Collections Confiscated - Coin Collectors criminalized
German numismatists ring the alarm bells
German cultural authorities have begun searching private homes and seizing entire collections of antique coins, if provenance of only a few coins in the collection is not documented. These invasions are being conducted under the new German laws on importation of cultural property. Coins being subjected to such scrutiny are not restricted to ancient coins presumed to have been excavated - medieval and antique modern coins are also subject to the same measures. In one case, a pensioner from the Thuringian Eisenberg recently acquired four old coins on an Internet auction site. Shortly afterwards his house was searched, ending with seizure of his entire collection. Collectors are understandably alarmed, because very few coins in their collections have provenances that will satisfy the new laws. When a collection becomes suspect only a short time is being allowed to prove licit origin before the collection is seized, and then even if the suspicion is unfounded, it is very difficult to recover the collection. Not only coins, but all "cultural objects" more than 100 years old are subject to these new cultural laws, leading to fears that stamp collections, collections of graphic arts and antique jewelry may also be targeted. The list of "cultural objects" in the 1970 UNESCO Convention is very extensive, including such common things as coins, postage stamps, photographs and printed books. The new laws on importation of cultural property became effective in September 2008, after the German government finally gave in to demands that importation of unprovenanced coins and other artifacts should be prevented, because archaeologists allege that looting of archaeological sites is driven by the collecting market. This allegation is unproven - no verifiable, factual evidence has yet been presented to support it. There is however significant evidence that looting would continue unabated even if collecting could be prevented in Europe and other areas where cultural property laws are respected. Meanwhile German coin collectors now feel completely insecure, like criminals suspected of breaking the law. According to Ulf Draeger - head of the Moritzburg Landesmünzkabinetts and chairman of the German Society of Medallic Arts - the entry into force of these new laws, despite their laudable intentions, has led to significant collateral damage in only a short time. His conclusion: "If this situation continues, then we can pack up." For a summary in English see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unidroit-L/message/3348 For the original articles in German see http://www.numismatische-gesellschaft.de/ http://tinyurl.com/dfc7sp http://tinyurl.com/bc8pqz Google's translator conveys the sense of these articles for those who cannot read German. Dave Welsh |
Collections Confiscated - Coin Collectors criminalized
Hello
The translation I got and read was not the same as you posted below. Yahoo has this web site you can use to translate. Go to: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ . Indicate language to translate to. (German to English) Now plug in the web link below and click Translate. www.numismatische-gesellschaft.de/ ..----------------------------------------------- "Dave Welsh" wrote in message ... German numismatists ring the alarm bells German cultural authorities have begun searching private homes and seizing entire collections of antique coins, if provenance of only a few coins in the collection is not documented. These invasions are being conducted under the new German laws on importation of cultural property. Coins being subjected to such scrutiny are not restricted to ancient coins presumed to have been excavated - medieval and antique modern coins are also subject to the same measures. In one case, a pensioner from the Thuringian Eisenberg recently acquired four old coins on an Internet auction site. Shortly afterwards his house was searched, ending with seizure of his entire collection. Collectors are understandably alarmed, because very few coins in their collections have provenances that will satisfy the new laws. When a collection becomes suspect only a short time is being allowed to prove licit origin before the collection is seized, and then even if the suspicion is unfounded, it is very difficult to recover the collection. Not only coins, but all "cultural objects" more than 100 years old are subject to these new cultural laws, leading to fears that stamp collections, collections of graphic arts and antique jewelry may also be targeted. The list of "cultural objects" in the 1970 UNESCO Convention is very extensive, including such common things as coins, postage stamps, photographs and printed books. The new laws on importation of cultural property became effective in September 2008, after the German government finally gave in to demands that importation of unprovenanced coins and other artifacts should be prevented, because archaeologists allege that looting of archaeological sites is driven by the collecting market. This allegation is unproven - no verifiable, factual evidence has yet been presented to support it. There is however significant evidence that looting would continue unabated even if collecting could be prevented in Europe and other areas where cultural property laws are respected. Meanwhile German coin collectors now feel completely insecure, like criminals suspected of breaking the law. According to Ulf Draeger - head of the Moritzburg Landesmünzkabinetts and chairman of the German Society of Medallic Arts - the entry into force of these new laws, despite their laudable intentions, has led to significant collateral damage in only a short time. His conclusion: "If this situation continues, then we can pack up." For a summary in English see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unidroit-L/message/3348 For the original articles in German see http://www.numismatische-gesellschaft.de/ http://tinyurl.com/dfc7sp http://tinyurl.com/bc8pqz Google's translator conveys the sense of these articles for those who cannot read German. Dave Welsh |
Collections Confiscated - Coin Collectors criminalized
"Arizona Coin Collector" wrote in message m... Hello The translation I got and read was not the same as you posted below. Yahoo has this web site you can use to translate. Go to: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ . Indicate language to translate to. (German to English) Now plug in the web link below and click Translate. www.numismatische-gesellschaft.de/ His post appeared to be a summarization, not a literal translation. Without doing the same exercise, I'll just ask whether his summary was reasonably accurate or grossly overstated? Given the nature of what the German authorities allegedly are doing, you don't need to embellish the story. It's alarming enough as is. And probably is reminding their older generation of house searches for "contraband" like Jews, firearms, and illegal radios capable of receiving BBC broadcasts. "Dave Welsh" wrote in message ... German numismatists ring the alarm bells German cultural authorities have begun searching private homes and seizing entire collections of antique coins, if provenance of only a few coins in the collection is not documented. These invasions are being conducted under the new German laws on importation of cultural property. Coins being subjected to such scrutiny are not restricted to ancient coins presumed to have been excavated - medieval and antique modern coins are also subject to the same measures. In one case, a pensioner from the Thuringian Eisenberg recently acquired four old coins on an Internet auction site. Shortly afterwards his house was searched, ending with seizure of his entire collection. Collectors are understandably alarmed, because very few coins in their collections have provenances that will satisfy the new laws. When a collection becomes suspect only a short time is being allowed to prove licit origin before the collection is seized, and then even if the suspicion is unfounded, it is very difficult to recover the collection. Not only coins, but all "cultural objects" more than 100 years old are subject to these new cultural laws, leading to fears that stamp collections, collections of graphic arts and antique jewelry may also be targeted. The list of "cultural objects" in the 1970 UNESCO Convention is very extensive, including such common things as coins, postage stamps, photographs and printed books. The new laws on importation of cultural property became effective in September 2008, after the German government finally gave in to demands that importation of unprovenanced coins and other artifacts should be prevented, because archaeologists allege that looting of archaeological sites is driven by the collecting market. This allegation is unproven - no verifiable, factual evidence has yet been presented to support it. There is however significant evidence that looting would continue unabated even if collecting could be prevented in Europe and other areas where cultural property laws are respected. Meanwhile German coin collectors now feel completely insecure, like criminals suspected of breaking the law. According to Ulf Draeger - head of the Moritzburg Landesmünzkabinetts and chairman of the German Society of Medallic Arts - the entry into force of these new laws, despite their laudable intentions, has led to significant collateral damage in only a short time. His conclusion: "If this situation continues, then we can pack up." For a summary in English see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unidroit-L/message/3348 For the original articles in German see http://www.numismatische-gesellschaft.de/ http://tinyurl.com/dfc7sp http://tinyurl.com/bc8pqz Google's translator conveys the sense of these articles for those who cannot read German. Dave Welsh |
Collections Confiscated - Coin Collectors criminalized
My message was not presented as being a translation of any one article. It
was an overview of what all of them reported, with additional facts from other sources. Dave Welsh "Arizona Coin Collector" wrote in message m... Hello The translation I got and read was not the same as you posted below. Yahoo has this web site you can use to translate. Go to: http://babelfish.yahoo.com/ . Indicate language to translate to. (German to English) Now plug in the web link below and click Translate. www.numismatische-gesellschaft.de/ .----------------------------------------------- |
Collections Confiscated - Coin Collectors criminalized
Dave Welsh wrote:
German numismatists ring the alarm bells German cultural authorities have begun searching private homes and seizing entire collections of antique coins, I thought Hermann Goering was dead. |
Collections Confiscated - Coin Collectors criminalized
Unfortunately before that happened, "der Dicke" cleverly made fools of the
Allied authorities conducting the Nueremburg war crimes trials. First, he made the prosecutor who questioned him look like a complete idiot - and then he cheated the hangman. Whatever one may think of his politics and morals, Goering was a forceful and able personality. As to who in the Third Reich would have been the bane of coin collectors, I am inclined to think that Heinrich Himmler would be a far more appropriate choice. While Goering was not the sort of person one would wish to be associated with, he was a dedicated collector of "cultural objects." Particularly, those that had once been owned by Jews ... the "objekte." Dave Welsh "William Earl Haskell" wrote in message ... Dave Welsh wrote: German numismatists ring the alarm bells German cultural authorities have begun searching private homes and seizing entire collections of antique coins, I thought Hermann Goering was dead. |
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