Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;red_spork, post: 4597657, member: 74282&quot;]My comment on the renewal, submitted 29 June 2020:</p><p><br /></p><p>Members of CPAC,</p><p><br /></p><p>My name is Jordan Montgomery and I am writing regarding the renewal of the MoU with Italy. I have been a collector and researcher of Roman Republic coins for 6 years, from the earliest proto-money of the Roman Republic and Kingdom, down to the final issues of the Imperatorial period. This of course includes many types restricted by the current MoU with Italy such as aes grave, aes rude and various Italian civic issues such as those of Paestum. Because of this, I am very familiar with the current MoU and the significant burden it places on American collectors, researchers and institutions.</p><p><br /></p><p>For this reason, I am asking that no additional restrictions be placed on Roman coins. Alternatively, instead of simply extending the existing restrictions, I think CPAC should explore whether or not Italy has held up its responsibilities under Section 303, a.1.A: “(B) that the State Party has taken measures consistent with the Convention to protect its cultural patrimony;”. I would argue that Italy has not taken appropriate measures in this regard. Specifically, they have not implemented any sort of system like the PAS in the United Kingdom, which equally weighs the protection of cultural property with the realities of the global market in antiquities. The success of this system is borne out by the fact that the United Kingdom has never, to my knowledge, requested any sort of import restrictions from the United States or any other party of the 1970 UNESCO convention. One cannot follow archaeological news sources without seeing the regular reports that come out of Britain of find initially uncovered and reported by amateur finders. One does not find such news out of Italy and anecdotally from colleagues in Italy I am lead to believe that even most chance finds are not reported because there is little incentive in the current system to do it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Because of this, I would argue that Italy is not taking appropriate measures to protect its own cultural patrimony. I would urge members of this committee to refuse to extend existing agreements, and especially to expand these agreements, until such time that Italy takes appropriate measures, such as those advocated for above. I would also point out, as a final example, that in many cases coins which are illegal for import to the US are fully legal for import and private ownership in Italy. Italy has not even placed the same restrictions on their own citizens that they are today asking CPAC to continue applying to American citizens. This is yet another example where Italy is not taking appropriate measures with respect to their own cultural patrimony, if we are to believe that the restrictions being enforced on American citizens are truly about protecting Italy’s cultural patrimony. One can only speculate as to why Italy would request other countries place stricter restrictions on their citizens than are placed on Italian citizens, but this is yet further evidence that CPAC should strongly reconsider placing such restrictions on Americans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Respectfully,</p><p>Jordan Montgomery[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in