Thursday, 26 November 2015

Bulk Lots from Israel? Not a Good Idea Perhaps


Some Israeli dealers sell uncleaned lots of coins, by the bucket load. I've had a few run-ins with a mouthy Jerusalem dealer who does this. Anyway, no names are given but:
" 9 min9 minut temu Hoard of ancient coins and jars seized by Israel's Antiquities Authority from North Israeli antiquities dealer".
but it seems it is another dealer involved.
Police and Israel Antiquities Authority agents on Tuesday arrested an art dealer from northern Israel after finding him with over 3,000 illegally obtained ancient coins — valued in the tens of thousands of dollars.  The suspect, a resident of Kibbutz Beit Hashita and a licensed antiquities dealer, was charged with attempting to sell the objects he illegally acquired to buyers abroad, and to do so without an export permit. The IAA said in a statement on Thursday that investigators found over 3,000 coins — some over 2,000 years old — and lead and ceramic objects in the man’s home. By Israeli law, antiquities found in Israel are property of the state, and the IAA must be notified within 15 days of discovery. [...] The man said he assembled a large portion of the coin collection by collecting them in the fields near the kibbutz and cleaning them in a lab in his home, the report said. [...] The man, whose name wasn’t immediately released for publication [admitted] to illegal sale of antiquities and exporting antiquities without a permit. He was released to house arrest and his artifacts and computer confiscated by the authorities. Formal charges are expected to be brought against the suspect in the coming days. 
It is still unclear how in the light of the local laws, US dealers can claim to be buying "1000 uncleaned coins found in Israel" legitimated by an Israeli export licence. Can they explain that and say from which licensed dealer they were acquired?

No comments:

Post a Comment