Extension Expands Import Restrictions On Coins That Circulated In Greece

In fact I suspect that for the valuable items it will just make looting/smuggling worse, as the finders would try to cover their tracks, while the common items would either rot in random museum basements or get destroyed, which would just be looting with extra steps.

There are also likely to be knock-on effects on nearby countries, though AFAIK most countries near Greece already have similarly restrictive laws, so there shouldn't be a lot of problems with coins legally found outside Greece being confiscated by Greek authorities - but only because they'd get confiscated earlier in the chain.

This seems a really complex situation. I agree that restricting the items will only push up prices on the black market which in turn encourages more looting. A similar thing occurs with illegal drugs in Australia. Law enforcement does a pretty good job at apprehending illegal imports but this has had the effect of pushing up prices making Australia very profitable for drug syndicates. When you get party pills manufactured in Europe that are designed for Oz with 'G'day' and kangaroos on them you know the dealers have their eyes on the country.

Agree with Sap regarding these countries being unable to afford a scheme like Britain. Maybe they need to let go of some of the material. If an item is found and temporarily handed over to the authorities then it can be fully documented and studied and a QR code or similar assigned to it. If the item is of high cultural value it can be paid for, if not, the finder can keep it. The info can be uploaded onto the web (similar to PCGS). That way archaeologists etc still have the information. This would also be good for collectors because having your items shown on the webpage is evidence that the goods have been acquired through the right channels.