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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GinoLR, post: 13251081, member: 128351&quot;]Of course they may be an everlasting discussion about the legitimacy of selling/buying ancient coins, repatriation can be discussed too... but this is an emergency. There are countries where metal detecting, unauthorized digging and looting on archaeological sites, which causes their <u>destruction</u>, has become an industry. Something must be done to stop it. What is done may not be perfect, but it&#039;s better than doing nothing and continue trading blood antiquities w/o asking questions, just saying &quot;everybody should do as in UK with the magic Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>I remember this absolute scandal that was the auctioning in New York, two years ago, of an unique coin: an aureus of Vabalathus. It was a never seen before coin. Of course it had no origin, no provenance at all, it just fell from heaven in the Empire State Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Nobody asked any question about its provenance, questions like who could be the freaking seller? This coin minted in Antioch and still in near mint condition was obviously hoarded immediately after minting, that is to say not far from Antioch. In the Idlib sector, for example, still controlled by Syrian rebels and terrorist militias who make money selling abroad looted antiquities? Nobody asked questions, the coin was not withdrawn and it sold for USD 250,000. Nobody knows who bought it and what he or she did with it. A unique coin of high historical importance...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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