Posted 05/07/2014 7:29 pm
The laws in Cyprus itself are quite strict. This Cypriot government webpage has copies in English to download. Any object older than 1850 is defined as an "antiquity" and any coin still buried in the ground is by these laws declared property of the government. Private ownership of antiquities is tolerated but their sale and export are strictly controlled. Export, particularly, is not permitted except for temporary export of artifacts from state collections on loan to foreign museums or universities for display or for scientific testing. Export of private collections for any reason is prohibited.
The Cyprus situation is made complicated by the de-facto existence of an unrecognized secessionist state in northern Cyprus, which has its own antiquities laws. I haven't been able to find much in English about their laws, though the Greek-Cypriot government seems to be constantly complaining that they are too lax.
ON the UK side, I am not aware of any general import restrictions or controls of any kind on antiquities from Cyprus, or anywhere else for that matter. The webpage I linked to above shows that coins are included in the MOU between Cyprus and America, but unless your coins are travelling via America this should make no difference. You may need to make some sort of customs declaration confirming that the objects are indeed more than 100 years old and therefore free of customs and excise duties.
Britain does, however, have the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003, which makes it a crime in England (but not in Scotland) to knowingly import from another country objects you know to be "tainted", that is, excavated and exported from that country illegally. This is one advantage of working via "middle men" - if any laws are broken in acquiring the coins, it is on their heads, not yours.
The Cyprus situation is made complicated by the de-facto existence of an unrecognized secessionist state in northern Cyprus, which has its own antiquities laws. I haven't been able to find much in English about their laws, though the Greek-Cypriot government seems to be constantly complaining that they are too lax.
ON the UK side, I am not aware of any general import restrictions or controls of any kind on antiquities from Cyprus, or anywhere else for that matter. The webpage I linked to above shows that coins are included in the MOU between Cyprus and America, but unless your coins are travelling via America this should make no difference. You may need to make some sort of customs declaration confirming that the objects are indeed more than 100 years old and therefore free of customs and excise duties.
Britain does, however, have the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003, which makes it a crime in England (but not in Scotland) to knowingly import from another country objects you know to be "tainted", that is, excavated and exported from that country illegally. This is one advantage of working via "middle men" - if any laws are broken in acquiring the coins, it is on their heads, not yours.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
