4.2 million euros: Retired couple sold valuable mask for 150 euros

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A retired couple in France sold an African mask for €150, not knowing its true value, to a junk dealer, who fetched €4.2 million for it at auction.

A court in Alès, southern France, on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit by the couple, aged 81 and 88, to reverse the 2021 purchase. The court found that the second-hand dealer responsible for disassembling the household in the couple’s second home had no special knowledge of works of art.

But the couple knew that the man’s grandfather had brought the mask, which was in the attic, along with other historical items, from Africa to France around 1900 after he was stationed as governor.

The dealer offered the couple another 300,000 euros

The court ruled that the couple still failed to have the mask appraised at its true value. It cannot be assumed that the junk dealer acted deliberately. Only an expert later estimated the mask on behalf of the auction house in Montpellier at a value of between 300,000 and 400,000 euros. After the sale, the junk dealer offered the couple a payment of 300,000 euros, but they refused the payment.

The mask was a so-called Fang mask from Gabon from the 19th century. The Republic of Gabon also appeared as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, demanding that the mask be returned to the country. The court also rejected this claim. (SDA)

Source: Blick