Board Thread:The B&B/@comment-24509764-20140814165729/@comment-5782071-20181102143642

Well, an image of the remains - by this point the fire is pretty much out, so it's still collectable.

As for why they collect artifact remains, it could be because they might still have some kick to them. They might think an artifact is rendered inert by it's destruction since they see the effects wear off, but some artifacts still function afterwards (Carroll's Mirror is the biggest example). Plus, permanently inert or no, it's still an artifact; better in the Warehouse than out in the world. If it isn't just "better safe than sorry", it might just be on principal. A random person could collect the remains for some nefarious reason, or they could be repurposed and made into something else that still had some juju in it (accidentally or not). Lots of potential outcomes if an artifact's remains were left out in the world.

Plus, if people witness or used the artifact and it gets destroyed, collecting it would prevent someone from trying to display it and its properties to the public and expose artifacts' existence, and it makes it easier to bury the case from public eyes.