Friday, 16 October 2015

Bulgarian Police Bust Antiquities Trafficking Group


Loads of ancient coins again - lots of them entering the no-questions market ...
and then disappearing (dealers ask us to believe that 'coin fairies take them')
Bulgarian Police Bust Antiquities Trafficking Group Novinite October 15, 2015
Bulgarian police have confiscated hundreds of valuable ancient Greek and Roman artefacts during an operation targeting an organized criminal group, the Interior Ministry in Sofia said on Thursday. About 800 items of archaeological interest including [bagsful of] ancient coins, two mediaeval seals and a [pectoral] cross [...] have been confiscated from six people in Montana Region, in northwestern Bulgaria, and Haskovo Region, in the south.[...] The criminal group has been operating a channel for trafficking archaeological artefacts discovered in Bulgaria, the Interior Ministry said in a statement One of Bulgaria’s leading dealers in illicit trading in ancient artefacts has been arrested in the course of the operation that took place on October 7 and 8, according to the statement. The name was not disclosed. 

A marble tombstone of a Roman cavalry officer who had lived in Castra ad Montanesium, a fortified Roman camp in northwestern outskirts of today’s Montana, is also among the confiscated items.  Isn't it amazing that there is all of this illicit stuff floating around, but - accoprding to dealers and collectors - NONE of it ever enters the no-questions-asked antiquities market. I guess the "coin fairies" take them.

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