The Alès court examined on Tuesday the request of a retired couple to cancel the sale of an African mask to a second-hand dealer. The latter bought them for 150 euros and then resold it for more than 4 million euros.
The judicial court of Alès, in Gard, will deliver its decision on December 19, 2023 in the African mask case between a retired couple and a second-hand dealer from Vigan, reports Tuesday October 31 France Bleu Gard Lozère. These octogenarians accuse the antique dealer of having scammed them by not revealing to them the true value of this very rare wooden mask carved in Gabon. He bought it from them for 150 euros and sold it at auction for 4.2 million euros. They appeared in court on Tuesday.
The retirees are demanding the cancellation of the sale and strong damages. “Who says cancellation of the sale says that this contract never existed, so we should recover the mask, except that the mask was resold to someone anonymous in 2022, so who says cancellation says compensation in relation to damages”, asserts their lawyer Mr. Frédéric Mansat-Jaffré at the microphone of France Bleu Gard Lozère. They are therefore asking for 4.2 million euros or “the amount actually pocketed by the second-hand dealer is 3.179 million euros”he specifies.
“The chronology, the factual analysis of the pieces will show that we are within our rights and that if we had truly known that this mask was not insignificant, the sale would never have taken place.”
Me Frédéric Mansat-Jaffré, lawyer for the retired couplein France Bleu Gard Lozère
The second-hand dealer explains for his part that he is not subject to the same information rules as an antique dealer. “It’s very surprising because in this type of case, eight times out of ten it ends in a transaction with a proposal that my client was not obliged to make”, affirms his lawyer Me Patricia Pijot to France Bleu Gard Lozère. After authentication by the auction house, the second-hand dealer offered to pay them 300,000 euros. A proposal refused by the retired couple.
“This object had been dormant for almost a century in this family who did not deign to take an interest in it. If there was this auction, it is thanks to the efforts of my client. He is neither an antique dealer nor a crook.”
Me Patricia Pijot, lawyer of the second-hand dealerin France Bleu Gard Lozère
In this case, a third party has appeared, indicates France Bleu Gard Lozère. The Collectif Gabon Occitanie also demands the cancellation of the sale and its return to the country of origin. “This property has a soul, this mask is not for sale, it is the soul of Gabon and the children of Gabon are demanding the return of this mask”explains the president of the association, Solange Bizeau.