Assault on collecting

So? Cultural heritage protection laws affect people anywhere, not just those who collect coins from XYZ because some ancestor came from there. May well be that yours or mine were ancient Romans. May also be that the US government does not care about whether archaeological objects are "picked" in America and then sold to private collectors in some other country. But that does and should not make illegal exports elsewhere legal.

Sure, nobody can control tomb robbery and art trafficking completely. The question is whether that means we should simply lean back and say that therefore we do not need anything like that, and basically encourage the criminals. I do not think so. However, as I wrote before, there is an important difference between unique or very rare objects on one hand and "mass products" such as coins on the other hand. This differentiation has not been made in the proposed law, and coin collectors/dealers have not been heard so far. Hope this petition will change that.

Christian

 

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In the US, if the land where any object is found is publicly owned, in most cases it is illegal to even remove it let alone sell it. This would include a rock, a plant or a Lincoln wheat cent.

If the land is private, in most cases the land owners can do what they please with it.

In the Southwest where I live looting is a problem too, just not with ancient coins.

Laws are pretty strict, but it still doesn't stop it. I think all countries should adopt sensible laws similar to the system England uses, that Valentinian mentioned. Many more finds would be recorded, people can still sell their finds, and if it proves to be a national treasure they get the credit, some compensation and it goes into public ownership.

After all, it's the knowledge that objects of antiquity provide that's the most important thing, not really who owns it for their short stay on earth.

 

Fantastic post! I hope this is read widely and finds its way onto the desks of the decision makers.

 

I am writing just to bring this thread to the top again. Read my comments a few posts back if you haven't already.

This is an important issue. The trend of news and legislation is against collecting. You may not believe it or expect it (How many times in history did people not expect what happened?), but things like this can change and the warning signs are there to see. If you want collecting to continue and thrive, do something. As one very minor step, sign that petition referred to in the first post of this thread.

 

Well said and most collectors will fully agree with you.
Doug Hill

 

signed (better late, than never)

 

Signed.

 

Signed

 

Signed.. Bitte.

 

Signed. Even though I don't collect any type of foreign coins

 

Signed with comment. Thanks for the link.

 

signed!

 

Signed and commented. Any and all coin collectors (stamps, spoons, war artifacts, etc.) should sign. If you have not, I will not speak to you again!

 

By not signing, you contribute to tightening the noose on basic freedoms. YOU!! Sure there are problems with this petition, but it can send a message, and it can assist collectors worldwide. It does send a message, maybe not the best, but your suggestion that all material recovered from digs, be documented, is not very reasonable. I have seen false documentations, seen false claims from archaeologists who misread the layer levels. Some have made fantastic claims of discovering Lot's cave, or Noah's ark, or Scythian burial sites, some have ascribed tombs to the wrong dynasty and wrong Pharaoh. How many "Jesus" coins have you seen, most are Byzantine creations, many are fakes, even with fake documentation. As mentioned above some digs done in the 1930s are still not fully documented. Even some of the Qumran caves have not been fully documented. The Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center, in Texas, is still finding and documenting many many ancient manuscripts of the Bible, which were unknown laying in easter European countries. Oftimes the owners have no idea where they came from. I have seen many ancient manuscripts sold on EBAY page by page, to maximize the sellers profit, and no information as to the provenance is known! All of the provenance data is lost or unknown. I possess actual manuscripts from the year 1200, and I have no idea where they came from (probably Egypt). Yes documentation is important, but it should be instituted after freedom is established, or fought for. And becoming a target, here in America by German authorities for signing a petition and making it known that you are a collector or dealer, is like expecting the FBI to arrest you for being in Dallas when Kennedy was assassinated. Pretty far fetched. I would be checking your clothing labels, who knows the tags may be tracking you. All sorts of fears, exist if one is paranoid. The men who signed our constitution became targets, but they still signed. Fear not!!

Poor people in Greece will sell numerous artifacts, this I predict. I also predict that if petitions like this one fail, and the restrictions become law, then the black market will surge. As others have said, this petition may not be the best thing going, but it is a voice, a message, even to the German population, we support the Gemeindeland Volk. And the many Sammlers. At least I do.

Sure it is a good idea to document, I am not against that, but it MUST not be a demand executed prior to this petition. If the petition succeeds, THEN begin the process of educating dealers and collectors to document, but the petition comes first, can't you see that?

 

I signed as soon as I saw it. Ridiculous proposed law. Restriction of Freedom also!