Re: I'm late, I'm late...

["Michael Schmidt" <dmschmidt@sprint.ca>]

If it is the piece I think it is, from the dealer I think it is, I really
doubt whether it had "permission" to leave its homeland.

Unfortunately, you are very misguided if you believe that scientific
morality will stop dealers from selling scientifically important specimens.
 Bad morals and ethics are not against the law.  Sometimes I wish they
were.

I would say that the majority of fossils from China leave there illegally,
with or without the coorperation of local officials ie; bribery.  It is not
illegal to sell such fossils in the US, only illegal to export them out of
China.  As a great number of these fossils are illegally exported, no
honest academic would even look at purchasing them, so off to private
collectors they go.

Until morality becomes law, don't expect commercial dealers to lose sales
by donating items to science.  Unless there is a huge tax write off, it
doesn't often happen.

Perhaps the Chinese authorities should be more diligent about protecting
their cultural items?  Although, when bribes can amount to several months(
or more) wages, I guess it's kind of hard to control.

Your right, it is a great loss to science.  If anyone wants to take up a
collection, there are(i think) two more available.  Anybody got $20,000
kicking around they don't need?

Michael
> From: Danvarner@aol.com
> To: Dinogeorge@aol.com
> Cc: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: I'm late, I'm late...
> Date: Thursday, September 24, 1998 12:17 PM
> 
> In a message dated 98-09-24 13:15:43 EDT, Dinogeorge wrote:
> 
> << Sold to a private
>  collector and now lost to science, at least until said collector passes
on
> and
>  relatives sell off specimen for cash. Dealer told me collector does not
want
>  his/her identity known, so I don't know who he/she is. >>
> 
>   So in other words, the dealer (also nameless) is also responsible for
the
> loss of this specimen to science. Nice. Who owns all the copious
contextual
> information associated with this specimen (field notes, field sketches,
prep
> notes, etc.). Are its papers in order? Surely, it had permission to leave
its
> homeland. Dan Varner.