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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;808 raver, post: 9768067, member: 4654&quot;]Not directly related to this sword but still a factor, items of great importance and value are often a matter of opinion from a &quot;expert&quot;. Someone&#039;s view on a object can either make or break a work of art but if this opinion were so reliable why are 1/3 of all paintings in art galleries deemed fake? </p><p>I&#039;ve seen the most prestigious auction houses get it wrong, putting such importance in the hands of a few people seems a bit silly to me.</p><p>When I went to a famous auction house to inquire about selling an art work I own the item was never taken into consideration just if there was any provenance, it seems like the collecting world has given these &quot;experts&quot; a licence to print money.</p><p>Like it or not, these days it will all depend on what an &quot;expert&quot; says.</p><p>I did find an &quot;expert&quot; (very difficult) to confirm my item but it took far longer than was necessary, I could have paid a fortune and got one far quicker but it&#039;s just another tax on top of auction fees and VAT. </p><p>The moral of the story is find a well informed buyer for your item and cut out the middle men, you might need to take a 20% cut in price but that&#039;s got to be better than the 45% you will lose if going to an auction and having to pay an &quot;expert&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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