Coin provenance important

Better late than never, "Coin provenance proves important" writes Richard Giedroyc (World Coin News January 06, 2014):

"how do we know that the coins in our own ancient coin collections couldn’t have entered the coin market through illicit activities?" 

Answer: only if you have coins with a secure collecting history going back beyond the modern spate of looting and the organized criminal gangs which in some country profit from the absorbency of the no-questions-asked market for dugup antiquities. The lesson Giedroyć draws from two cases he discusses is that "for the rest of us who collect ancient coins is to ensure proper documentation exists".