Following is the text of an email sent out today by
Harlan J.
Berk:
We recently learned the
Italian restriction on
antiquities, which was up for renewal, was amended to now include the following
ancient coins listed below. What this means is collectors can only import the following coins into the USA with documentation proving that it was out of the source country before January 19, 2011. The only
good news here is that
Roman Imperial as well as most
Roman Republican coins were not added to the restriction. The Greek restriction is up next, and based on this current news it seems coins will most likely be added to it as well.
What should be done and what does this mean to you?
Any coins that are already in the USA are legal to own and legal to trade. The U.S. State Department has now made it difficult for Americans to purchase overseas unless documentation proving ownership prior to 1/19/2011 can be provided for listed restricted coins. This also means European dealers will not be able to enter the USA with stock for coin fairs without proper documentation on restricted coin
types.
What can you do?
It is more important for the
good of the industry to document all coins already in this country and abroad. That way if you or dealers, like us, sell coins overseas the coins will
still have the ability to legally travel anywhere. We
hope you realize the importance of documenting your
collections so that future generations can
still enjoy the hobby for years to come.
Please contact our offices if you have further questions about this.
The current restriction of
Italian ancient coins:
F. Coins of
Italian Types-A
type catalogue of listed currency and coins can be found in N.K.
Rutter et al. (eds.),
Historia Numorum:
Italy (
London, 2001). Others appear in G.F.
Hill Coins of Ancient
Sicily (Westminster, 1903).
1. Lumps of bronze (
Aes Rude)-Irregular lumps of bronze used as an early medium of exchange in
Italy from the 9th century B.C.
2. Bronze bars (Ramo Secco and
Aes Signatum)-Cast bronze bars (whole or cut) used as a media of exchange in central
Italy and
Etruria from the 5th century B.C.
3.
Cast coins (
Aes Grave)-Cast bronze coins of
Rome, Etruscan, and
Italian cities from the 4th century B.C.
4. Struck coins-Struck coins of the
Roman Republic and Etruscan cities produced in gold, silver, and bronze from the 3rd century B.C. to c. 211 B.C., including the ''Romano-Campanian'' coinage.
5. Struck colonial coinage-Struck bronze coins of
Roman republican and early imperial colonies and
municipia in
Italy,
Sicily, and Sardinia from the 3rd century B.C. to c. A.D. 37.
6. Coins of the Greek cities-Coins of the Greek cities in the southern
Italian peninsula and in
Sicily (
Magna Graecia),
cast or struck in gold, silver, and bronze, from the late 6th century B.C. to c. 200 B.C.
Link to full written restriction:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/pdf/2011-882.pdf