A Bit of Numismatic Methodology: An Alternative to Collecting Decontextualised Dugups for Numismatic Study?

Dealers and kitchen-tabletop ancient coin collectors in the US assert that if they do not get their hands on lots of erdfrische dugup coins to add to their domestic collections, their discipline of numismatics will grind to a standstill. They assert they must not only have the coin in their hands but (since they'll not travel to a curating institution to study them) in their personal collections at home. Hundreds of thousands of holes are dug in archaeological sites and assemblages to keep them supplied with those coins to have and hold.

Given the erosive effects of this on the archaeological record, it should be asked whether new technology cannot be harnessed to allow numismatic study to go on in a domestic context at a personal level, without destroying archaeological evidence. Quite apart from the logging of findspot information through schemes like the PAS and the EMC, perhaps the coins themselves can be replaced by digital forms of record and reproduction?

S Zambanini, M Schlapke, M Kampel, A Müller, "Historical Coins in 3D: Acquisition and Numismatic Applications", The 10th International Symposium on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Cultural Heritage VAST (2009) [C. Perlingieri and D. Pitzalis Eds]

Abstract
This paper addresses the 3D acquisition of historical coins and evaluates its benefits over the current documentation method by means of 2D images. We present preliminary results on creating full 3D models of coins from the Roman and medieval times using a state-of-the-art active stereo scanning device. Furthermore, we discuss the results from numismatic point of view and highlight the different fields of numismatic research where a 3D anal- ysis is of high value, including documentation, measurement and identification. The results show that accurate 3D models can be obtained despite the small size (typical diameter of about 15-30 mm) and specular surface of historical coin.

Presumably with technical advance the quality and information content of such images can only become better and the method cheaper. I cannot see the dealers accepting this digital numismatics though.