The law/rules concerning possession of possible "artifacts"...

Factual Questions
1

I (or rather, my father) has in his possession an “artifact” (for lack of a better term) that he thinks might be genuine and consequently worth some money. The item in question is a rendition of two dogs (or possibly pigs) copulating. He seems to think it is very old, as in “pre-Columbian”, maybe Mayan or Inca related.:dubious:

My question is what (if, any) laws are there, in relation to the possession of such.:confused: I’ve tried searching online, but I’m afraid my Google skills aren’t sufficient.

I’m hoping the Teeming Millions may have some knowledge on the subject, or perhaps point me in the right direction in my search for any constrictions on possessing said “artifacts”.
I thank you all, in advance.:smiley:

2

I think an important factor in answering your question is knowing how and where the artifact was originally acquired.

3

According to my father, he bought it at the local “Goodwill” resale store. And IIRC, quite a long time ago.

4

To be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure that it’s an “artifact”.:dubious:
It looks like unglazed pottery, and from what I can see there aren’t any discernable marks anywhere on it, that would indicate “mass” production.
It does look rather old, but could in all likelihood be something made by indigenous locals to sell to the tourists, fresh off of the cruise ship.:smiley:

It does look kind of “kitschy”.:wink: But then again, I’ve seen stuff in museums and on National Geographic programs, that also looked, pretty “kitschy”.

5

Please, pardon the self gratuitous, “bump”. :smiley: