Legal obligation.

Register of furniture objects for the use of antique dealers.

The antique dealer or second-hand dealer is required to ensure the origin of the furniture, objects and works of art that he acquires and as such, he must know precisely the identity of the seller before purchasing them.It therefore follows directly that:

          - the antique dealer cannot buy from a minor.- during an inheritance, objects can only be negotiated with the agreement of all

               the beneficiaries.

          - for people going through a divorce, the agreement of both spouses is obviously required.

By legal obligation (articles 321-1 to 321-8 of the penal code), the antique dealer is required to record the identity of the sellers in a "Police book", "Police register" or "Registers of objects furniture”.

This register must be initialed by the police commissioner or by the Mayor of the municipality in which the professional is established. The register must indicate in indelible ink, without blanks, erasures or abbreviations, on irremovable sheets which are generally numbered:

          - a serial number which is assigned to each object.

          - the date of purchase.

          - the description of the object (characteristics, nature, provenance, style, dimensions, signatures, monograms, letters, serial

               numbers, emblems or other distinctive signs).

          - the name, first names, position and address of the seller; the nature, number and date of issue of the seller's identity

               document with the indication of the authority which issued this document.

          - the purchase price and the method of payment (in the case of exchange, free acquisition or consignment sale, an estimate of

               the market value of each item or lot).- indication of the classification or registration of the object in the inventories of

               historical monuments (if the seller is aware of it).

The policy book must be completed as purchases are made. Objects whose unit value does not exceed €60 can be entered in a lot, with a common description and order number.

The register of movable objects can be controlled by the police or tax services; sometimes checks take place at fairs and exhibitions, which is why the professional must always have it with him when he participates in an external event.

No one is safe from purchasing in good faith an item that has been stolen and already resold several times; to prove your integrity, it is absolutely essential that you can present to the police services who ask you, the references of the identity of the seller to allow them to “follow the chain”.

When the police register is completed, it must be kept for 5 years. When you start a new police register, the order number assigned to each object must be a continuation of those assigned in the previous police register.Sanctions for non-compliance with legal obligations regarding the Police Book can range up to a fine of 30,000 euros and 6 months' imprisonment. The legal obligations linked to keeping a police book also apply to people who develop an activity as a self-employed person and who buy and sell second-hand items to individuals or professionals; obviously, this also applies to people who have an activity on the internet (eBay, Leboncoin,...).