Law, crime and regulation

Confidence in Simon Dickinson’s expertise is key to court decision

A spate of jewellery-related crimes was reported in the last month, sparking further concerns for those in the trade.

I have recently been visited in London by an American-based auctioneer who is looking for sporting paintings for his upcoming sales in Kentucky in the New Year.

In the July 1 edition (ATG No 2599) there is the sad case of the theft of £100,000 of jewellery and a letter from a dealer on a number of other thefts.

A Camden Passage jewellery dealer suffered a devastating loss of his entire stock after a theft from his stand at the London market.

Cotswold art gallery Trinity House Paintings is in administration.

Every year there are large and small robberies committed against members of the antiques trade. These vary from ‘opportunist’ thieving – a brooch, a bag, a candlestick – to much more extreme and planned attacks.

I despair of this government. After banning antique ivory sales we now will see the disappearance of what I consider works of art from sailors long ago passing the time by carving on animal tusks (ATG No 2595).

A Supreme Court judgment involves intriguing questions of image rights.

This week we have heard that the government plans to ‘extend the Ivory ban’. It has been reported in the press, on the radio and on television.

The trade in antique scrimshaw and narwhal tusks will effectively be banned in the UK once a proposed extension to the Ivory Act becomes law.

‘Substantial payout’ underlines the need for absolute clarity from experts

The theft of an Elizabethan silver chalice in Dorset has sparked fears it could be the latest in a spate targeting churches across the country.