The Issues Associated with a Market for Antarctic Artefacts

• Main Author: Baynes, Vicky
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury 2002
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14018

On the 9th of August 2001, a press release was dispatched from the auction house of Christies, London. The title was simple and the message was clear; 'Breaking the Ice — Christies announces inaugural polar sale' (Christies, 2001). It was the first of its kind, an auction solely devoted to polar memorabilia. The sale is the culmination of the increasing interest in Antarctic exploration in the historic age. A recent flurry of books, films and exhibitions deliver the remarkable stories of endurance and survival. The polar auction on the 25th of September 2001 contained 250 lots, 222 of which were Antarctic related. Amongst the items for sale were artefacts and relics that had furnished the heroic age of exploration to Antarctica. A growing trade of these items has been visible in the auction houses over the years, and the recent auction at Christies represents the strength of this market. The issues that arise from such relics entering the marketplace are increasingly noted in press articles and snippets of conversations throughout the Antarctic community. What is being sold? Who is selling these artefacts? Where do they emanate from? How is a market value set? What are the consequences of such a market? Should there be trade of these items? The answers to such questions are diverse and arguably too ambitious for a document of this kind. However, the debate needs to be opened. This paper offers a starting place for a consideration of the issues associated with the increasing trade of Antarctic artefacts and forms a collection of the available commentary on this occurrence. This project draws on various sources of information. Material was gathered from press articles, conversations with the NZ and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and conversations with David Harrowfield. This material proved to be invaluable, however, the paper is limited by the lack of readily available work on the topic. It is further limited by a lack of comment from some sources, Christies did not reply to requests for information. Due to the ...