The MFA thinks it ‘wise not to make restitution decisions based on the following factors’: an object’s financial value (“This is so valuable, we must deny the claim.”); its importance to the collection (“We’re never going to show it, so let’s give it back.”); its desirability to others (“It was legally sold but would take pride of place in this small town.”), and a subjective opinion about the claimant (“They won’t value it like we do.”).
