More than ever before, museums and their audiences want to know where their collections came from and how they arrived at the museum. Many museum collections of antiquities include objects which passed through auction houses on their post-excavation journeys – a key moment when an object comes into view, and is described, valued and changes hands. Historical auction catalogues provide a record of this moment and are a vital source for exploring and understanding the histories of collections. Their data can also reveal broader trends in the flows of objects, and the key players – both buyers and sellers – in different periods.

This volume explores the potential and pitfalls of working with historical auction catalogues to examine the histories of collections of antiquities. It brings together thirteen contributors who provide insights into their approaches to researching provenance, markets and collection histories, and the successes and challenges of these investigations. The chapters share case studies and methodological approaches to identifying, gathering and working with nineteenth- and twentieth-century auction catalogues, overcoming or compensating for their limitations and using them to generate and answer new questions. Through illuminating the histories behind current collections of antiquities and the practices of collectors, the volume addresses themes that are critical to the challenges facing museums today and signposts areas for future exploration.