French couple who sold African mask worth million for mere $160 wants it back

A French court has rejected an appeal by an elderly couple who were paid €150 for a rare Gabonese mask that later sold for more than €4 million at an auction.

According to the Guardian, the couple claimed that the art dealer who bought the mask from them failed “in his obligation to provide pre-contractual information” and committed “a breach of consent.”

They sought to annul the sale of the mask and asked for the auction’s proceeds to be given to them, but a court in Alès, southern France, upheld the terms of the sale in a decision passed down on Tuesday.

In its judgment, the court said the couple had kept the mask in an attic and had not hired any experts in order to ascertain “the true historic and artistic value” of the mask before agreeing a price with the dealer.