The sale of African masks bought for 150 euros and resold for more than four million euros is legal, according to justice

A second-hand dealer bought the masks from a couple of eight years old who were vacating their second home. The plaintiff felt aggrieved because he did not disclose the rarity to them.

The Court of Appeal of Nîmes (Gard) ruled legal on Thursday, November 20, the sale of an African mask bought for 150 euros and resold for more than four million euros by a second-hand dealer in Vigan, in Gard, reports ICI Gard Lozère (formerly France Bleu).

The plaintiffs, a pair of octogenarians from Gard, are demanding the cancellation of the auction completed at the Montpellier auction house in March 2022. “We will appeal to the Court of Cassation”said their lawyer Frédéric Mansat-Jaffré. Opponents welcomed this decision. “This is a great legal and humanitarian satisfaction. Everything is finally settled” said Patricia Pijot, a lawyer for a Vigan second-hand goods dealer.

The plaintiffs accused the antiques dealer of defrauding them by not disclosing the true value of the masks. Very rare from Gabon, dating from the 19th century from the art of the Fang people, with wood carvings, the mask was sold by this retired couple for 150 euros to this second hand dealer. They asked him to get rid of the objects cluttering their second home in Vigan. The used goods dealer then resold the mask at auction for 4.2 million euros.