SOURCES & STANDARDS
A trail worth following.
Readers should be able to see where a claim comes from.
A source has a role.
A maker may establish a specification. A museum may establish historical context. An auction house may report a result. An independent dataset may help compare markets. Each supports a different kind of claim; none automatically supports all of them.
Market information needs its particulars.
We identify the market, date, currency, reference and price basis where a financial figure is used. Asking prices, estimates, hammer prices, premium-inclusive results, modelled indices and seller proceeds are not interchangeable.
Where costs, condition or liquidity have not been established, we say so. We do not transform an exceptional sale into a general expected return or extrapolate a five-year study into a two-year guarantee.
Images document or illustrate.
Image credits identify the creator, source, licence and relevant presentation changes. A photograph of a similar object is an illustration, not evidence of the condition or identity of a particular item for sale.