.
Harlan Berk of the Chicago-based Harlan J. Berk Ltd dealership in coins, antiquities and autographs (31 North Clark Street) has gone public. He says he is "angry" at and wants to "beat the archaeologists". This is what he is reported to have said at the New York ACCG meeting in January.What is Mr Berk's gripe with archaeologists? He is reported to have made the remark while recalling that an archaeologist criticised the Ancient Coins for Education programme which seems to be a pet project of his. As a coin supplier, Berk seems rather sensitive to the size of the future potential market. In a text ("The Telegreedius") about telemarketing scams of "ancient coins for investment", he expresses concern that these scams "cost individuals immense amounts of money, and the collecting fraternity many possible members, who feel that coin and con are synonyms [...] and numismatists could become the endangered species". Then the coin dealer would have no customers. Here he is in a video trying to convince people to buy the coins using some rather odd statistics in the process (apart from him forgetting his lines in the middle, who spots the logical inconsequence in the argument about those "millions" of coins out there?).
So is the only problem that archaeologists criticise him for trying to get more people involved in the collection of decontextualised ancient dugups? That he sees them as rivals in the education of youth and a potential stumbling block in the way of getting more future customers? I suspect Mr Berk's distaste for archaeologists involves another kind of rivalry, for the use of a finite and fragile resource.
I was quite interested in this comment by coin collector Warren Esty about Mr Berk.
I get the impression that Berk sells very few established collections. The offerings seem to be almost all new to the market -- even the outstanding pieces. Most of them are without pedigree. He tends to have multiples of the top end of whatever has hit the market recently. His offerings almost always include a long runs of high-grade denarii and antoniniani, the sort you would expect to be the high end of recent hoards. He often has good runs of Republican pieces, again looking like hoard coins. Berk occasionally, but not regularly, has runs of late Roman AE, but, again, when hoards provide enough high-grade pieces to put them in a catalog. Greek and Roman AE is separated out and I get the impression that the catalogs have less AE because hoards of AE often do not have many top-end coins of average value high enough to warrant publication.Mr Esty seems to be implying that Berk is buying recent finds rather than old collections, finds which many preservationists feel should be going to museums near where they were found instead of being scattered in various ephemeral private collections abroad. What Esty notes is also interesting as a lot of his coins are coming from countries currently with export restrictions. For example the breakdown of the coins in HJB's V-coins shop today is as follows:
Celtic (9, 6 British types)Obviously keeping track of all those export licences will take up a bit of his staff's time, but then that is hardly the fault of any "archaeologists", that is the cost of ethical dealing. So what is Mr Berk's problem with archaeologists?
Greek Spain & Gaul (0), Italy (19), Sicily & Carthage (26), Macedonia (9), Thrace (18), Illyria & Central Greece (22), Peloponnesus (1), Cyclades & Crete (1), Asia Minor & Cyprus (29), Syria & Phoenicia (20), Palestine/Judaea (29), Arabia to Charachene (0), Persis, Parthia, Sassanian (0), Bactria & Indo-Greek (2), Egypt (20) , North Africa (1) .
Roman Republican (17) , Imperatorial (7) , Imperial (252) , Provincial (47).
Byzantine (74)
Mr. Barford gives a link to a short video by Harlan Berk. I hope readers will view it. It is factual that "millions" of ancient coins exist. De Callatay has done extensive research about this issue and deduces that on the order of 950,000 Greek coins exist in gold and silver alone, and far more in bronze. The number of Roman coins far exceeds that.
ReplyDeleteThe people who study them and extract information about them are overwhelmingly collectors and institutions supported by collectors like the RNS and ANS, not archaeologists. In fact, archaeologists have a terrible record of publishing the few hoards they do find. Italy has very strict laws about archaeological finds has a terrible record of making information available. I participate in quantitative studies and often read the lament of an author that publications from Italy are lacking.
Mr Barford and I both want hoards put on record. That happens in England more than anywhere else. Why? A rational approach to collecting and coin ownership works better there than the "It belongs to us" approach of some archaeologists.
If you read this blog, I invite you to google "Roman coins" or "Greek coins" to learn more about them. You will see that it is collectors like me that disseminate information. Collectors have passion for antiquity and they share it. See what you can find on the web about coins from archaeologists. It is not 1/100 of what collectors worked hard to create for your enlightenment.
Collectors and archaeologists do not have to be at odds. History tells us most famous archaeologists were collectors. The question is how to preserve sites until they can be properly studied. Making antiquity hunting illegal has been tried for decades in Italy and elsewhere. Clearly it has not worked. Why do some people think that more of the same failed approach will work better?
It is time for cooperation between coin collectors and archaeologists. Collectors love what archaeologists do (when they finally publish, which is not often enough). Now archaeologists need to learn to appreciate what collectors do, which is extremely valuable for the study of antiquity. And, even more importantly, archaeologists need to promote ways that facilitate collecting and contributions by collectors. Draconian laws have not worked and will not work. It is time for a little imagination on the part of the archaeologist PC community. Faculty are afraid to say the obvious for fear of ostracism: the approach of prohibition has been tried again and again in place after place and has failed to result in its intended effect. A wise man would learn from that. It is time for cooperation.
Sincerely,
-- Warren
Mr. Barford gives a link to a short video by Harlan Berk. I hope readers will view it. It is factual that "millions" of ancient coins exist. De Callatay has done extensive research about this issue and deduces that on the order of 950,000 Greek coins exist in gold and silver alone, and far more in bronze. The number of Roman coins far exceeds that.
ReplyDeleteThe people who study them and extract information about them are overwhelmingly collectors and institutions supported by collectors like the RNS and ANS, not archaeologists. In fact, archaeologists have a terrible record of publishing the few hoards they do find. Italy has very strict laws about archaeological finds has a terrible record of making information available. I participate in quantitative studies and often read the lament of an author that publications from Italy are lacking.
Mr Barford and I both want hoards put on record. That happens in England more than anywhere else. Why? A rational approach to collecting and coin ownership works better there than the "It belongs to us" approach of some archaeologists.
If you read this blog, I invite you to google "Roman coins" or "Greek coins" to learn more about them. You will see that it is collectors like me that disseminate information. Collectors have passion for antiquity and they share it. See what you can find on the web about coins from archaeologists. It is not 1/100 of what collectors worked hard to create for your enlightenment.
Collectors and archaeologists do not have to be at odds. History tells us most famous archaeologists were collectors. The question is how to preserve sites until they can be properly studied. Making antiquity hunting illegal has been tried for decades in Italy and elsewhere. Clearly it has not worked. Why do some people think that more of the same failed approach will work better?
It is time for cooperation between coin collectors and archaeologists. Collectors love what archaeologists do (when they finally publish, which is not often enough). Now archaeologists need to learn to appreciate what collectors do, which is extremely valuable for the study of antiquity. And, even more importantly, archaeologists need to promote ways that facilitate collecting and contributions by collectors. Draconian laws have not worked and will not work. It is time for a little imagination on the part of the archaeologist PC community. Faculty are afraid to say the obvious for fear of ostracism: the approach of prohibition has been tried again and again in place after place and has failed to result in its intended effect. A wise man would learn from that. It is time for cooperation.
Sincerely,
-- Warren
"A wise man" would find out what the arguments actually are before mo=uthing the same old coiney mantras over here.
ReplyDeletehttp://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2010/03/more-of-same-augustan-apologist-for.html
Instead of looking up "Roman/Greek coins", some readers of this blog might be tempted to Google for "illicit coins" and "looted coins". Or "ancient coins for sale" and "bulk uncleaned lots".
Let us see both sides of the issue please Warren.
Why is it that people commenting on here always hide their profiles? What is it that they have to hide? Why do you not to have the courage of your convictions to reveal who you are? Is it sa secret that you are a (brrrrr) "coin collector"? Is coin collecting like train spotting that you'd prefer the people in the office not to know? Weird.