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----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Dear Ursula - I too read the article in Art and Auction and have used Artfact extensively since I am compiling an auction lot database relating to Peter Carl Faberge', the Russian court jeweler. As I understand it from Artfact, they have had difficulty getting permission to mount the Christie's data, and in many cases the descriptions Artfact has do not match the text in the actual hard copy auction catalog. Copyright concerns? icollector is British and mounts non-mainstream auction houses (somewhat limited), that is, Sotheby's, Christie's and other major auction houses are not included. The database is a mixture of genuine Faberge' objects, books and many imitations. Sotheby's has their own on-line database with archival catalogs and prices realized beginning in April 1998. Sotheby's has signed up 2,700 auction houses and galleries to begin in the fall a joint auction-on-line project. Who will authenticate the pieces? Christie's now has the price lists on the net. They hope in the fall of 1999 to have the text from the catalogs to go with the prices. Many of the on-line databases do not include the decorative arts. Of course, there was an earlier discussion on this listserv about the fact that price lists are not being mailed by the auction houses anymore unless you returned the magic postcard. For me as a researcher, it is getting more and more difficult to find the bits and pieces needed to complete an auction lot entry with prices realized. It is certainly not one-stop shopping. I would like to hear from others off list about this problem. Christel L. McCanless Librarian/Independent Researcher Phone/fax 256-536-3458