US Customs Notice of Detention - Options?

Thanks for the information.

A sizeable hoard of these coins was uncovered in 1994. I know that these tetradrachms and minor denominations have been on the market well before 2020, but you're right, the burden of proof is to make the case that this coin came from the 1994 hoard discovery.

Here's a link to a short article on that hoard:

https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=snr-003:1999:78::238

 

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Mine went thru a fedex broker.....pretty easy to fill out, good for 3 years...I spent way longer waiting on hold than filling out the form

 

Here's an update on the saga with US Customs at JFK Airport, where their TIER / Special Operation Unit is detaining a Qatatban tetradrachm that was sent from Canada last month.

My first reaction was to send them a letter, in which I try to argue that the coin was present in the US/Canada before in the import restrictions on Yemeni antiquates were implemented on February 5, 2020. In the letter I try to link the coin to others that have been sold from 2014-2016, when seemingly a large number of Qatatban coins, especially drachms, hit the market. I also sent a copy of the Huth article on the 1994 hoard. I figured that if they were using Huth as a source on Qatatban coinage, why not send them information about the 1994 hoard?

That was probably a mistake on my part, since this information will likely muddy the water and make the release process more problematic.

I also contacted Peter Thompa of the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild for advice. He was very helpful, directing me to a page on the website dealing with import restrictions. I was able to use the boilerplate statement on the page for the buyer, modifying it to conform with the regulatory restrictions pertaining to Yemeni antiquities.

That statement form was sent yesterday. I sent a similar statement for for the consignor/seller to Athena last night. Salem, by the way is being very helpful, and he sent a message to me that he will issue a statement that the coin was in his possession since 2017. So, I am hopefully expecting that his documents will reach US Customs by the June 5th deadline.

I have found trying to contact this TIER team at JFK quite frustrating. They provide no contact name in the letter they sent to me and no email address, just a phone number that is perpetually busy. Additionally, the letter does not have a detention number (blank), so I have used the tracking number as the reference in my correspondences to them.

All of this is quite unsettling and quite Kafkaesque. The letter is requesting documentation that the coin left the country of origin with the blessing of that country. How, on earth, is that a reasonable request? I don't know how many collectors or dealers or auction houses handled this coin. Is such a document to accompany the coin as it passes from one hand to another in the the ancient coin market?

Well, Peter thinks that the main issue is to prove that this coin's presence in the US/Canada prior to February 5, 2020 will swing the case and release it from US Customs, JFK Airport.

I just hope that everything falls into place.

Thanks

 

For those following this thread, some background on the specific situation with Yemeni antiquities:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/arts/design/yemen-united-states-looted-artifacts.html

 

Thank you for the link to the NY Times article.

I certainly abhor the looting of cultural sites and museums. They are criminal acts not only against a nation's cultural heritage but also against the heritage of the world.

It seems that legitimately acquired coins have been swept up in the effort to stem the flow of looted artifacts into the US. I guess that's the price we pay.

If CBP seizes the coin, it will be a lesson learned for me, I hope. It would not the end of the world, and I will certainly avoid anything associated with Yemen, that's for sure!

 

The coin finally arrived on Friday, after spending some time in Washington, DC. The packaging was clearly opened and then resealed with tape and staples.

I am relieved that this episode is over, and I would like to especially thank Peter Tompa for his advice and support and Salem Alshdaifat of Athena Coins, Canada. Without their advice and support, the outcome might have been very different indeed.

Dealing with bureaucracy is not my idea of having a good time, especially with such an opaque process, complicated by a wrong phone number in the letter of detention. It was frustrating, as you might have seen in my previous posts. I was able to track down the correct number - that's how I found out that the coin was being examined, I suppose, in Washington, DC.

The coin itself is not a great rarity, nor is it very high grade, with some signs of minor corrosion. But, these are not factors that come into play with CBP. What was important to them is that it is from a country whose coins and artifacts are under an emergency import restriction. I am not tempting Fate again, so no more coins from that region, period.

Well, here's the little darling.

I am glad that it did not end up in the hands of the Houthis or the government, backed by MBS, the two sides carrying on this tragic civil war, whose primary victims have been and continue to be the innocent men, women and children of Yemen.

South Arabia. Kings of Qataban. ca. 4th to 3rd century BC. Silver tetradrachm

16.9 grams

 

I cannot stand FEDEX/ everytime a auctionhouse sends something thru them there are customs delays+ you get dinged the taxes (13%) I have my stuff sent/ registered letter/ no value/ gift Of course some outfits like Naumann/ MDC Monaco give you no choice/ so I get my coins from auction houses that provide service to my intructions.

 

Here's the Notice of Detention from CBP.



Also, here's my (buyer's) "safe harbor" declaration to CBP. I had to modify Peter's boilerplate to include the emergency restrictions on Yemini artifacts.

 

Yes, sending packages through the USPS do not incur this tax.

Regardless of how packages and letters are sent, the information on the customs declaration form can determine whether they are sent on or examined further. This is a delicate issue, for if a package is selected for inspection, and the declaration form information is at significant variance with what is found inside, life can become quite complicated with CBP.