A couple sold a mask that was previously in an attic to a scrap metal dealer for 150 euros. And he took legal action when the real value became known.
A retired couple in France sold an African mask for 150 euros, as they were unaware of its real value, to a scrap dealer, who raised 4.2 million euros for it at auction. A court in Alès, southern France, on Tuesday rejected the couple's lawsuit to reverse the 2021 purchase.
The court ruled that the second-hand dealer responsible for the dissolution of the household in the couple's second home had no special knowledge of art objects. 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 appointed governor. The court ruled that the couple had not yet been able to value the mask at its true value.
It cannot be assumed that the trash dealer acted intentionally. Only later did an expert estimate that the mask was worth between 300,000 and 400,000 euros in the name of the Montpellier auction house. The scrap metal dealer offered the couple a payment of 300,000 euros after the sale.
The mask was the so-called Fang mask from 19th century Gabon. The Republic of Gabon also appeared as a plaintiff in the case and demanded the return of the mask to the country. The court also rejected this claim. (APA/dpa)