Cultural patrimony laws and ancient coins

[shirohniichan]

Bulgaria recovers coins smuggled to Canada

 

The article I linked contains the following passage:

 

"Some of the countries interested in the return of antiquities and coins, regardless of when and how they were exported to the United States. They claim the coins are their cultural patrimony and property. Countries exercising this practice include Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy, Greece, The Peoples’ Republic of China and Turkey."

 

In theory this could get rather sticky. Would it be possible that Greece could lay claim to ancient coins unearthed, for example, in Bulgaria? How about China claiming "ancient" (which they define as anything before 1911) coins brought over to the US by immigrants before the PRC was even a country?

 

In another note, since Bulgaria claims all archeological discoveries for the state and pays finders nothing, they can expect more smuggling. The UK's laws make more sense if a country wants to keep ancient treasure from ending up on the black market.

[Conder101]

To answer your question about Greece, yes they could potentionally. Likewise Italy could potentially claim all ancient Roman coinage. When they were considering a similar legislation for Iraq they had language that would have included any coinage that may have been used in Iraq in antiquity. (Originally it was to include anything before 1990!) Iraq was a major trade route crossroads and it could have included coinage from almost anywhere.

[shirohniichan]

To answer your question about Greece, yes they could potentionally. Likewise Italy could potentially claim all ancient Roman coinage. When they were considering a similar legislation for Iraq they had language that would have included any coinage that may have been used in Iraq in antiquity. (Originally it was to include anything before 1990!) Iraq was a major trade route crossroads and it could have included coinage from almost anywhere.

 

Some laws may help nations who try to enforce them to extort money from auction houses or seize coins going through customs in third-party countries on occasion, but I don't see how they can be enforced.

 

Imagine the absurdity of the laws if carried to their logical conclusion. Can they really expect us to believe that a coin struck in Rome, used here and there in the empire, and finally unearthed in England should be returned to Italy? Do the Greek government officials who passed their law think that an ancient Athenian coin discovered in a 1st century hoard of coins from many parts of the Mediterranean area dug up today in modern day Israel should be returned?

 

I can understand them wanting to recover treasures looted during the 19th and 20th centuries, but if they were to try to claim coins used in trade centuries ago they'd be engaging in absurdity.

[HiHoAudio]

I suppose I'll have to rethink that planned Bulgarian collection...

[Conder101]

The problem is there are international agreements/treaties drawn up that require other signatory nations to help enforce these laws and we, among others, are a signatory nation. And yes our government has assisted in the repatriation of at least one collection.