The Art Loss Register is the world's largest private database of stolen, missing and looted art, antiques and collectibles, listing half a million items. What you need to know: 1. The Art Loss Register was established in 1990 and is based in London. 2. There are half a million items listed on the database. The range of items is considerable and includes paintings, sculptures, antiquities, watches, clocks, jewellery, musical instruments, furniture, books and coins. 3. Furthermore, the ALR holds records of fakes and forgeries, items which are subject to a dispute, and items against which a loan has been secured. The ALR also offers a pre-loss registration service for museums and large permanent collections. 4. The ALR provides a due diligence service widely used across the art market. It routinely checks against its database the catalogues of major auction houses and art fairs, checks art which is pledged as collateral and handles ad-hoc searches for dealers, museums, pawnbrokers and collectors. Over 360,000 items are searched against the database each year. 5. Worldwide, almost 100 auction houses which subscribe to the ALR to have their sales checked for stolen items. A list of all subscribing auction houses can be found on the following link: http://www.artloss.com/searching/auction-houses 6. The ALR’s due diligence services are employed by 14 major international art fairs, including TEFAF, Art Basel, Frieze Masters, Masterpiece, PAN Amsterdam, Cologne Fine Art and Art Cologne. 7. When a stolen item is located, the ALR offers a recovery service, working closely with law enforcement agencies and insurance companies. Follow us at: https://twitter.com/artlossreg https://www.facebook.com/artloss