Value of 3000 year old persian pots and plate?

Hi everyone,

We have two pots and a plate, 3000 years old, from the Persian regions and basic designs. What do you think their values are?

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forum, Ace.
They are nice, but have you had them authenticated?

We don't do values here, but maybe we can point you in the right direction. In order to do that, we need to know more, and see photos of all sides of the items.
And please click on the 'full image' button when posting photos. That way everyone can see them.

 

Welcome Ace.

 

if those are what you think they are....you need a museum.....
& even they won't speculate on value....but you'll have a good starting point !

 

Thanks. Yes they are authentic. Unfortunately it's difficult to get more photos as they're still in iran and anyone caught with very old and valuable antiques in iran gets a death sentence right away apparently. So you can imagine why it's not easy to get more pictures. But don't worry they're not looted or stolen in anyway.

As far as my original question goes, I'm not after an exact number when i say value, I just want a rough idea on how valuable these things are, just a range.

 

Thanks

 

Thanks for the response. Of course, I understand that. I'm only asking for a rough idea of the value, just a range. I want to know if it's worth the hassle.

 

With objects like that, if you get “good title” to them, you need documentation also, especially provenance. The strength of the documentation has a lot to do with the monetary value. So many countries are taking strong actions to retrieve their treasures that any prospective buyers will check the paperwork. Be sure you get official paperwork from whatever Iranian agency approves export of antiquities, so your items won’t be stopped by US Customs. I’ve never been in a position to do this, but I’ve read about some cases. A friend spent $150k on some artifacts but lost them, and most of his money when a court in England decided that the finder of the items had lied about where they were found, and the items actually belonged to the British government.

 

How much they are worth to whom, under what terms of sale? Art & antiquities sold on the black market do not fetch anywhere near as much as good pieces sold openly & legally.

If mere possession of such things is a capital offense, it does not seem there would be any such thing as official approval for export.

If this means 'worth the hassle of smuggling out', you are certainly not going to get an answer to that question here.

One way to have any idea at all of value is to look at the results of auctions for comparable items, if you can find them. You will need to find the right search term for the region/time period, e.g., Achaemenid, Parthian, Seleucid, etc., and the type of vessel. Here's one for an Achaemenid rhyton sold a year ago. You will see it did not reach the estimate at all & had only one bidder:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/59846794_achaemenid-pottery-antelope-rhyton

 

such people should inform themselves before whining around. there are different judicial systems; when the stuff was stolen from a region and/or institution (museum etc.) that was under British control, then the English court has every right to ask the stuff back.
I know that the US is easy-going about individual lootings of soldiers, but other states - especially in Europe - are much more strict about it. everyone in Europe remembers the Hungarian train that diasappeared in 1945...
it's simply a difference in the tradition of the jurisdictions.
even under Nazi rules there were senior SS-officers hanged because they stole valuables from the victims of the KZ-system. the special SS-jurisdiction ruled that they stole - not from the victims - from the German state...

 

Thanks for the answer, Ace. To me anything illegal is a no go area. Not just because of legislation, but also because of the trouble people involved could get into. I wouldn't wish that kind of trouble on anyone, and don't want to be part of instigating it.
Even if this has been owned privately for a long time, it is a situation in which I can't give any advice, sorry.

 

Fid, the last post you posted made my blood boil .... Joy.