tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post1720677625428434277..comments2024-03-27T04:46:33.198-07:00Comments on Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: American Numismatic Association and the Supply of Ancient CoinsPaul Barfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-75865540129343407262009-06-04T02:39:14.240-07:002009-06-04T02:39:14.240-07:00I've been around lawyers a lot longer than twe...I've been around lawyers a lot longer than twenty years and know that if they don't have a case they revert to Plan B - try to discredit the witness!<br /><br />I've NEVER seen a witness called a bear with a small brain though, that's definitely a first!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-10226441437831606292009-06-04T01:52:31.902-07:002009-06-04T01:52:31.902-07:00Careful, have you done your twenty years? If not o...Careful, have you done your twenty years? If not or Mr Hooker (he of the "Hooker papers") will be finding a quote about you too from "The House at Pooh Corner": http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2009/06/hooker-quotes-aa-milne.htmlPaul Barfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10443302899233809948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8174756573570334952.post-39338123442094676142009-06-04T01:36:57.374-07:002009-06-04T01:36:57.374-07:00"The ANA has a code of ethics....."to ne..."The ANA has a code of ethics....."to neither buy nor sell numismatic items of which the ownership is questionable". It is not stipulated what is meant by this, whether just stolen from another collector or collection, or whether removed from a country which has state ownership of certain categories of archaeological material without documentation showing proper process being followed."<br /><br />Fascinating. But you have omitted a third and overwhelmingly dominant aspect of legitimate ownership that needs establishing by an ethical dealer.<br /><br />In England and Wales, apart from a small minority of Treasure Act items, the ownership of freshly dug items is very clear: they all beyond to the landowner. Consequently, it is lazy thinking to assume that if an item is being offered by a British detectorist or British supplier then that individual now owns the item. <br /><br />Clearly, in order to be sure he is not buying or selling numismatic items of questionable ownership every ANA dealer must obtain documentation confirming that it is being sold with the knowledge and consent of the ACTUAL owner - whose identity is bound to be known if all is above board. <br /><br />Thus, buying (or selling) an item without the landowner's name and address being supplied at the same time would evidently contravene the ANA code of ethics. It involves trading in items for which not a shred of (easily obtainable) proof of legitimate ownership has been supplied - and logic dictates that an unknown but entirely avoidable percentage of them are stolen goods, plain and simple.<br /><br />So, to our plea - "to be ethical, please quote a PAS reference number" perhaps we could add "and to be licit, please quote the export documentation AND proof of legitimate ownership."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com