Claire Chennault’s crusher selling on IMA site.

[B-Man2]

Well ... That would be sad if it’s not maintained properly. But at that price you’d assume the person would respect what he has.

 

[taikonaut]

His wife died a few years ago. I wonder if it came from her estate?

 

[Edward]

His wife died a few years ago. I wonder if it came from her estate?

ahhh good point.

 

[taikonaut]

Correction. Anna Chen wife of Claire Chennault only died a little over a year ago at the age of 94. I recall she was awarded a medal by President Xi in 2015 during the celebration of victory over Japan. She has ties with both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

 

[B-Man2]

Well if someone bought it , it will go back into a collection and will probably not come out in quite a while.

 

[ausreenactor]

We have a military museum here, that has received donations of military items for decades SELLING their excess displays to raise funds? Madness.

 

[Lebensgefahr]

You would really want some hard bona fide evidence of traceable provenance. Even then it's just material and leather which belongs in a public museum. Collectors don't live forever so can only gloat over their trinkets for so many years before they themselves are pushing up daises.

Putting aside the provenance (or lack of it), i do believe that some items should be on public display, but the comment regarding collectors "gloating over their trinkets" is disparaging to collectors, many of whom care very much about their items and in many cases look after them far better than museums do. Anyone who has the money can buy what they like (including museums who more often than not want everything for nothing) and what they choose to do with it afterwards is their business. Upon my death, my collection which has been built up over more than thirty five years will be left to a well known Battle of Britain museum, but in the meantime, i will continue to collect, look after my items and remember and honour the men who originally owned the items. If that is "gloating over my trinkets", then that is what i am entitled to do because i searched long and hard for them and paid my money and so its my decision as to what eventually happens to them.