Putting a Price on the Priceless: Measuring the Illicit Antiquities Trade in Data and Dollars

As heads of state and government turn a global spotlight on the illicit trade in cultural property, it is more important than ever that policymakers and law enforcement fully understand the problem. Yet, when compared with other black markets, there is still much we don’t know, and many of the available statistics on the size and scale of the illegal trade in antiquities or the dollar amount of the trade are widely contradictory. Neil Brodie, in a 2019 study for the European Commission, stated that European dealers are selling antiquities in the 54 to 318 million euro range annually and the value of antique and medieval coins sold by Europe alone totaled at least 56 million euros annually. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, responsible for the New York market alone, reported in 2019 the seizure of $150 million in stolen objects since its founding in 2012.

This lack of reliable statistics on the size of the market is hampering the international community’s ability to fight back. But how can we quantify looting, smuggling, and related crimes? What data sources can be used? Is absence of evidence actually evidence of absence? What harm is caused by cultural racketeering beyond a dollar amount—to the legitimate art market, global security, and human rights?

This event was held on July 26, 2021, at 12:00 PM EST.