Hi everyone. I’m a US national in Lebanon wondering whether it’s possible to take
ancient coins out of the country. I recently bought three Hellenistic coins from an antiques store. The store owner told me that it was permissible to take coins out of the country, and that Lebanese
antiquities law did not concern small numbers of common coins.
After
buying them, some
Google searches have made me question the actual legal status. Lebanon seems to have strong
antiquities laws. But enforcement of the law isn’t always the same as what’s written, especially in Lebanon.
Does anyone have experience purchasing
ancient coins in Lebanon and taking them back
home? If it would be difficult to take them in checked airplane luggage, would sending them to myself by mail
work?
I don’t really feel ethical qualms about taking them because these are common Hellenistic coins, not museum
quality, purchased from a Lebanese person. I just want to avoid legal trouble. It's not possible for me to get a refund for the coins.