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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;4to2centBC, post: 2316257, member: 76181&quot;]<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/world/europe/iraq-syria-antiquities-islamic-state.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/world/europe/iraq-syria-antiquities-islamic-state.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/world/europe/iraq-syria-antiquities-islamic-state.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Interesting article once again highlighting a problem area in collecting....Middle East art. I discussed this topic with someone of import at Triton. Tricky subject. The article mentions coins as well as other artifacts.&nbsp; I know several of my coins are recent discoveries and are from the region. I have no idea if they are sourced &quot;ethically&quot; or not. I trust they are. I was told they were. </p><p><br /></p><p>I also know I have seen a couple coins from the Qunduz hoard sold at auction (those coins were in a museum in Afghanistan that was ransacked.) Those Qunduz coins were obviously not sourced legally. I have the reference copy of the hoard and the auctioned coins were certainly from that stolen group. I know of someone who purchased one, knowing it was from that stolen hoard. His view was he was keeping it safe for history. The money had passed hands to the initial source years earlier and his buying it (for 2,000 Euros) would not enrich a terrorist. </p><p><br /></p><p>ISIS and their ilk obviously get the majority of their cash from oil and other means with antiquities being a small percentage. Does buying questionable material contribute to the pillaging or does it save the objects that would otherwise be destroyed. Or is that a self serving rationalization. How does one separate what was once &quot;legitimate&quot; trade from the trade that constitutes blood money?</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, food for thought. It vexes my mind regularly.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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