (1914) equals $39.3 million adjusted for inflation today.

As you might expect, Sotheby's is crowing these days and I expect there will be drinks all around this weekend.

G.I. Joe Turns 75

June 17, 2017 marked the 75th anniversary of G.I. Joe's debut. Joe was first drawn and published by Chicago native Irving David Breger (1908-1970) in the very first issue of Yank Magazine, dated June 17, 1942.

Breger began drawing cartoons for his high school newspaper, and later edited Northwestern University's humor magazine Purple Parrot. Though without any formal training in art, he continued drawing cartoons during his college years, imitating the style of well-known 1920's-era cartoonist, John Held, Jr. After earning a degree in abnormal psychology from Northwestern in 1931, he spent a year traveling and selling cartoons to the German magazine Lustigeblaetter.

He was drafted into the US Army in 1941, even while freelancing for various magazines including Esquire, Collier's, The New Yorker and others. Employed as a truck mechanic by the army, he drew cartoons by night, with The Saturday Evening Post publishing them under the title Private Breger.

He was soon transferred to the Army's Special Services Division, and was eventually transferred to the staff of the newly-created Yank Magazine. Though he wanted to draw in a style reminiscent of The Saturday Evening Post, Yank's editors insisted on a unique name for his column. His character's real name was Joe Trooper, but Breger added the acronym for "Government Issue" to the equation, and created a name that would find itself adopted by both soldiers and the American homefront as the new 'doughboy' term for American servicemen: G.I. Joe.

Breger would go on to draw Private Breger for King Features Syndicate until October 1945 when the character was discharged from the army and became Mister Breger. The cartoon's popularity was enduring, and the Sunday panels would continue until shortly after his death in 1970.

David Levy Linda Hall Library Lecture, June 15, 2017

Back in February 2016, I wrote about my self-guided tour of comet hunter David Levy's observing logs, which were on display at the Linda Hall Library, having recently been donated by him.

Mr. Levy returned to the Linda Hall Library last week to discuss the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, which will cut a path across the United States from the Pacific northwest to South Carolina.

While the talk was open to the public, I was not able to attend. Happily, the Linda Hall Library live streamed his talk. It is currently archived at livestream.com. Unfortunately, the video is glitchy, the audio is fine and definitely worth a listen. Dial it up and let it play in the background!

David Levy - Total Eclipse of the Sun: A Once in a Lifetime Event

Shivaree: A Rare Thomas Hart Benton Print

Collectors devour pencil-signed Thomas Hart Benton lithographs whenever they hit the market, and for good reason. Complementing the ongoing popularity of these prints is the attention paid to him by scholars.

Benton’s oeuvre is extensive, and most of his mass-produced lithographs are covered by Creekmore Fath’s salutary work, The Lithographs of Thomas Hart Benton, published by the University of Texas Press. The scope of the work is impressive, to say the least, being all the lithographs done as individual works of art.

The work I’d like to examine today, though, is an elusive creature, omitted by Fath and other Benton sources and lists, but one that has turned up in the market a couple of times over the last fifteen-odd years, and is surely rising in value to catch up to its listed compatriots.

Auctioneers that have offered it to the public since 2000 have assigned their own name for it. I, however, believe it is ‘Shivaree, Laurie and Curley,’ as listed in Lawrence’s Print Prices (1997, Gordon's Art Reference, Inc.), and dated to 1954 – which tallies with date visible in the lower left of the plate after Benton’s signature.

Benton often only signed his last name to the pencil-signed lithos, but two of three examples I’ve seen over the last 15 years have seen him sign his entire name, Thomas Hart Benton. One of these also included a personal dedication. The third example was not pencil signed.

If any Benton collectors or scholars have additional information about this particular print, I’d love to hear from you!

The Return of Army Pinks and Greens?

The Army Times is reporting that Sergeant Major of the Army, Dan Dailey, is working on bringing back the old ‘pinks and greens’ uniform of the Second World War era.

Dailey is to address an upcoming uniform board meeting about bringing back the iconic uniform for daily business settings.

His idea is to highlight old army traditions - something the Marine Corps does so well with its uniforms and give soldiers an alternative to camouflage.

Of 5,000 Army Times active duty readers surveyed, 77% viewed the old uniform favorably, while 72% said they’d like to see the pinks and greens come back as an option to camouflage and dress blues.

If the idea is approved, the army will have to work through costs and uniform allowances, but it seems to have good momentum within the army itself.

I know it’s too much to expect any return of even a variation on our WWI-era uniforms, so I wish the Sergeant Major success with the old Nazi killer threads.

3 Easy Tips for Appraisal Preparation

Contrary to the image given appraisals by programs like Antiques Roadshow, professionally written appraisals are very serious documents. They are products of diligent research that must respond to myriad conditions and circumstances, all of which are processed by the appraiser.

The true professional appraiser spends considerable time and effort keeping up their credentials by constantly pursuing continuing education – on top of the time they’ve already put in that gives them expertise in a given field.

Appraisals may serve as evidence in a court case, or as documented support for an insurance claim. They may be the go-to document for a family wanting to split up an estate fairly and efficiently. I’m sure you can come up with other very serious uses for an appraisal.

‘You get what you pay for’ is the philosophy at work here.

All the same, there are ways a client can help expedite the appraisal process and save themselves money. As with most things in life, the best way is by paying special attention to the organization of the items under consideration.

Clients regularly ask how we can streamline their process to both expedite the final product and save themselves a bit of money. Because I too want the process to go as smoothly as possible, I offer the following tips:

1) Organize the items to be evaluated in a well-lit area that provides the inspecting appraiser a 360-degree view of the items, including room to tip large items to view the undersides or backs.

For fine art, it may be necessary to remove an item from its frame. Fine art appraisers like myself are knowledgeable about this process. When it comes to fine art, bear in mind that the frame rarely adds value to the work itself, so don’t worry about it being removed briefly from its frame. Appraisers are adept and removal without compromising the frame.

Having the work secured back in the frame is usually quite painless. If the back of the frame is sealed by a large sheet of paper, it may be that there is an attempt there to hide something that will significantly impact value, and appraisers must be sure of all aspects of your piece before rendering a trustworthy value conclusion. This is for your own good, as they say!

2) Talk to your appraiser about cleaning up the items before the inspection. This is an important step because there are some kinds of items whose value might be harmed by cleaning, such as things with confirmed historical importance, and your appraiser will surely tell you not to touch a thing.

Your appraiser should also be able to offer you handy tips for safely cleaning up your items in a way that will make them look their best, no matter what their condition. Even if cleaning up something means exposing a flaw, it should be done. Believe it or not, the flaw may actually add value to a piece, but in the end what you want is an accurate valuation of the item in its current state.

3) Gather any provenance beforehand, that is to say, formal documentation of an item’s journey through the past, such as its gallery or show appearances, loans or displays in museums, and any previous sale documentation whether auction or private. These documents may well save the appraiser time by helping streamline the research process.

But don’t panic if your item doesn’t have any of these things – absence of provenance is more common than you might expect!

So there you are! Three easy things you can do that can save you money and help your appraiser produce the most accurate appraisal document possible!

Antiques Roadshow: Reality Stick Edition

Antiques Roadshow is a very popular program with many of my clients. For my own part, I appreciate how the show traces the history of an item and contextualizes it with value.

The downside is that often I encounter people with the expectation that because their item is old, it just must have excellent monetary value.

Explaining reality - especially when disappointing - is itself an art form, and appraisers must be adept at it.

Here’s an example of expectation meeting cold, hard reality. I’m not sure the UK Antiques Roadshow appraiser was quite ready for the man’s reaction...

Galileo Goes Under the Hammer (In a Good Way This Time)

In 1638, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) published what would be his final work, Discorsi e Dimostrazioni Matematiche Intorno a Due Nuove Scienze, (Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations Relating to Two New Sciences).

As most people already know, Galileo was a true polymath with extensive experience in astronomy, mathematics, physics, engineering, and philosophy. His role in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century is celebrated with good reason.

Credit: Pierre Bergé & Associés

Because of his championing of Copernicus and heliocentrism, he was something of a target for religious authorities. By the time …Two New Sciences was published in 1638, Galileo had been under house arrest for several years, having been investigated by the Roman Inquisition in 1615.

Their conclusion was that his support of heliocentrism was ‘foolish and absurd, and formally heretical.’

He made things worse for himself when he published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Worlds Systems (1632), in which he appeared to attack Pope Urban VIII. The trouble with this was that both Urban and the Jesuits had been supportive of Galileo up to this point. Their support, of course, ceased.

Credit: Pierre Bergé & Associés

Further, Galileo was suspected of heresy, and the book was placed on the church’s Index of Forbidden Books, where it remained until 1835. In fact, all of Galileo’s writings were essentially banned in many Catholic countries.

As for …Two New Sciences, it is widely considered the first physics textbook and is found on the list of the fifty most valuable scientific documents of all time.

Written while under house arrest, and dedicated to the French Ambassador to the Holy See, it was to be his last major published work and essentially recounted his work in physics over the last thirty years.

Its significance is found in the mathematical analysis experiment regarding problems in mechanics and dynamics.

Original copies are rare to find in the market, yet on April 26, 2017, a copy went under the auction hammer in Paris at the firm Pierre Bergé & Associés, with an estimated range of €700,000 and €900,000.

Credit: Pierre Bergé & Associés

This edition, published in Leiden (The Netherlands), was dedicated before being sent to François de Noailles, Comte d ' Ayen (1584-1645).

It is presumed to have been bound by Le Gascon, judging by the style of some of his other bindings of the era. It is with full Moroccan red leather boards, tooled with gold, with marbled endpapers.

It remains a stunning and obviously rare edition. It realized €727,919 inclusive of fees.

See the original auction listing here.

Earlier this week, I completed a 7-hour update course on the Uniform Standards of the Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which is required to maintain membership in the International Society of Appraisers (ISA). 

Formally educated appraisers that are members of professional appraisal associations like ISA are also required to maintain

USPAP compliance and keep current with changing rules through continuing education. 

Compliance involves an initial two-day 15 hour class (including exam), and a 7-hour update class every two years. Whether or not you need an appraisal that will be reviewed by the IRS, full USPAP compliance along with affiliation with a professional appraisal association are the truest indications of an appraiser’s seriousness and professionalism. The ISA requires members to take this course every two years in order to stay current with changes in the standards which reflect current laws.

If these standards are new to you, here’s a basic overview of the rationale:

USPAP was established for appraisers who evaluate real estate to fine art, rare books, collectibles, intangibles, and business valuations in the United States and territories. The IRS requires appraisals written for their use to be USPAP-compliant for certain amounts.

I'm expecting a more formal certificate soon...

It was developed with the express purpose of promoting and maintaining a high level of public trust and confidence in the professional appraisal practice. The development of uniform standards enhances the role of the appraiser in society and reinforces the appraiser’s obligations to act in a manner that promotes public trust and confidence.
The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) reflect the multifaceted nature of the profession. USPAP changes are made in conjunction with changes to the appraisal profession, as well as the changing needs of potential clients. The changes are intended to improve the clarity, understanding, and enforcement of USPAP.

Click here for more on USPAP. 

Knowing What to Say and How to Say It: Priceless

It's an appraiser thing...

Condition is King!

In real estate, it's all about location, location, location.

In personal property, it's condition, condition, condition!

Rare Books: Stewardship from Start to Finish

Defining ‘Rare Book’

Book collecting is very much an act of faith. The general state of this field has long since shifted from what you could afford to buy to what you can find to collect that is in an acceptable condition. What hasn’t seemingly changed is that to be a true collector, one must always be short on funds.

On the face of it, book collecting seems a noble and straightforward idea. Increasingly though, it is one that is often overly concerned with tracking down aging rarities.

This at-a-glance article will attempt to define common terms and give the reader the 'lay of the book collecting land' - from the collecting process to the final distribution of a collection.

Assumptions and Actuality

A general assumption people make upon hearing someone is a book collector is that they only pursue ‘rare books.’ The great variable in this assumption, however, is that ‘rare’ can mean several things. The wise librarian and collector know that all old books are rare in some sense. Each has a place in the intellectual history of its time and none should be neglected. Similarly, the bibliographer approaches all books in a library as if they were rare.

The whole history of book collecting consists in attention being drawn to a book or books, or to some feature that had previously been overlooked. Yet for appraisal purposes, there are ways to define ‘rare’ that are reflected in the open market.

Of course, rare books may not always be beautiful. Age is a very important factor – yet it’s vital to remember that the age of a book is primarily one of degree and one in relation to an edition’s rate of attrition and recognizable distinctions. Quite often, beautiful old books, i.e. those with impressed boards with gold or other color illustrations, may not be prized by the market at all. This is often a terrible shock to descendants that have inherited them and simply assume beauty equals monetary value.

Another important aspect, depending upon the type of appraisal being done, can be a book’s intellectual value. In some fields, it may nearly be impossible to draw a meaningful line between antiquarian books of research interest and rare books proper.

Paradox

Ultimately, a ‘rare book’ that holds no public interest has little monetary value. Paradoxically, monetary value tends to make rare books more common because the more valuable an edition is, the less likely it is to sit unnoticed on a dealer’s or collector’s shelf. In other words, one likely won’t have much trouble locating a rare book even if affording it be another matter entirely.

Intellectual value and its subsequent effect on monetary value tends to be much more difficult to define and usually requires a diligent and exhaustive justification.

Books that were published in special editions are often initially expensive and therefore preserved very well. Naturally, this means the rate of attrition that otherwise makes volumes rare in number is, in this case, glacial. Also, the number of copies printed may not reflect the actual number of copies bound and sold. It may be nearly impossible to determine how many copies are actually in circulation of a given title.

Another overlooked aspect is that later editions of a work may have a bibliographic importance equal to or greater than a first edition! What this means is that dedicated collectors forming a comprehensive author collection will gather the widest range of editions and impressions possible, which when examined will provide a unique window to textual changes.

How to Build a Desirable Library

Twenty years ago there was talk of the collapse of the printed word. We now know the reports of such a death were greatly exaggerated.

A quick scan across Internet platforms like eBay and Amazon reveal a lively and consistent trade in books, and the publishing industry continues to move forward apace. There is even a trend toward more brick-and-mortar bookstores.

A focused collection that tackles a single subject, often inexpensively when considered per piece, can have considerable value both intellectually and monetarily. This is because much of the material may have been ephemeral and will find its ‘highest and best use’ by historians, libraries, and archives, and gains monetary value from what appraisers call ‘the collection effect.’

Keeping an Asset from Becoming a Liability

I’ve recently worked with a couple of clients that have been left a remarkable private library or archive built by a dear departed one. The struggle is with how to liquidate the collection in a way that benefits the heirs, is respectful of the late family member’s wishes, and also conforms to market realities.

Generally, the best route in these cases is donation to a library, archive or other interested non-profit institution. Once interest is assured by one of these institutions, an appraisal of the collection is conducted, and the value conclusion figured into the estate’s tax calculation for credit when combined with the receipt from the donee. I provide the necessary paperwork to expedite that part of the process.

If the collection’s theme is varied, there are other options which I can help navigate in order for the client to confidently take their next step and keep the asset from turning into a liability.

Whether you have ten books or ten thousand, give me a call and let’s get started.

“Pretty Sure I Have Enough Insurance”

- a statement that invites heartbreak.

As the U.S. economy recovers, I’m hearing from more and more clients who have realized their home owner’s insurance would not adequately cover damage or loss of their items or collection.

Others are aware their things do or probably do have value but are seeking a professional evaluation to help determine the level of coverage needed.

Still, others have inherited things which carry assurances of value from the departed family member – but curiosity lingers alongside the awareness that these things should be insured.

A big part of my business is helping these three types of people. It is also highly rewarding for me personally.

Almost every time we find a hidden gem, or at least something truly surprising. It could be an item that carries some previously undiscovered historical component. Or it could be an item everyone assumed had little value but actually had significant value!

Let’s not take any chances. Give me a call and let’s discuss your situation and needs!

Not the Antiques Roadshow

Stumbled on this a while back and have been meaning to post a link. Enjoy!

Not the Antiques Roadshow by Keaton Patti

Detecting Fakes: Provenance Evaluation

On the heels of yesterday’s post about real or perceived provenance posted by the FBI on April 6th that I was made aware of earlier today.

While my post was more about provenance as it is believed by the item's current owners, the FBI’s article makes an important point that dovetails with my own about reevaluating formal provenance. This is an area where your appraiser will want to take extra time to make sure there are no anomalies – and you should want them to as well!

Whether the item is fine art or a historical piece, legitimate provenance usually makes a big difference to the valuation! The best way to ensure your appraiser is versed in tracing histories and detecting fake claims and records is by confirming they are members of a reputable appraisal association like the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), Appraisers Association of America (AAA) or American Society of Appraisers (ASA).

Perhaps you don't need an appraisal but would like someone to evaluate your provenance -- let me know if I can help!

About Your Stuff: Fact or Belief

Sometimes a client believes they know all about their item before they reach out to me for an appraisal. 

Sometimes this information is the product of a generation or more of family members repeating - and sometimes adding to - the romantic lore around an item. Many times, though, they only have part of the story.

One of the hardest tasks I face as an appraiser and historian is telling someone their beloved story is only partially true or that the current market doesn’t support their assumption of value. The worst is when I have to contradict some deeply held or sentimental belief.

While there are many wonderful things about being an appraiser, one of the best moments for me is when I suspect that reality is even more interesting and windswept than family lore. Admittedly, such moments are rare. However, it’s always wonderful when I am able to tell them straight away and illustrate the point with physical evidence provided by the item itself.

Yet no matter what the news, there’s an art to informing a client gracefully.

Long before I deliver a report, though, comes the research phase. It is in this magical period, my favorite in fact, that I may discover a previously obscure historical aspect or component of the item about which my client had no clue. 

It is in this ability to sniff out historical detail that I take especial pride.

It might be as simple as translating an obscure phrase, deciphering an unknown symbol or logo, tracing a signature or maker’s mark. Yet because such historiographical detail may add significant support or additional value to their item, it is vital to a complete and accurate appraisal.

As I always say, be certain of identity and value – call your appraiser!

A Bi-Partisan Assault: H.R. 544

Last September saw the introduction of H.R. 6234 by U.S. Representative Paul Cook (R - CA), titled “Private Corrado Piccoli Purple Heart Preservation Act.” It sought to make unlawful the sale of any Purple Heart medal, ribbon, button, or rosette, with penalties to include fines and imprisonment.

A revised version of the bill, H.R. 544 was introduced by Representative Cook on January 13, 2017, intended to amend title 18, United States Code, “to provide for the sale of any Purple Heart awarded to a member of the Armed Forces.”

The bill was referred to House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations on February 8, 2017.

The bill currently has 34 co-sponsors, including two Republicans from Kansas, Lynn Jenkins and Roger Marshall. There are no co-sponsors from Missouri. It is still unclear if or when this will be brought to a vote.

Frontlines

The circle of militaria collectors here in the US is more than a little alarmed. The thing is, the Purple Heart, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star, and a number of combat badges are already “protected.” There are, of course, enhanced penalties for the ultra-rare Congressional Medal of Honor.

At the heart of this is the increasing attention paid to “stolen valor,” which we most often think of as someone putting together a uniform and posing as a veteran, or someone claiming to have been awarded a decoration they did not earn. This is, of course, an issue that should not be taken lightly.

There have been around 1.8 million Purple Hearts awarded over the years, plus significant amounts of every one of the other decorations mentioned, including their ribbons, buttoniers, etc. I can’t begin to estimate the number of Purple Heart medals I’ve evaluated over the last 20 years. Each and every time I handle these items, I think about the service and sacrifice behind these awards - and wonder about the path they have taken to the secondary militaria market, whether by garage sales, tag sales, estate sales, thrift stores, flea market booths, public auction, and militaria shows. I also know the vast majority of those that collect, preserve and trade in militaria think about these things as well.

A Valuable Lesson - Personal Experience

My own family, at some point, sold, gave away or otherwise released my great uncle Wally’s (Pfc Wally Jones, 31st Infantry Regiment “Polar Bears,” Siberia 1918-1919) First World War medals, as well as other related service documents and photos.

While I am not a collector – at least beyond the odd three-dimensional item that helps illustrate lectures and presentations - I am an appraiser, so part of my job is to track militaria markets. About ten years ago, I found an auction record of Uncle Wally’s items – unfortunately about two months after they were sold. Given the family connection and my intense interest in the Great War, I was immensely disappointed and frustrated I couldn’t bring his things “back home.” But that’s the nature of things.

But I also know his things are being looked after and appreciated by a collector that will someday release them back into the market. I’ll be paying attention.

The vast majority of people that trade in militaria are not unscrupulous, vicious profiteers, money grubbers, deplorable human beings or any other pejorative term that politicians or overly-emotional members of the public assign them. Often they are veterans.

Ultimately they are the people that look after physical representations of a total stranger’s service that, all too often, descendants ceased to appreciate somewhere along the line and simply abandoned. Theft has simply not been that common.

Fallout: Unintended Consequences

"Grouping of uniforms worn by USMC Sgt. Ernie Hartgraves
1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division and
Japanese souvenirs acquired during the battles for
Peleliu and Okinawa. Many of the following items
are specifically mentioned in a signed recollection
of Hartgrave's combat experiences..."
Sold, December 6, 2014

I wholeheartedly support private efforts to “reunite” named medals of all types, the Purple Heart, Bronze and Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Cross, Air Medal, whatever, with families that have had them stolen. I also support it for families that simply ceased to appreciate the medals, badges, uniforms, etc., and allowed them to be dispersed somewhere along the line - but are now ready to resume their stewardship.

But it’s important to remember that if the bill becomes law, the only jurisdiction would be the USA.

Of course, the first victims will be, ironically, the living recipients themselves, as this law would deny them the right to do as they wish with their decoration. The liberty their sacrifice was meant to protect will not be extended to the symbol of that sacrifice - as it has been for the previous generations.

It also will likely result in serious collectors of the higher-value name-engraved examples, i.e. those killed in action, to European or Asian auction houses, brokers, dealers, etc. There, the trade in named examples is already brisk.

One of the most sacred symbols of our history will simply leave the country, and Purple Heart recipient families, increasingly separated by multiple generations, which suddenly become interested in tracing their relation’s past will have to look far beyond our own borders to find the decoration.

Almost certainly, too, these same international auction houses, brokers, and dealers will exclude sale of the decorations to the US citizens or people with US addresses.

General Colin Powell's tunic with
his Purple Heart ribbon bar, scheduled
for Auction, April 7, 2017

When thinking about the possibility of medal repatriation and reunion, we’re left to guess what form a special dispensation for purchase might take, but congress loves the chance to bureaucratize the unnecessary. Just as certain too will be those that will profit from guiding families willing to make their way through the bureaucratic maze, purchase the decoration and arrange for its return to the U.S.

There is also the ancillary concern of who is going to look after the medals discarded by disinterested families, banks or courts administering and liquidating the estates of deceased veterans with no heirs, etc.

Add to this the unnamed examples, which even a quick glance through secondary markets will reveal are many, will become a nuisance that may just as easily be remedied by quietly tossing them in the bin with the deceased’s remnant tie tacks, cufflinks, and expired AAA membership cards.

Numerous individual uniforms and estate groupings including the Purple Heart as a medal or ribbon bar that have been preserved by collectors across the secondary market for decades will now have to be stripped of the decoration and/or ribbon bar, leaving the physical representation of the man’s service incomplete and unable to tell its full story.

This, to me, seems the final injustice.

Conclusion: Gathering the Eagles

A collector’s personality is reflected in their collection. Most often, collections of militaria are assembled out of love, curiosity, and a deep desire to connect with and preserve the minutiae of the past.

Criminalizing the people that have looked after someone else’s history, sometimes for decades, while the recipient's family was off chasing their own dreams is well and truly deplorable.

If collectors or dealers make a few bucks along the way, that’s only fair. These people have, in the truest sense, been the custodians of a sacred aspect of the heritage and history of our country when those that should have been appreciative all along simply couldn’t be bothered.

I hope this misguided overreach quietly disappears.