When your right to collect is stolen from you!

[Canaan]

Hello to all,
I was anticipating to recieve some coins i bought and very excited and just waiting to see them in hand, instead of recieving the package i recieved a letter from customes telling me that the coins are confiscated and to send them a fax with some documents regarding the origin and invoices, After many attempts to contact them i was informed that these coins will be confiscated for good and they will be sent to the antiquities authoroties, and i was treated as someone who did something criminal, knowing that the coins where bought legally from an ebay dealer with invoices and every legal document needed.
Know i will think a million time before buying a coin because most likely it will be taken from me for no obvious reason.
I feel that my right to choose was stolen from me.
has any one experienced this before?

[Nemonater]

That is a rotten story Canaan. I can't imagine how awful it must feel to not only have your property stolen and then have the case twisted so you seem to be the guilty party! 

What country do you live in and where were the coins coming from?


Nemo

[Molinari]

Good question.  Also, what was the value of the coins and date range?

[Joe Sermarini]

He lives in Israel. It is a bizarre story considering the country has numerous antiquity shops and does issue export permits.

[Canaan]

Yes from France to Israel and the coins were a common ptolemy and one artuqid coin nothing bid deal neither high value!!! and this happened today Joe.

[Joe Sermarini]

You should probably contact an elected official who represents you.

[Canaan]

The official told me frankly, "the coins are confiscated and you can do nothing about it, and in the future if you want to buy ancient coins you have to issue an import permit from the Antiquities Authority".
I do not want to stear away from my subject. I am just depressed from what happened and feel disappointed as i can not buy coins any more with out any obvious reasons and if any one has experienced such a thing!

[orfew]

@Canaan
I am sorry this has happened to you. [REMOVED BY ADMIN]

[Joe Sermarini]

This is the first time I have EVER heard of this happening. I have heard from another collector in Israel that he had difficulty receiving a shipment from a European auction but, in the end, he did get his coins.  Let's NOT assume this is normal or applies anywhere but Israel. Also, I have even shipped to Israel very recently without any problems.

[n.igma]

I was anticipating to recieve some coins i bought and very excited and just waiting to see them in hand, instead of recieving the package i recieved a letter from customes telling me that the coins are confiscated and to send them a fax with some documents regarding the origin and invoices, .....

... I have heard from another collector in Israel that he had difficulty receiving a shipment from a European auction but in the end. he did get his coins. Let's NOT assume this is normal or applies anywhere but Israel.

Possibly caught up by an overly zealous interpretation of the changes in Israeli regulations detailed in this article .... http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_eng.aspx?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1925

.... Regulations regarding the importation of antiquities into Israel were recently amended. The new regulations, which will take effect toward the end of April 2012, require a customs declaration for the importation of antiquities and a preliminary inspection of the items by the Israel Antiquities Authority for the issuance of an import license.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the Customs and Tax Authority, will prevent the importation of antiquities into the country without proper documentation that indicates they were legally exported from the country of origin, and thereby significantly reduce the process of “antiquities laundering” and the trade in stolen antiquities in the Middle East.

According to Shai Bar-Tura, inspector in charge of overseeing the antiquities trade on behalf of the IAA Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery, “Beginning April 20 there will be a new reality in the antiquities trade in Israel. The new regulation will provide us with the tools in order to prevent the importation into the country of antiquities that were stolen or plundered in other countries, thus enabling us to thwart the international cycle of robbery and trade in stolen archaeological artifacts”.

More on the subject  ... https://books.google.com.au/books?id=DOBnAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA229&lpg=PA229&dq=ISRAEL+ANTIQUITIES+IMPORT+LAW&source=bl&ots=NzkNZ4iQzm&sig=eJD_df0YzcIjUvpQgyxPLjVqF2M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi6v9DmoO7SAhULgLwKHcsgBPkQ6AEIPTAG#v=onepage&q=ISRAEL%20ANTIQUITIES%20IMPORT%20LAW&f=false

[Arados]

Very unfortunate Canaan, i know this is a long shot but find out the antiquities departmental heads name and write explaining the situation. Supply them with photos and your receipt and apologetically state that you were unaware of the import license ruling. Don't forget to advocate your argument sympathetically and reassure them that this will not happen again.  It´s worth a try.

Martin

[Canaan]

Thanks to all and Martin, i was told obviously that nothing i will do will help, my concern is not the confiscated coins but finding other resources locally and legally, coins here are alot more expensive and dealers exagerate alot in prices a coin that i can buy on line for 20 or 25 USD here in Israel the asking price will be 100 USD. and now i can not continue buying from abroad.

[Joe Sermarini]

Anytime I have ever tried to buy coins from Israel they were always far more expensive than anywhere else. Strange but true.

[SC]

I have been to Israel many times.  One thing I learned there is never give up.  If they tell you you have no hope of getting your coins back - don't listen to them.  Keep writing and calling and harassing them.  Demand a legal explanation.  Write an MK or two and tell the custom's officials what you have done.  Tell them you need all the facts from them to support your lawsuit against them.  Etc., etc.

Either this is the beginning of a new and serious crackdown or you have been unfairly treated by an arbitrary official as others said.

Joe is right that strangely coins are more expensive in Israel.  I have got ok deals on some uncleaned lots there in the past, but only in person and only when I literally spend an entire day getting to know the vendors - visiting their home, etc.  The prices of individual coins tends to range from slightly above average to outrageously high.

What works in your favour here is that some Israeli dealers (I know for a fact) import some of the coins which they then in turn sell.  This means that such a ban will hit them too.

SC

[Canaan]

Thanks Shawn, I have used your Tips and called them so many times, eventually I was told that the case will be dealt with by a committee from the Antiquities authorities and they will decide weather to give me back my coin or no (Most likely never) and send me an official letter thanking me for them, and in meanwhile I can not buy any coins from abroad with out importing certificate which is almost impossible to obtain with out being a dealer!!! So bye bye collecting coins at least until I figure out what to do!!!