A photo from the 1930s showing the return of Benin royal coral regalia has long been misinterpreted as an act of colonial restitution. In reality, the British officials were low-ranking, the items were likely bought, not looted, and their return was probably a private transaction rather than act of symbolic justice. As Andreas Roth shows, the real story of the coral regalia does not fit the postcolonial narrative some want to attach to these artefacts. They do not provide a precedent for the return of Benin Bronzes.