What a scam, you supposedly buy something but, have to agree forever to always have it publicly displayed in a museum or some like place. So what exactly are you buying, the right to stand next to the piece and tell people who come to look at it, "Hey, I actually own this!"
This sounds like a pure money grab. If the Rabbi who runs the museum that currently owns this piece is just looking for some cash, why not just get someone to donate approximately the net amount such an auction would end up bringing (thereby saving the potential purchaser the buyer's premium on an auction), the Rabbi can continue to display the piece in his museum and maybe add a plaque or sign denoting the item is being displayed due to the generosity of the donor (thus satisfying a potential purchaser's ego), and assuming the museum is considered or affiliated with some type of charitable organization (This is a Rabbi we're talking about, right?) the donor could also walk away with a great big charitable tax deduction and recoup some of their money from the government.
Heck, if this actually works out I can see other institutions or museums like Cooperstown starting to do the same thing. I can see it now, the next big AH catalog literally featuring the Cooperstown collection right from the Hall of Fame where you can purchase and actually own Babe Ruth's HOF plaque for example. The only stipulation is you have to leave it on display at the HOF permanently but, hey, you can still tell everybody you actually own it. This is to me ridiculous!
BobC
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