I just received this email from
CNG:
Once again, our hobby is being threatened by potential new restrictions on
the import of
ancient coins. This time, two of most popular of all ancient
types,
Roman Republican and
Roman Imperial coins, are in the cross-hairs.
It is reportedly being proposed that import restrictions on all
Roman coinsbe added to the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
United States and
Italy as it
comes up for renewal this year.
To protect the pursuit we all love, Classical Numismatic Group is asking
our collector friends and colleagues to send comments to the US State
Department opposing any restrictions on the importation of Greek and
Romancoins that were produced in
Italy. The deadline for comments is July 8.
In the past few years, collectors have gained some important exemptions for
certain coin
types via lobbying the State Department’s
Cultural PropertyAdvisory
Committee (CPAC). While the record is mixed and some restrictions
have been imposed, until now both later
Roman Republican issues (after 211
BC) and
Roman Imperial coins have not been subject to restrictions.
This government regulation or MOU is up for renewal every five years. Since
2011 when this restriction first
applied to
ancient coins, it has covered
Greek coins produced in
Italy as well as the earliest
Roman coins, pre-211
BC.
This time, certain segments of American archaeological associations and
a powerful lobbying organization that seeks to ban all private collecting
of ancient artifacts will likely push for the extension of restrictions to all Roman coins.This would greatly reduce the number of coins that could enter and make
importation from overseas venues either illegal or vastly more difficult
and time consuming. This, along with the additional costs of importation to
include required documentation, would likely lead to increased prices.
While many of the most expensive coins do have pedigrees, there are many
coins entering the market that do not have an extensive paper trail. While
we have learned to live with restrictions on certain
types of
ancient coinsby researching pedigrees, this has curtailed the trade among these
typesand resulted in increased prices that have limited the collector base and
the general enjoyment of an age-old hobby.
Comments should be polite, succinct and to-the-point. They should request
that the current restriction on coins produced in
Italy be removed, as
coins by their nature are intended to circulate widely, in many cases far
beyond the borders of
Italy or even the
Roman Empire.
The current
nation-state of Italy did not exist until 1861, therefor Italy should have
no claim on coins produced thousands of years in the past. It is important
to stress that, even if the current restrictions remain, under no
conditions should they be extended to all Roman coins.For further information including suggested comments, see [2] Please
HelpSave
Roman Imperial Coin Collecting by
Peter Tompa, a
cultural propertyattorney who has made it is life’s
work to stand against arbitrary import
restrictions.
Comments may be submitted to the [3]
Cultural Property Advisory
Committee.
Please click the blue button at the top right to be directed to the comment
page. Please note that your comments are not private and may be included on
the government public comment page.
The deadline to submit a comment is
July 8.Thank you for your attention to this important matter! Please feel free to
contact
CNG with any questions.
References
[Commercial Links Removed by Admin]
2.
http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2020/06/please-help-save-roman-imperial-coin.html3.
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOS_FRDOC_0001-52334.
https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=DOS-2020-0022-0002[Commercial Links Removed by Admin]
CNG, LLC
Classical Numismatic Group
P.O. Box 479
Lancaster, PA 17608