The expert refused to evaluate an artifact related to the slave trade (6 photos)

An antiques appraiser refused to appraise an ivory disc brought to him by a British woman. It turned out that this artifact is connected with the slave trade and was used in the distant 18th century.





The TV show Antiques Roadshow sees antique appraisers travel to different parts of the UK to value antiques brought in by local people. This program has existed since 1979, and is the most famous in this topic. Recently, an unprecedented incident occurred on the show: an expert refused to evaluate the artifact. Valuer Ronnie Archer-Morgan arrived in the city of Cardiff, where one of the local residents brought an ivory disc. It turned out that the disk was connected to the transatlantic slave trade.



This ivory disk was used in the 18th century: it belonged to an African slave trader and was found in the West African port of Bonny. According to the woman who brought it, she bought it 30 years ago at a home sale. She had no idea what it was then. Upon learning that the disc was related to the slave trade, the expert refused to evaluate it.

"I personally and all of us at Antiques Roadshow do not condone the ivory trade. But this disc is not about the ivory trade, it is about the trade in human life. This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to talk about, but "This needs to be said. This is an amazing object and evidence of the heartless trade that was carried out in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries," the expert said.





The inscription on the disk reads: “Prince Jemmy of Grundy, Bonnie, a good trader,” the name of the ship is “Anna,” and the year is 1782. At the bottom there is another inscription: “An Honest Fellow.” The expert believed that the slave trader was probably from Nigeria. He also added that the ship carried 535 slaves who were transported across the Atlantic over several months. They were most likely shipped from Nigeria to Montego Bay, Jamaica.

"The Abolition Act wasn't passed until 1833 under the leadership of William Wilberforce, so these slaves were being transported long before that. It was more than 50 years before that when the trade became widespread," Ronnie Archer-Morgan said.



That is why the expert refused to evaluate the artifact. But he believes such a thing can teach modern people lessons.

"I don't want to put a price on this disc. I don't want to put a price on something that symbolizes such a terrible business. Its entire value is in the lessons it can teach people. The value is that we can learn history through such things. Thank you for that “The fact that you brought this disc today brought sadness into my heart,” the expert said on the program.