[MSN] A response to "U.S. Imposes Restrictions on Importing Cypriot Coins" in The New York Times

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

In the second paragraph of the article by Jeremy Kahn, he writes,  
"The new rules, which were adopted last week and went into effect on  
Monday, would essentially bar the importation of any ancient coin  
from Cyprus unless authorized by the Cypriot government."  This is  
not correct.

According to the Federal Register: July 13, 2007 (Volume 72, Number  
134, page 38473), Section D. Coins of Cypriot Types, the import  
restrictions pertain to:

"Coins of Cypriot types made of gold, silver, and bronze including  
but not limited to:
1. Issues of the ancient kingdoms of Amathus, Kition, Kourion,  
Idalion, Lapethos, Marion, Paphos, Soli, and Salamis dating from the  
end of the 6th century B.C. to 332 B.C.

2. Issues of the Hellenistic period, such as those of Paphos,  
Salamis, and Kition from 332 B.C. to c. 30 B.C.

3. Provincial and local issues of the Roman period from c. 30 B.C. to  
235 A.D. Often these have a bust or head on one side and the image of  
a temple (the Temple of Aphrodite at Palaipaphos) or statue (statue  
of Zeus Salaminios) on the other."

All the bilateral agreements between the US and other countries that  
restrict importation of antiquities are limited to very specific  
object categories and time periods, as one can see on http:// 
exchanges.state.gov/culprop/implemen.html and never any ancient  
anything.

An important omission in the article is the fact that there is no  
mention of the context in which these restrictions are imposed. The  
Cultural Property Advisory Committee process itself is not mentioned.  
The fact is, since the United States implemented the 1970 UNESCO  
Convention in 1983 under the Convention on Cultural Property  
Implementation Act, it has imposed import restrictions on  
archaeological or ethnological materials from ten countries to assist  
in the protection of their cultural property. As parties to the  
UNESCO conventions, these countries have agreed to seek importation  
restrictions from each other in an effort to curb looting and the  
illicit antiquities trade, including the United States. So, if "other  
countries, including Italy, home to troves of Roman-era coins" should  
decide to seek similar restrictions, it is well within its right to  
do so.

While it is laudable that The New York Times chooses to cover the  
topic, its readers deserve to know the rules under which the  
temporary import restriction for coins of the above-mentioned Cypriot  
types will be enforced.


Thank you,

Cindy Ho
President
SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone, Inc. http:// 
www.savingantiquities.org