Tank04 wrote:IF this item is a genuine artifact of pre 1795 significance, it is very important, but I suppose somewhere along the line, it will have to be sampled to prove it so.
If you are referring to sampling for the purpose of carbon dating, I agree that it may have to be carefully and properly sampled at some point. But I would think that an expert taking a sample for that purpose would be mindful of the proper way to do so in order to preserve the piece as much as is possible.
Ken