Metal Detectorists Support Artefact Smuggling

Over on a metal detecting blog near you, members are being asked to join in the campaign by certain dealers and collectors to have anti-smuggling regulations concerning dugup artefacts lifted (disc440, Stout "Standards" [sic]  March 16, 2015 at 1:54 pm).

I would also like to share the following link and ask that those of you who read my blog help out my good friend Peter Tompa, as well as all coin collectors by voicing your concern over the possibility that the folks in Washington just might impose restrictions on the import of Roman coins from Italy. http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2015/03/its-not-too-late.html. For the record Peter is and has been a staunch supporter of our pastime.

For the record, Peter Tompa has more than once argued that metal detecting needs to be regulated, as a means of preventing looted material getting on the otherwise clean market. He thus places the blame for the looting on metal detector users, so I hardly think one can say he "supports" artefact hunting.

Metal detectorists claim that what they do is harmless because they are all careful to stay within what the laws allow. Here however we see a blatant attempt by metal detectorists  to obtain the removal of a law protecting the US market from smuggled artefacts from countries whose archaeological heritage is being pillaged by looters. I guess (mindful of the size of the potential market for antiquity purchases) they are concerned to open up the market for unreported and paperless Roman "grots" found by metal detecting of 'productive' ancient sites.

TAKE A GOOD LOOK at this behaviour, for these are precisely the sort of people the PAS wants to grab more and more millions of public quid to make into the "partners" of the British Museum, archaeological heritage professionals and to whom they want us all to entrust the exploitation of the archaeological record. Take a good look and decide what you think about that as a "policy".