Return to text Of course, the entire profit is not always taken by a single middleman - often there is a chain of transactions. But still, the profits involved are significant. The details of the Achyris phiale are reasonably clear and are set out in Figure 2 . The largest profit was made by William Veres, who bought the piece in Italy and sold it in Switzerland, so that his high profit margin probably reflects his equally high burden of risk or cost incurred when transporting the piece across the Italian border. It is worth noting for purposes of comparison that the normal percentage of the selling price taken as commission by Sotheby's auction house from a legitimate sale varies between 18-26 per cent depending upon price.
Half is taken from the buyer and half from the seller .
Profits realised by middlemen handling the Achyris Phiale. Return to text These figures reveal the simple truth of the illicit trade in antiquities - there are large sums of money to be made, more than by legitimate trading, and very little of the proceeds ever reach the original finders. It is also likely that these large sums, derived ultimately from rich collectors, sustain the smuggling networks which support the illicit trade. References D'Arcy, D., 1998. Anatomy of plunder.