> > I hope the contract includes a very sizeable 'liquidated damages' clause > which comes into force when the artifact is significantly damaged (i.e. > scraped paint, scratches, etc don't count) or destroyed; that number should > be 5-10 times its assessed value. > > That would be to stop people like the film crew we heard of who borrowed > something, deliberately destroyed it as part of a scene, and them calmly paid > the lender the assessed value. If they're looking at having to pay a _ton_ of > money if they pull that stunt, they're less likely to.
As others have said, that 'liquidated damges' amount may be lost in the noise compared to the total budget for the film. So be careful. Be very careful. And no matter what the amount is, remember you can't hack banknotes. If it's a rare machine, one you have spent a long time tracking down, etc, then the money is probably worth a lot less to you. There are items in my collection that I would not lend out even if the amount was say $10million. Period. -tony
