SEPTEMBER 23 - 27, 1997
- International Conference "Art, Antiquity, and the Law: Preserving
Our Global Cultural Heritage" October 30 - November 1, 1998
- missing artwork looted during WW II
- UN plea to save Afghan art from war and plunder
- Criminal assists businessman in art recovery
- looking for AMY HICKS
- Lawmakers weigh restoring southwest's Glen Caynon (National Park)
- Unlikely suspect/Connor crony was no art expert (Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum)
- Information about Museum Security Website
- Sideshow trial opens as Gardner case stalls (Isabella Stewart
Gardner)
- "Treasure" Unearthed in Niagara Falls! (weird story about 1922
soccer trophy)
- fire protection for people responsible for cultural institutions
- Stolen Goods (the "lost" Quedlinburg treasures, medieval manuscripts
and art works)
- RE: Stolen Goods (the "lost" Quedlinburg treasures, medieval manuscripts
and art works)
- article presented presented by Roger Wulff to the ICMS in Berlin
- Stolen Goods
- Re: Stolen Books
- Library vandalism
- Soccer Trophy is Going Home!
- Re: Stolen Goods
- Earthquakes in Italy kill at least 10, Dozens pulled from debris;
works of art damaged
(Museum-L)
Conference Announcement
Announcement: International Conference
"Art, Antiquity, and the Law: Preserving Our Global Cultural
Heritage" October 30 - November 1, 1998
The conference "Art, Antiquity, and the Law:
Preserving Our Global Cultural Heritage," to be held at Rutgers
University in New Hersey on October 30 - November 1, 1998, will
address major and timely issues regarding the ownership and
preservation of the monuments, sites, artifacts, and works of art
that comprise our worldwide cultural heritage. Directed by Archer
St. Clair Harvey, a professor of art history at Rutgers University,
and Sharon Lorenzo, J.D. and graduate student in art history, the
conference will address the looting and theft of cultural material
from private collections, public monuments and museums, houses of
worship, and archaeological sites, as well as the legal and illegal
transfer of cultural property that continues throughout the world
despite growing global controversy. "Art, Antiquity, and the Law"
will also focus on new preservation initiatives and efforts to
regulate the trade of cultural material on both national and
international levels. The conference will bring together experts on
cultural property from five continents, including archaeologists, art
dealers, museum administrators, specialists in cultural property law,
and representatives of national and international agencies.
Please contact me, Alison Poe, at allconf@rci.rutgers.edu for
more information.
-----------------------
Date sent: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 09:48:57 -0700
From: Dwight Crevelt <crevelt@worldnet.att.net>
To: securma@museum-security.org
Subject: Missing art works
I have seen a lot of press about the missing artwork looted during WW
II
Has anyone catalogued the Known missing items from muesems etc?
I am sure there is no listings for personal property otherwise the
French would not have recently had to place the artwork on display
looking for their rightful owners.
Thanks
Dwight
-----------------------
3
(Times of London)
UN plea to save Afghan art from war and plunder
BY CHRISTOPHER THOMAS, SOUTH ASIA CORRESPONDENT
THE United Nations is appealing for international action to save what
is left of Afghanistan's cultural heritage, much of it smashed or
plundered by warlords who have sold priceless artefacts for a song.
Almost all that remains to be saved is architecture: everything
portable has disappeared. The world's biggest statue of the Buddha in
the standing pose, in the Bamiyan valley, 150 miles northwest of
Kabul, is surrounded by minefields, threatening serious damage to the
1,600-year-old weather-beaten relic. Its face was obliterated by
Genghis Khan's hordes in the 13th century. A crack in the fragile
160ft monument, carved out of a sandstone cliff, widened after a
recent bombing raid. A commander of the Taleban Islamic militia,
which controls much of Afghanistan, threatened in April to destroy
the giant Buddha, as well as a smaller one near by, if he captured
the Bamiyan region. He said the country should be cleared of
everything un-Islamic. Buddhism spread through Asia from Bamiyan, in
the Hindu Kush mountains, and as late as the 8th century Chinese
pilgrims reported an abundance of priests and temples in the region.
The carvings were made during a Buddhist revival in India in the 3rd
and 4th centuries. Afghanistan has a unique heritage because of its
location at the crossroads of Asia, and the museum collection in
Kabul was described in an old official handbook as "one of the
greatest testimonies of antiquity that the world has inherited". The
first item visitors used to see was a marble fountain bowl, found
near the tomb of Emperor Babur in Kabul, which bore his name. That,
like everything else, is missing. The museum was raided during a
siege of Kabul in May 1993. Safes holding treasures were blown open
with explosives, destroying many of the contents. Wealthy Pakistani
politicians bought some of the loot, most of which ended up in the
world's auction rooms. It is still possible to find pieces of ancient
pottery around the shattered museum - the remains of articles smashed
by gunmen who considered them worthless. In a statement issued in
Pakistan, Federico Mayor, director-general of Unesco, the United
Nations cultural body, appealed to the international community to
take action to preserve Afghanistan's cultural heritage. This seems a
forlorn hope. There is a lull in fighting around Kabul, 60 per cent
of which is rubble, but the war is intensifying in the north.
--------------------
Criminal assists businessman in art recovery
Jane Bennett (c 1997, Jacksonville Business Journal )
A Mandarin businessman who lost $20,000 two years ago searching for
long-lost Nazi artworks is ready to try again -- this time with the
help of a German criminal. Robert Frost, chief executive of United
Medical Technologies Co., an orthodontics manufacturer, will meet
with Ulrich Mamecke to schedule a second dig after Mamecke is
released from prison at the end of the month. "I have spent several
years negotiating an agreement with Ulrich Mamecke and now have a
signed contract which clearly states that he will show me the exact
location," Frost said. When the police searched Mamecke's apartment
in 1992 they found letters to museums saying he and an associate knew
the whereabouts of cultural art that had been buried since World War
II. The associate's father was a top Nazi SS officer and responsible
for hiding the treasure. Before his death, the father took the
associate to the location in Germany where the treasure was buried.
Because the vaults' entrance was dynamited, it requires a complete
engineering effort which Mamecke and his partner could not afford,
Frost said. "These letters were addressed to the Rotterdam Museum in
the Netherlands, the J. Paul Getty Museum in California and the
Amsterdam Telegraph, a leading European newspaper," Frost said.
Mamecke and his associate wanted to make a private deal with anyone
who would help them financially, he said. "From the letters I have
received from Ulrich, I have reason to believe that the train was
also carrying a gold shipment and military documents the Germans
didn't want to fall into Allied hands," Frost said. Frost's
involvement with the dig started two years ago when he invested
$20,000 to help a Gainesville geological survey and recovery company,
Global Explorations Inc., raise an estimated $500,000 to fund an
expedition to recover the treasure. Global dug the wrong spot, Frost
said. "They excavated a site that they believed was the depository of
cultural art in some train wagons. Unfortunately, the wagons turned
out to be container cars under rubble and did not contain any art."
Then Frost teamed with Mamecke and formed a corporation to structure
the project. Under the terms of the contract, Frost and Mamecke will
receive 25 percent of the sale of any assets recovered. George Rehm,
an attorney practicing in Heidelberg, Germany, has agreed to assist
Frost by obtaining the necessary permits with state, local and
federal authorities, as well as from private landowners whose
interests would be affected by the excavation. The second dig will
cost about $750,000, Frost said. The money will come from private
sources, including international investors. Frost will also be
accepting any outstanding shares which had a guaranteed payback to
investors in the original Global dig. "That means a previous Global
investor can participate in our project by simply reassigning the
unit over to our company," he said. The dig should be complete within
a year. "In a perfect world I'd say six months, but I've been through
these things before."
------------------------
AMY HICKS
Does anyone of the subscribers of the Museum Security Mailinglist
know the e-mail addres of AMY HICKS? The e-mail addres she sent me
(ahick002@umab.ab.umd.edu) seems to be wrong.
Thanks for your help,
Ton Cremers
--------------------------
Lawmakers weigh restoring southwest's Glen Caynon
By Vicki Allen
WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuter) - Proposals to drain a vast desert lake
created by the Glen Canyon Dam are unrealistic, the Clinton
administration said on Tuesday, despite criticism that the lake is a
colossal man-made mistake. A key official said while the
administration ``recognized'' the opinion of environmentalists who
feel Lake Powell, created by the Glen Canyon Dam, has damaged the
Colorado River, it saw no point now in draining the lake, which
flooded a great southwestern canyon. ``Even though I recognize that
long-time reclamation supporters like (former) senator Barry
Goldwater now consider building Glen Canyon (dam) to have been a
mistake, it has been built and Lake Powell exists,'' Eluid Martinez,
commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, told a House panel.
``Considering all of the above facts, proposals to drain Lake Powell
are unrealistic,'' Martinez said of the Arizona-Utah lake. The Sierra
Club, which has pushed to tear down the dam, drain Lake Powell and
restore the canyon, has picked up supporters along the way including
Goldwater, the former Arizona senator and elder statesman of the
Republican Party. ``Draining Lake Powell is not just about restoring
a place more mysterious than the Grand Canyon, though that alone
would be worth it. It is about facing the reality that we are asking
too much of the Colorado River,'' Adam Werbach, Sierra Club
president, told the House Resources subcommittee on national parks
and public lands. Glen Canyon Dam and Hoover Dam were the linchpins
of the series of federal projects built mainly in the late 1950s that
harnessed the Colorado River to provide water and electricity for the
West. Besides power and water for cities and agriculture, backers of
the dam said it created superb flatwater recreation and scenery that
fueled the economies of Arizona and Utah. ``No one here is so
arrogant as to say that man's works can replace those of his God. But
I am here to stand foresquare in favor of Lake Powell and Glen Canyon
Dam as beautiful and functional works, albeit man-made,'' Rep. John
Shadegg, an Arizona Republican, said. Martinez, of the Bureau of
Reclamation which oversees federal water projects, said Lake Powell
and surrounding lands attract more than 2.5 million visitors and
generate about $400 million a year for local and regional economies.
The lake provides mid-point storage to help ensure water deliveries
during prolonged droughts, and helps meet obligations to deliver
Colorado River water to Mexico, Martinez said. The administration is
implementing a plan to better operate the dam ``in harmony with the
treasured environmental values of the Grand Canyon,'' Martinez said.
But Werbach, of the Sierra Club, said the dam has destroyed
productive fish habitat and is damaging the Grand Canyon downstream
by chilling the river waters, cutting off supplies of sediment needed
to restore Grand Canyon beaches and shorelines, and preventing
cleansing seasonal floods. ``Lake Powell represents a short-term
vision, and those of us who are not old enough to have experienced
Glen Canyon are paying the price,'' he said.
REUTER@
Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited.
---------------
Unlikely suspect/Connor crony was no art expert
By Daniel Golden and Ric Kahn, Globe Staff,
09/23/97
When he was alive, nobody ever considered David Houghton a mastermind
of anything - except, possibly, car repair and questionable
disability claims. His Malden neighbors would see the scruffy,
300-pound mechanic limping around his yard in jeans and a leather
vest, tinkering with his 1988 Oldsmobile Delta and shooting the
occasional raccoon out of a tree. Now that Houghton has been dead
for five years, his former hero, Myles J. Connor Jr., appears to be
casting him - quite conveniently - as the evil genius behind one of
history's largest and most perplexing art thefts. But few who knew
Houghton believe that he played more than a bit part, if any, in the
1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, in
which 13 priceless masterpieces were taken. During the current furor
over the possible return of the paintings, the bandying about of
Houghton's name raises questions of whether Connor really knows who
took the paintings and where they are - or whether he's willing to
tell. ''It's very easy to lay this crime off on a dead man,'' said a
personal injury lawyer who had represented Houghton and remained
friends with him. ''But I don't think David could find his way to the
Gardner museum.''
In recent months, two of Connor's associates, William P. Youngworth
III and Edward ''Rocco'' Ellis, have alleged in news interviews that
Houghton planned the Gardner theft, which happened at a time when
both Connor and Youngworth were imprisoned. But lately, Connor and
Youngworth have said they would trade their help in recovering the
art work for $5 million in museum reward money and leniency from the
criminal justice system.
Youngworth and Ellis say that Houghton, who had a criminal record
decades earlier for larceny and armed robbery, visited Connor in jail
and outlined the heist in advance. (Authorities at the Sangamon
County Jail in Springfield, Ill., where Connor was held in 1990,
cannot say who came to see him there because the visitor lists are
destroyed every five years.) After the theft, according to Ellis,
Houghton stored the paintings in a steamer trunk. While the people
closest to Houghton - his fiancee, ex-wife, and two children - have
declined comment, many friends and associates strongly dispute the
Youngworth-Ellis scenario. They admit it's possible that Houghton,
who ran a variety of errands for Connor over the years, could have
served as a conduit of information to or from the infamous
rocker-turned-robber. But they say that Houghton had scant education,
knew little about precious art, and was intellectually incapable of
conceiving such an audacious and efficient crime.
Instead, they suspect that Connor may be using his longtime go-fer
one last time - as a fall guy. By spreading Houghton's name, Connor
may be shifting suspicion from the actual culprits, whoever they may
be, onto someone who can't answer. At the same time, he's giving his
longtime loyal flunky 15 minutes of posthumous fame. ''It's laughable
to me that Dave Houghton is being made a key figure,'' said a source
who knew both Houghton and Connor well. ''This is too sophisticated a
piece of work. He could have been on the fringes, he could have had
some contact with it, but I can't believe he ever pulled the job.''
There are other reasons to doubt the Youngworth-Ellis account. Ellis
says that Houghton had his own business as an art appraiser and
auctioneer. But state records show that Houghton was never licensed
as an auctioneer. And other sources say that even if Houghton dabbled
in those fields, he was mainly helping Connor buy and sell Japanese
swords and other collectible items. According to Ellis, Houghton
paid $25,000 to each of the two thieves who donned police uniforms
and tied up the Gardner's security guards. But Houghton was
chronically pressed for cash, and left only $28,000 in assets when he
died of a heart attack in 1992 at the age of 52, according to probate
records. ''The way he dressed, the way he kept himself, it didn't
seem like he had a dime to his name,'' said a neighbor, Jay Adelman.
Youngworth and Ellis have identified another corpse with a criminal
record as one of the Gardner thieves: Robert Donati of Revere, who
was found stabbed to death in an automobile trunk in 1991.
But, according to sources, Houghton and Donati did not move in the
same orbit. Donati was connected to organized crime hoods; Houghton
spent his time toiling under car hoods. The FBI says it has no
evidence linking either Houghton or Donati to the crime. If Houghton
and Donati knew each other at all, it was through their mutual
friend: Connor. Houghton got to know Connor in the early 1960s,
friends say, as a follower of Connor's band, ''Myles and the Wild
Ones.'' Houghton attended shows and bought drinks for band members,
who often played the Revere Beach bars frequented by Donati and other
wise guys. Generous and loyal to friends, Houghton had a wild
side himself. Born of working-class parents in Malden, he drifted
into delinquency as a teenager. In 1956, he pleaded guilty to two
armed robberies in Quincy, and was placed in the custody of the Youth
Services Board. Charges of larceny and carrying a firearm without a
permit were filed. He received suspended sentences in 1959 for a
Malden assault and battery, and in 1964 for larceny by check.
Even his hobbies were explosive. Houghton enjoyed setting off
firecrackers in a parking lot near his home. Despite being denied a
Malden gun permit in 1968, he belonged to the Massachusetts Rifle
Association, and often went hunting in New Hampshire. At his death,
he left a collection of 24 guns - the most valuable asset in his
estate. Houghton tried to settle down after his marriage in 1961. He
and his wife, Ann, moved into the second floor of his parents' house
near downtown Malden, and started a family. They had a son in 1962,
and a daughter the next year. The Houghtons separated in 1978, and
were divorced in 1990. Often unemployed, Houghton eked out a meager
income from occasional jobs at service stations and repair shops and
from worker's compensation claims. Not only would Houghton frequently
seek compensation for work-related injuries, lawyers say, but he
would encourage his girlfriends to do the same. Houghton's biggest
windfall stemmed from a 1985 injury at Ralph's Auto Service in
Malden. He had been working there only two weeks, according to his
case file, when he fell in a hole and twisted his back. Although
there were no witnesses to the accident, and Houghton worked the rest
of the afternoon without apparent ill effects, he received a $30,000
settlement in 1987. Medical testing was hampered, one source recalls,
because Houghton was too wide to fit into a Magnetic Resonance
Imaging, or MRI, machine.
Between jobs, Houghton had plenty of time to perform services for
Connor as the erstwhile boy-wonder singer began to get top billing in
murder trials and stolen art swaps. Friends say that Houghton used to
take Connor's mother out shopping and to see her son in prison. He
also briefly dated Connor's sister. Once, when authorities sought to
interview him about Connor, Houghton refused to talk. On another
occasion, he borrowed a jacket and tie and appeared in court ready to
testify for Connor, although it could not be determined whether he
actually took the witness stand. ''David seemed to be very favorably
impressed by Connor,'' said Maurice Cunningham, another lawyer
who represented Houghton. ''He did seem proud of knowing him.''
A few months before his death, Houghton sold his Malden home and
moved in with a fiancee in Auburn. The buyers completely renovated
Houghton's house. But they did not turn up any valuable art - only
tattered furniture, cockroaches, and mice.
This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on
09/23/97. c Copyright 1997 Globe Newspaper Company.
------------------------------
- Information about Museum Security Website:
A new page has been added offering information about and links to
National Park Sites (http://museum-security.org/nationalpark.html).
Suggestions for additions are most welcome. The Mailinglist
Subscribers Homepage was updated
(http://museum-security.org/subscribers.html). Latest additions can
be found at: http://museum-security.org/latestad.html
Suggestions, comments, feedback, additions concerning the Museum
Security website always are welcome.
Ton Cremers
-----------------------------
Sideshow trial opens as Gardner case stalls
By Ric Kahn, Globe Staff, 09/24/97
With discussions deadlocked over the possible return of artwork
missing from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the sideshow began
yesterday for William P. Youngworth III, now standing trial on stolen
property charges unrelated to the 1990 museum heist. In what would
normally be a mundane matter, Youngworth stands accused in Norfolk
Superior Court of receiving a stolen van and illegally possessing
rifle and shotgun ammunition. The charges were leveled last year -
before the Randolph antiques dealer thrust himself into the headlines
by saying he and an imprisoned associate, convicted art thief Myles
J. Connor Jr., could help broker the return of the Gardner
masterpieces. In return, the pair have demanded a hefty finder's fee,
including the $5 million reward, Connor's immediate release from
federal prison, and the dropping of the state charges against
Youngworth. In her opening statement yesterday, Assistant Norfolk
District Attorney Kim Gainsboro told the jury it is a simple and
straightforward case against Youngworth - that on Feb. 7, 1996,
police raided his home and antiques workshop and seized a stolen van
and a cache of ammunition. An informant allegedly told police that he
and Youngworth and others were going to use the van as a backup
getaway car in a planned armed robbery of an oriental rug shop in
Brighton. For Youngworth, they were the latest alleged entries in a
life of crime dating back 20 years. But Martin K. Leppo, Youngworth's
lawyer, told the jury: ''This man's life is at stake - no matter how
simple the evidence may be from the government's standpoint.''
If Youngworth is convicted on the stolen van charge, he could be
classified as a habitual offender and sent back to prison for 15
years. It's unclear if the same standard applies for the ammunition
charge. If Youngworth is found guilty, the leverage will shift to
federal authorities in the showdown over return of the stolen
artwork. Youngworth has said that he and Connor are willing to
provide prosecutors with a photograph of one of the priceless
paintings - if authorities first agree to meet the pair's conditions.
But federal authorities want to see the snapshot first. If Youngworth
is acquitted, associates say he will demand a hike in the museum's $5
million reward. Leppo, who represents both Youngworth and Connor,
said yesterday that he has not talked with the US attorney's office
about the artworks in more than a week. Meanwhile, in the Dedham
courthouse yesterday, Leppo said state officials could not prove
Youngworth knew the van in his garage was stolen and he accused them
of sloppy police work. He said they misidentified the Chevrolet van
as a Dodge, and that they never mentioned in initial police reports
their current claim that the steering column was damaged. He has also
asked Judge Elizabeth Butler to dismiss the stolen van charge, saying
that police lost crucial photos of the vehicle. Butler said she would
rule on that request today. She declined to grant a hearing on
Leppo's allegation that police lied to get a search warrant.
Youngworth arrived in an angry mood yesterday, telling reporters that
a man he described as a would-be Randolph police officer had
threatened him with a gun Monday night. But sources close to the man
- a witness in an upcoming drug and gun case against Youngworth -
said Youngworth initiated the confrontation and that no weapons or
threats were involved.
This story ran on page B04 of the Boston Globe
on 09/24/97. c Copyright 1997 Globe Newspaper Company.
-------------------
(Museum-L)
"Treasure" Unearthed in Niagara Falls!
Our Youngstown, NY, museum recently was given a silver plated soccer
trophy that a young boy recently discovered in a dump in Niagara
Falls. The reason he presented it to us was because it was the
"Youngstown & District Soccer Football Cup." However, we feel that
it actually was a Youngstown, OHIO, trophy and we would like to
return it to a local museum that would want it. It's about 12" high
and 9" in diameter at the top. The base is about 6" in diameter and
the trophy has the "mandatory" three handles. Engraved on it is:
"Won by [and it lists] Youngstown FC 1921-1922; Niles Eagles
1922-1923; Mahoning Valley FC 1923-1924; Mahoning Valley FC
1924-1925; Mahoning Valley FC 1925-1926." It also indicates that it
was plated by Reed & Barton and there is the number 144.
It's very tarnished and a bit ascew but I know that if one of our
local "treasures" were dug up in some far-off place, it would be
marvelous to have it returned to "from whence it came!"
If anyone in the local Youngstown, OH, area knows of a museum that
would appreciate its return, please let me know. We have a museum
trustee who is willing to hand deliver it with loving care!
Vee Housman
Youngstown, New York
---------------------
fire protection for people responsible for cultural institutions
Hello Leslie,
All mail sent to the list can be viewed at our archive. You can reach
the archive via the table of contents on the indexpage of the Museum
Security Website: http://museum-security.org/ Just follow the link to
'mail sent and received'. I know this particular message was sent
quite recently, so you should be able to find it on the September
mailpage. Just let me know if you do not have any success. Regards,
Ton Cremers
> To whom it may concern:
>
> About a month ago, I think, something was posted about a conference
> on fire protection for people responsible for cultural institutions.
> I did not save the piece and although I thought that I had
> forwarded it to our fire marshal, she didn't receive it.
>
> If information on this conference could be sent to me I would be
> most appreciative.
>
> Thank you for your anticipated help.
>
> Sincerely,
> Leslie Freund
> Collections Manager
> Phoebe Apperson Hearst Museum of Anthropology
> 103 Kroeber Hall #3712
> Berkeley, CA 94720-3712
-------------------------
(Exlibris)
Stolen Goods (the "lost" Quedlinburg treasures, medieval manuscripts
and art works)
I have just finished the book TREASURE HUNT by W.H. Honan, the story
of his intensive seven year search to find the "lost" Quedlinburg
treasures, medieval manuscripts and art works stolen from Germany at
the end of WW II. Two points impressed me. 1. The existance and
location of the "lost" items were known to hundreds, if not thousands
of people prior to Honan's search, albeit in most cases these people
were not in a position to know what the items really were or that they
had been stolen. In retrospect it seems that a single TV broadcast on
"America's Most Wanted" or "Unsolved Mysteries" could have saved
almost a decade of hard investigation. Perhaps the organizations
currently dedicated to the retrieval of stolen books and art work
should produce a similar TV show; 2. The ethics and conduct of
several very prestigious individuals in the international antiquarian
book and manuscript world, who had been made aware of the Quedlinburg
items, were questioned in an unfair manner. As far as I know, there is
no "standard" policy as to how professionals should deal with
rarities that are suspected of being stolen. If there is such a
policy, I would like to know about it.
Comments on these points would be appreciated.
Thank you.
C.J. Scheiner, M.D., Ph.D.
275 Linden Blvd, Suite B2, Bklyn, NY 11226
cjscheiner@mem.po.com; (Ph & Fx: 718-469-1089)
---------------------------------
(Exlibris)
RE: Stolen Goods (the "lost" Quedlinburg treasures, medieval
manuscripts and art works)
I, too, read the book in question and can only assume that the
reportage was correct; possibly harsh, but as the reporter saw the
facts. The ABAC, ABAA, ABA and all other national associations that
are affiliated with the International League of Antiquarian
Booksellers (I.L.A.B.) have "Codes of Ethics" which deal with this
problem. If a bookseller belonging to one of these associations
unknowingly purchases stolen material, he/she is expected to
co-operate with authorities should the illegal provenance of the
material become known. If a bookseller knowingly purchases material
that has been stolen, that is another matter and he/she will be
disciplined by the respective association, as well as, presumably, by
the legal authorities. There are, of course, situations where
morality and the possibility of financial gain collide, as in other
human endeavours!
Helen R. Kahn
--------------------
Addition to website in Articles section:
article presented presented by Roger Wulff to the ICMS in Berlin
September 1997: a basic introduction to the fields of Value
Engineering and Value Analysis. Although Value Engineering and Value
Analysis have been used for many years in the US Military and private
industry, these fields are new to the International Museum Community.
In addition, VE and VA Studies are increasingly being mandated by law
by the governments of many countries. The U.S. Federal Government
requires VE and VA Studies on all major projects.
-------------------------------------
(Exlibris) Stolen Goods
Thank you for this response. My concern has more to do with
professionals who are shown items they suspect have been stolen. As
you might remember, none of the Americans shown the manuscripts (or
their pictures) offered to buy them or act as sales agents. However,
none of them seemed to have informed the authorities either. Here is
the dilemna I see. Do you immediately call the FBI from the back room
while the seller is sitting in your shop/library with the rare goods,
only to perhaps discover that when they are arrested a partner, in a
panic at the news, destroys the other dozen priceless items they were
holding? Do you tell the person to come back the next day, and then
call the Authorities, who will carefully plan the arrest of a criminal
who might not come back? What if the "seller" shows only photographs,
and you assume that they have the original items, which might not be
the case? The current turn of events in the case of the art stolen
from the museum in Boston demonstrates the complexity of just part of
this issue. C.J. Scheiner, M.D., Ph.D. 275 Linden Blvd, Suite B2,
Bklyn, NY 11226 cjscheiner@mem.po.com; (Ph & Fx: 718-469-1089)
------------------------- Begin Original -------------------------
From: Helen Kahn <hrkahn@core-net.com> To: Multiple recipients of list
<exlibris@library.berkeley.edu> Subject: Re: Stolen Goods
I, too, read the book in question and can only assume that the
reportage was correct; possibly harsh, but as the reporter saw the
facts. The ABAC, ABAA, ABA and all other national associations that
are affiliated with the International League of Antiquarian
Booksellers (I.L.A.B.) have "Codes of Ethics" which deal with this
problem. If a bookseller belonging to one of these associations
unknowingly purchases stolen material, he/she is expected to
co-operate with authorities should the illegal provenance of the
material become known. If a bookseller knowingly purchases material
that has been stolen, that is another matter and he/she will be
disciplined by the respective association, as well as, presumably, by
the legal authorities. There are, of course, situations where
morality and the possibility of financial gain collide, as in other
human endeavours!
Helen R. Kahn
-------------------------------
(Exlibris) Re: Stolen Books
Adding to the sentiments of Helen Kahn, I quote from the ABAA Code of
Ethics, paragraph 3:
a) An Association member shall be responsible for passing clear title
to all material sold, and shall not knowingly purchase, hold, or
attempt to resell stolen materials. An Association member shall make
all reasonable efforts to ascertain that materials offered to him or
her are the property of the seller.
b) An Association member shall make every effort to prevent the theft
or distribution of stolen antiquarian books and related materials. An
Association member shall cooperate with law enforcement authorities
and the Association's Board of Governors in an effort to recover and
return stolen materials, and apprehend and prosecute those responsible
for the theft, including, but not limited to, providing the names of
the persons involved.
Rob Rulon-Miller
Rulon-Miller Books
400 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55102
800-441-0076 or 612-290-0700
fax 612-290-0646
rulon@winternet.com
www.rulon.com
-------------------------------
(from ConsDisList)
From: Anne Pat Smith <smith@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu>
Subject: Library vandalism
Ohio University's Vernon R. Alden Library has been the victim of a
series of book mutilations. Approximately 200 books from various
collections including Southeast Asia, Fine Arts, Childrens, and Health
Sciences,have been discovered with pictures of adolescent boys
methodically knifed out. Similar acts of vandalism have also been
uncovered in the libraries at Ohio State, Youngstown State, and
Bowling Green State Universities, and the University of Akron.
This malicious act both impedes library users' research needs and
professional development, *and* requires a huge investment of library
resources to repair them. *Physical* repairs for Alden Librarys' 200
books cost more than $2,500. Blind costs such as administrative staff
time and the request and retrieval of replacement pages were not
factored. Of course, when the original item is damaged beyond repair
and the publication is no longer in print, purchasing a replacement
copy is not an option.
Library administrators have been working closely with the
University's Campus Security personnel in an effort to stop this
vandalism and we recently "went public" in the hopes that the
library user will also be on the lookout for any suspicious
behaviour. So far, we have determined that this vandalism is *not*
limited to our collections, but has in fact occurred at other Ohio
institutions. What we are now trying to find out is just how
widespread is this activity. We are therefore posting this message to
ask if other libraries are experiencing (or have recently experienced)
similar acts of vandalism. If so, please respond to me directly at
<smith@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu>
Thanks very much for your attention to this matter.
Patricia Smith-Hunt
Head, Preservation Department
Vernon R. Alden Library
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701
614-593-2618
--------------------------
(Museum-L)
Soccer Trophy is Going Home!
I wanted to share the ending of the silver soccer trophy mini-drama
with you. I posted the message to the museum list around 10:30 last
night regarding the "treasure" that was unearthed in Niagara Falls
that seemed to belong to Youngstown, Ohio, rather than Youngstown, New
York. Well, when I checked my email this morning, there were two
helpful messages waiting for me. By 11:30 two more came in, exciting
phone calls were received and sent shortly thereafter and the bottom
line is that the Mahoning Valley Historical Society in Youngstown,
Ohio, is "just plain delighted" to get such a trophy that apparently
"disappeared" over 70 years ago--1926.
Since then the Niagara Gazette has been contacted and it appears that
our little museum will get some good PR over the part we played in our
efforts to return the trophy "from whence it came."
>From Youngstown, New York (population 2,075) to Youngstown, Ohio!
Thank you David, Jonathan, Shirley and Ruby for your helpful
suggestions and for the parts you played in the story's ending. And
they lived happily ever after! :-D
Vee Housman
Museum Volunteer and Trustee
Town of Porter Historical Society Museum
Youngstown, NY
-----------------------------------
(Exlibris) Re: Stolen Goods
We were extremely interested in your comments concerning the recent
book, Treasure Hunt, by the New York Times reporter, William H. Honan.
We were recently involved in a situation with the author concerning a
manuscript that we acquired from a reputable dealer who had purchased
it at auction a number of years ago. After a number of well-known
historians had researched the manuscript, it was offered for sale to
an institution who thought it might have belonged to them at the
beginning of the century. We thought all previous owners had been
identified, but we were happy to send it to them for their inspection.
Apparently, Mr. Honan's book had just come out and he was looking for
another good story. When he telephoned us, we tried to get him to
wait until a disposition of the examination was made, but he refused,
saying that he was going to print a story with or without our
information. We gave him very minimal details (which he left out) and
embellished his article with inaccuracies and facts that were far from
the truth. Needless to say, the article represented the type of
sensationalistic story, defended by the newspaper's desire to print
human interest pieces, that is replete with defective and unreliable
information.
Mr. Honan actually sent us a copy of his book, which I read. I must
agree with all of the points in your comments, especially as I
consider myself a victim of Honan's crusade.
Howard M. Rootenberg
B & L Rootenberg Rare Books
tel: (818) 788-7765
fax: (818) 788-8839
blroot@pacificnet.net
-----------------
Earthquakes in Italy kill at least 10
Dozens pulled from debris; works of art damaged
MSNBC NEWS SERVICES
ASSISI, Italy - At least 10 people were killed when two earthquakes
tore through central Italy nine hours apart on Friday, partially
destroying one of the country's most famous churches and reducing
many villages to rubble. The magnitude 5.5 and 5.6 quakes - the
strongest in a series of temblors - were centered around the town of
Foligno in central Umbria.
AFTERSHOCKS JOLTED the mountainous area, adding to the panic. A
couple in their 80s was found dead in the rubble of their old
farmhouse near Macerata. In Assisi, rescue workers pulled the bodies
of two surveyors and two Franciscan friars from a mountain of rubble
inside the famed Basilica of St. Francis. Two others were believed to
have died in the town of Fabriano and another two were killed in the
village of Nocera Umbra, Italy's civil protection agency said.
Police said they were still unsure how many people were missing, and
12 hours after the first quake struck in the rugged Appennine hills
it was not yet clear what the final death toll was. In Assisi, some
30 people were in the basilica inspecting damage from the first quake
when the second struck. Most rushed out of the building before part
of the ceiling came crashing down, but four were crushed by the
debris. Associated Press photographer Plinio Lepri was inside the
basilica when part of the ceiling collapsed. "First there was a
slight shock, then about 15 minutes later came the big jolt. The
frescoes from above the main entrance fell, and I saw two bodies
underneath," Lepri said. The basilica houses priceless frescoes
by medieval painters Giotto, Cimabue and others. At least two
frescoes on the life of St. Francis were damaged, if not destroyed by
the first quake. The works, ascribed to Giotto, were done around
1300. The second jolt, which caused part of the ceiling to collapse,
also brought down the inside wall over the upper basilica's doors,
site of frescoes by Cimabue and others. Elsewhere, dozens of people
were pulled out alive from under piles of debris, including a
7-year-old boy, RAI state TV reported. Some 2,000 people left their
homes and remained outside overnight after the first quake.
In Collecurti, 80 percent of houses were damaged or destroyed by the
powerful tremors. One woman stood weeping outside her tiny stone
house, split from top to bottom by a gaping fissure. Her cousin and
close neighbor, 70-year-old Gianni Ricci, was also in tears. "It
never seemed to stop," he said as he stared at his shattered home.
"Everything's destroyed. I don't have anything left. I don't have a
house. I couldn't do anything, everything just collapsed on top of
itself." Near Macerata, a middle school was reduced to rubble. In
Foligno, a large crack gashed the Romanesque 12th-century facade
of the town's cathedral. In Canerino, a hospital had to be
evacuated after the second major quake when doctors feared that the
structure would collapse.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
------------------