Italy makes collecting illegal

[guy]

Patience with me on this one. It appears that Italy is demanding a permit on Ancient Roman coins exported to the United States...even one found in England.

 

Ouch. Here's an article dealing with the subject:

 

http://ancientcoincollecting.blogspot.com/...-speak-out.html

 

Oh, the insanity.

 

I know its difficult reading. But if this agreement is passed, it could have a devastating impact on the collection and study of Ancient Roman coins.

 

Here's an important part of the article:

 

Why oppose these import restrictions? Because Roman coins are at the very core of the cultural experience that we all treasure. They have circulated all over the known world in antiquity and since through trade and collector markets. It is impossible to distinguish a Roman coin found in Britain, for example, from exactly the same type, mint, etc found in Italy. Requiring an export permit from Italy on a coin found and legally exported from Britain would not only be impractical, it would not have any legal foundation.

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited April 14, 2010 by guy

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

On the other hand Guy I'd suggest you to read Paul Barford's arguments on his blog http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/ for he will answer better than most of us. Is the Italian law too strict ? Probably on some minor aspects. But this trade is in good part exploited by criminals, be it in Italy or in the Balkan, from where most current coins lots come from and such laws are necessary.

[Melvadius]

On the other hand Guy I'd suggest you to read Paul Barford's arguments on his blog http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/ for he will answer better than most of us. Is the Italian law too strict ? Probably on some minor aspects. But this trade is in good part exploited by criminals, be it in Italy or in the Balkan, from where most current coins lots come from and such laws are necessary.

 

I would tend to agree that if the intent of this law is to ensure that the 'provenance' of artefacts is maintained while continuing to allow the sale of items which have been found by whatever means but not been deemed important enough to maintain in museum collections then there is no real issue.

 

In my view the only people liable to have a 'real' complaint about possible 'restrictions' are those who operate totally through the black market in stolen antiquities as this will put limits on their ability to not only source but more importantly sell on such unprovenanced items. It may ultimately stop some of the more blatant devastation which can occur when archaeological sites are stripped bare by locals searching for anything of any possible monetary value to sell on. The amount of potential information on ancient societies which continues to be lost in this way is horrifying even if its full extent uncalculable.

 

Mind you a similar complaint has been raised with the BBC reporting on the first successful prosecution of someone in Britain under the Treasures Act at the end of February. A woman in Ludlow apparently went into her local museum to get a silver artefact identified claiming to have found it 14 years previously. Despite being repetedly told that as it was considered 'treasure' under the Act she also had to report it to the cornerer to obtain title to sell it on if she wished she ignored the requests.

 

This case has led to some further controversy with the BBc going on to report in early March how some numismatists claimed that it was a coin so exempt from the Act as not part of a hoard but it is generally agreed that the artefact is a piedfort - double a coin's normal thickness - and probably struck for ceremonial presentation in the French court of Charles IV so is included in the terms of the Act.

 

The main thing in this case is not the level of the fine but the fact that it has fired a warning shot that if found to have deliberately acted illegaly people can be prosecuted under the Treasure Act and stand to lose financially by not complying with the the full terms of the Treasure Act in Britain. One can live in hope that a few more succesful prosecutions should bed in that knowledge amongst the 'nighthawking' community and put a 'crimp' in their future activities.

 

Overall I would say that the proposed Italian Law is a step in the right direction towards ensuring that neither side losses out when a find has been properly recorded and an official decision made that it can be sold on through the open market. It should remove a lot if not all of the traditional risk of caveat emptor.