I have tried to register with this auction firm. According to their crazy rules, you only can bid on their coins if you reside in India! To me, this is about shooting yourself in the foot/ they are missing out on worldwide collectors and thus will never realize top prices in their auctions....sad. They seem to have really good material
Yea, its a shame. But if you look close there is this disclaimer: Please Note : Items over 100 years old can not be taken out of India without the permission of the Director General, Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath, New Delhi - 110011. I am not sure what that means exactly for ease of export. I am guessing maybe it is more of a hassle for them to get the paperwork. I would register too if I could. Some interesting things there.
The law is the law, sadly. In India, nothing over 100 years old can leave the country without being registered, period. Yes, a lot of ebay sellers break these laws, but I have had a few packages "nabbed" on their way to me. They try to conduct themselves legally and ethically, which means ancient coins don't leave the country.
It sounds similar to what is in place in the U.K. in regards to coins and artifacts. Any coin or other artifact that was found in the ground and is at least 50 years old and worth £100 or more must receive an export license before it leaves the U.K. when sold. A lot of sellers don't follow the law, but a few do. I've purchased several nice groats and pennies that came with a thick stack of paper. In the U.K. it is a fairly enough process and doesn't take very long. I can imagine in India it might be an incredible hassle.
