Art Provenance and Claims Records and Research

Descriptive List of Key Records

Restitution Receipts & Property Movement Records

(a)
Record Group & Series: Records of the United States Occupation Headquarters, World War II (RG 260); Office of Military Government, U.S. Zone (Germany) (OMGUS); Property Division; Central Collecting Points (“Ardelia Hall Collection”); OMGUS Headquarters Relating to the Central Collecting Points; Restitution and Custody Receipts, 1945–1951 (A1, Entry 490).

Description: This series consists of correspondence and receipts for cultural objects restituted to countries, for the return of cultural objects to German institutions, for interzonal exchange of cultural objects, and for the exchange of custody of cultural objects in the U.S. zone. Lists and descriptions of cultural objects are also included in the shipments and are attached to the receipts. Arranged by type of record.

This series is available on NARA Microfilm Publication M1941, Rolls 33–45.

(b)
Record Group & Series: RG 260, Records of the U.S. Occupation Headquarters, World War II, Office of the Military Governor, United States (OMGUS), Property Division, Records of Central Collecting Point ("Ardelia Hall Collection"), Records of the Wiesbaden Central Collecting Point, Cultural Object Movement and Control Records, 1945-1952. (Entry 494)

Description: This series consists of shipment files, location registers, control cards, custody receipts, and other kinds of records documenting the custody and movement of cultural objects. A one-volume summary of incoming shipments and outgoing shipments of cultural objects, which includes the shipment number, the date received or shipped, the number of objects included, places of origin or destination, and other information concerning each shipment, is located at the beginning of the series. This volume serves as an index to the individual shipment folder files that follow it. Also included are some Wiesbaden Central Collecting Point inventory control records, such as location registers, property control cards, and custody receipts for cultural objects received by the collecting point. Arranged by type of record.

This series is available on NARA Microfilm Publication M1947, Rolls 29–41.

(c)
Record Group & Series: Records of the United States Occupation Headquarters, World War II (RG 260); Office of Military Government, U.S. Zone (Germany) (OMGUS); Property Division; Central Collecting Points (“Ardelia Hall Collection”); Munich Central Collecting Point; Cultural Object Movement and Control Records, 1945–1949 (A1, Entry 515)

Description: This series consists of records documenting the movement and control of cultural objects, including receipts for different types of shipments, correspondence concerning custody of objects, and cultural object control cards. The records contain receipts for weapons of historical value returned to their owners after being held in custody by U.S. military authorities and correspondence and custody statements relating to the Land Central Bank's custody of coin collections in Bavaria. This series is arranged by type of record.

This series is available on NARA Microfilm Publication M1946, Rolls 13–34.