I am pleased that Prince William and the Commonwealth will recover these records, but I think it's most unfortunate that the Post writers failed to mention that the possession of sale of such public records is illegal. How are we to discourage such trafficking in the public trust if the consequences are not made known to collectors and dealers? Peter V. Bergstrom, PhD Manager, Information Systems, Lighthouse Institute Archivist, Illinois Addiction Studies Archive Chestnut Health Systems 720 W. Chestnut St. Bloomington, IL Webmaster http://www.chestnut.org -----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, 12 July 2001 3:25 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Check out Court Papers, Lost During Civil War, Show Up on eBay (washingtonpos <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49406-2001Jul11.html"> Click here: Court Papers, Lost During Civil War, Show Up on eBay (washingtonpost.com)</A> - Those interested in Prince William County records thought lost might find this of interest. It is a good idea to keep a watch for historic official documents that may be offered for sale from any source. They are retrievable at any time. Technically, Virginia did not have to pay the seller for the documents. I find it interesting that he accidentally forgot that he still had at least one document that he offered for sale. Bill Russell To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html