http://www.accg.us/issues/news/can-we-help-this-museum This is a good cause recently brought to my attention so if you are able to help them out, I urge you to. This is a small local museum in Britain who has coins that are relevant to their area. The person who found them has obeyed the law and reported their find...something that must be encouraged if collectors are to be viewed as anything but looters to countries, archeologists and academia. This museum will not be shuffling these coins into the basement never to be seen again, they will be displayed for all visitors to see. The museum is so small that they ONLY have a budget of roughly 100 pounds to purchase things for display and I believe it is a good cause to aid this small museum to acquire coins to display to the people. I have a serious problem with museums and archeologist who believe they are the only ones entitled to own portable antiquities...these are the people who are trying to pressure governments to turn all collectors and sellers into criminals no better than looters (and they have done a rather good job of it as of late). These draconian measures should be frowned upon and we as collectors. I mean anyone who collects anything more than 100 years old or owns what might be viewed as antiquities or might one day become a target by owning something that some day could be labeled 'Culturally Significant' (many countries will label a ratty LRB coin as significant and have outlawed ALL trade in these items). There is a rabid contingent that would see all collectors, they refer to as 'coin fondlers', outlawed...complete disdain for this great hobby and field of study. This is a fine example of a treasure hunter following the law and making it known he has found treasure. While larger museums do not deem these coins as significant, they could find a great home ON DISPLAY at this smaller museum... To many collectors, it might be unbelievable that all the museum has is 100 pounds to purchase things like this and the price the person who found these coins is asking is small and reasonable...easily within the price range of many of us... So I am going to send them money and I hope some among us will do the same...I honestly think it is a good cause and will show collectors support for more logical laws that look to aid collector and museum to work TOGETHER instead of against each other... Thanks
well, that was fast...apparently someone donated enough to aquire these coins for them. All the same, one could still donate to help them out. It wasnt a large amount of money needed so I figured it wouldnt take long Also, I believe the ACCG will be starting a fund to be used to aid small museums and encourage them to display coins...I will report back on that later as it develops. "Thank you very much for your email and offer of support. We have just had some wonderful news - the Friends of the Museum have received enough donations for the Museum to purchase the Roman coins, and to put them on display in the Museum's archaeology room. We are all delighted! If you still wish to make a donation, cheques or international money orders can be sent to The Friends of Stroud District Museum, at the Museum address below. The Friends support the work of the Museum and help fund purchases for the collections, work on our displays, and our public programmes. " added note from museum: setting up a 'coin fund' and PayPal account for donations sounds brilliant - I'm sure many other local Museums in the UK are in a similar position to us and even a donation of £100 could make a huge difference. Do keep us posted please! To be honest, we have all been wonderfully surprised and heartened by the interest shown in the Roman coins and our appeal for help. Its wonderful that people want to support small, local Museums and its great that the finds will be on public display in the area where they were found, rather than being hidden away in the British Museum stores. Thank you so much for all your help with promoting our 'coin appeal' and spreading the word - we are really delighted that it has attracted interest beyond Stroud and outside the UK. Thank you, and please pass on our thanks to those on the Moneta-L list and ACCG. All good wishes, Abigail Although there seems to be little interest here regarding this...I will still post info on the coin fund once it has been established in case someone would like to donate. 100% of donations will go to small museums in need and, funds will only go to ancient coin related issues.... Thanks
I believe Germany has already done something like this..but what would be the odds of the US following? stainless
If some had their way they would outlaw the private ownership of all portable antiquities (often defined as something 100 years + but more often leveled towards collecting ancient artifacts) worldwide. In some aspect the US is a bit restrictive. There are places where hunting for treasure is downright outlawed and you can be arrested for having a metal detector in your car (Chattanooga Battlefield Park being just one) Some are so rabid they would rather destroy common antiquities such as shards of amphorae than to release them for sale as it would encourage the practice of collecting antiquities. Some countries simply say anything found under their territory is 'culturally important' be it the most common Constantine coin to the most rare artifacts. The UK has some of the most fair laws regarding this and such laws, IMO, should be supported, encouraged and emulated all over.
