How has the world-wide economic downturn affected the market for antiquities? Like much of the discussion about financial markets, the answer is not simple. See, for example this article –
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/29786/antiquities-soar-at-sothebys-clank-at-christies/ – which discusses some recent high end antiquities auctions. The article quotes Hicham Aboutaam, the co-owner of Phoenix Ancient Art, who maintains that even in these times quality pieces with good provenance will still manage to fetch top dollar. It shouldn’t be that surprising that quality antiquities hold their value over time – they certainly have been around long enough!