Some 40 items sold recently, predominantly by one dealer - but in a number of venues have the same partial collecting history:
Provenance: Forming part of the James Stephan Snr. collection, assembled in late 1960's and then by descent. Dr. Stephan was a US intelligence officer who also held a degree in archaeology. He was posted in the Anatolian region of Turkey with the US government during this time, and acquired his collection from dealers and villagers throughout the region.One wonders what an intelligence officer was doing in Turkey in the late 1960s, I guess we'll never know as this gentleman seems not to figure in the Internet anywhere else than in this dealer's sales offers. This gives the impression that putting together a collection of unprovenanced ancient objects would be the only achievement of his life. His tastes were pretty eclectic and he seems top have moved about a lot during his 'work' in Turkey. When did these objects leave the 'Anatolian region of Turkey' and where are the export licences?
A Neolithic Stone Axehead, Mesopotamia, ca 5000 BC
An Ancient Iranian burnished Greyware Vessel, ca 3rd millennium BC ...
A PreHistoric Stone Button Seal, Syria/Anatolian Region, ca 5000 BC ...
A large Anatolian Gable Seal of a Doe, Neolithic Period, ca 4000-3500 ...
An Anatolian Gable Stamp Seal of a Stag, ca 4th millennium BC ...
A Roman Cochlear Spoon, ca 2nd century AD - Sands of Time Ancient ...
A Megarian-ware Decorated Bowl, Hellenistic Period, ca 2nd century BC
An early Granite Amulet Head of a Ram, Anatolian ca. 3000 BC ...
A Hittite Button Seal, Late Bronze Age, 14th -13th century BC - Sands ...
A rare Mesopotamian Bird Amulet, Uruk/Jemdet Nasr period, ca 4000 ...
An Attic black figure lekythos, ca 5th Century BC - Sands of Time ...
A Roman Redware Platter, ca. 1st century AD - Sands of Time Ancient ...
A Hittite black serpentine rectangular seal, ca 14th - 13th century BC ...
A Holy Land Terracotta Milk Bowl, early Israelite Period, ca. 10th cen ...
A fine Anatolian Seal of a Warrior, Early Uruk Period, ca 3500-3200 BC
A Phrygian Terracotta Cup, ca. 1200 - 700 BC - Sands of Time Ancient ...
A rare Anatolian Snake Head Seal, Jamdat Nasr period, ca 3100-2900 ...
An Ionian red-glazed Fish Plate, ca 4th century BC - Sands of Time ...
A Phrygian Terracotta Skyphos, ca. 1200 - 700 BC - Sands of Time ...
A Greek black-glazed Fish Plate, ca 4th century BC - Sands of Time ...
A Persian Bronze Bowl, Achaemenid Period, ca 550 - 300 BC - Sands ...
Cypriot Bichromeware Baby Feeder, Cypro-Geometric, 900-600 BC ...
An Ionian red-glazed Fish Plate - Diam. 14 cm (5.5 inches) - Catawiki
A Large Roman Glass Funnel Flask - 15,2 cm - Catawiki
A Roman Green Glass Beaker - 7 cm - Catawiki
An early Granite Amulet Head of a Ram, Anatolian ca. 3000 BC | eBay
An Ionian red-glazed Fish Plate, ca 4th century BC | eBay
AN IONIAN red-glazed Fish Plate, ca 4th century BC - £334.10 ...
A PHRYGIAN TERRACOTTA Cup, ca. 1200 - 700 BC - $450.00 ...
A Roman Mold-Blown Beaker - 7,5 cm - Catawiki
A Roman Green Glass Beaker, ca. 4th century AD | #1922589756
An Ionian red-glazed Fish Plate - Diam. 14 cm (5.5 inches)
AN IONIAN red-glazed Fish Plate, ca 4th century BC - EUR 381,97 ...
and here are the pictures: Images for "James Stephan Snr."
That there is a senior suggests that today is still living a James/Jim Stephan Junior. There is a collector Jim Staphan from Bradford Ohio mentioned in The Ohio Archaeologist for 2000, and again in the Ohio Archaeologist for 2004 , and a Jim Stephan in Oregon, buton the whole it is not a particularly common surname in the US.
There seems to have been quite a lot of this type of thing goping on, diplomatic bags being used to bring back the cultural property appropriated by individuals sent abroad on US government service. We have for example William Spengler and his coins at least for him we have a proper obituary. Then there is Wayne Sayles and his coins from his period of service in Turkey.
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