Cuban Chicken again

US dealer in dug up ancient coins Alfredo de la Fe, caught out for not really understanding what on earth he is on about, now proves he is unable to read plain English. I pointed out here that the coiney mythmakers were constructing a whole false narrative around a piece of half-heard news from looted-to-bits Bulgaria. I thought in two fairly clear posts (here and here) I had shown the reality behind the misleading web of they were spinning. It seems pretty clear to me. For some reason known only to himself de la Fe responds thus:

Based on Paul Barford's blog this morning, I imagine that he will be planning a candle light vigil to Stalin's grave... The whole concept of personal property rights and the presumption of innocense/burden of proof seems to matter little to the radical element within the archeological community. What they do not get is that "we" (the majority of collectors and dealers of ancient coins) DO care about the archeological record and the preservation of history. The major difference is that reasonable people without socialistic/ communist views KNOW that unjust/ unreasonable laws simply can not be effectively enforced and if anything, can cause more harm.

Cuban chicken again. How comforting it must be to live in a world of stereotypes not requiring any intellectual effort to apply. Quite what this Cuban expatriate sees as particularly "communist" in me correcting the mistaken lies the US coin dealing community have been foisting on their clients for the past three days beats me. I do not expect de la Fe is capable of articulating his reasoning behind that, and thus the bizarre accusation I will be heading off to the Kremlin wall in Moscow with my candles. Now actually I see absolutely NO PROOF that Mr de la Fe or any of his US no-questions-asked coint-trading fellows actually cares a hoot about the archaeological record in far off countries the coins they sell come from. Mr De La Fe says this is about "personal property rights" of collectors, like his clients. But as the judges in the Bulgarian Constitutional Court pointed out, there can be no "property rights" to items coming from illegal activity. De La Fe says faced with heaps (container loads) of earth-covered dugups we should "presume innocence" - that is the essence of the no-questions-asked market after all.

What actually is "unreasonable" according to coin dealer Alfredo De La Fe in Bulgaria's 2009 laws? I am sure as somebody trading coins coming from that general area, Alfredo De La Fe (Imperial coins) is extremely well-versed in the legal requirements involved in carrying out legal trade with Bulgarian suppliers. Maybe he will enlighten us on his blog just what that law contains and why it is so "unreasonable". Does not the USA have very similar legislation? Is that too "unreasonable" Mr De La Fe? Tell us pray.

This name-calling is all too typical of the superficiality of the whole no-questions-asked antiquity- collecting milieu. Instead of using insulting labels ("stalinists", "communists", socialist", "radicals", "goose-steppers") perhaps we could see some real addressing of issues. In the question of the Bulgarian consitutional court ruiling, all we have seen from the US dealers' lobby is a series of lies and speculations masquerading as facts intended to mislead their clients. US no-questions-asked dugup coin collectors can be relied on to swallow these lies hook line and sinker and not to question anything their dealer buddies tell them. More fool them.