Tuesday, 15 October 2013

50000 collectors want to "Block the Airports" - ACCG


Dealer Dave Welsh  ("Geography", Monday, October 14, 2013) in reply to the points I made about his earlier dodge-the-question statement (The Detectorist Connection Sunday, October 13, 2013) indicates that the 50000 US coin collectors for whom he claims to speak want the world to revolve around trhem. They are not going to lift a finger to clean up the antiquities market, and the rest of us will have to suffer if we want to see something done. He sees the solution in the increased efficiency and sophisticated in their methods of search and detection of bordr guards looking for smuggled antiquities:
The ACCG has always maintained that the best approach toward controlling illicit export of antiquities is for source states to control their borders, and heartily applauds these advances.
So, basically what he's saying is the ACCG applauds searching every single passenger and their luggage at the point of departure from a country with an archaeological record with collectable metal, ceramic, organic and lithic artefacts? Stopping every single package and shipment of any goods whatsoever and unpacking them to make sure there are no antiquities hidden within any of them? Is that really what the ACCG "applauds", putting us all, and the world of legitimate commerce (not to mention customs officials all over the world) to a lot of inconvenience because the alternative would be a more transparent, accountable and cleaner antiquities market?

In the light of the fact that very few people these days travel with "occupation: antiquity smuggler" written in their passport, or tattooed across their forehead, to do the job more effectivly (which the ACCG would "applaud") means (a) better intelligence gathering, finding out by electronic surveillance who visits antiquity sales websites, forums and blogs (like this one) and whose emails contain certain keywords, or whose money transfers go to certain individuals and putting these people on a watch-list. Secondly, (b) more random stop-and-searches at borders. Is not the latter though (which presumably the ACCG would "applaud") treating a passenger as "guilty until proven innocent" ? Does the ACCG "applaud" that too in this context? Is this really the world the ACCG want to help create?



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