Court Rejects French Couple's Claim Over $4.6M Sale of Rare African Mask

The couple, who sold the mask for $165, failed to get it valued before selling, leading to its auction for millions.

An elderly French couple sold a rare African mask to an antiques dealer for $165, not realizing its true value.
The mask, which belonged to an ancestor who was a colonial governor in Africa, was later auctioned for $4.6 million.
The couple filed an injunction to cancel the original sale, arguing there had been an 'authentication error' and that the dealer was aware of the mask's real value.
The court rejected the couple's request, citing their 'inexcusable negligence and frivolity' for failing to get the mask valued before selling it.
The antiques dealer offered the couple $330,000, the auction's starting price, but their children refused, preferring to take the matter to court.