Quote:
As Paul Harvey might say, and the rest of the story....
A pretty balanced view as far as I can tell. And yes, Raubgrabung sure is an issue, as is theft from a museum. There are a few issues however which should be looked into a little further. For example, Nathan Elkins writes:
However, it is my impression that although stolen property ought to be recovered, criminal charges are not filed unless the receiver of stolen goods is aware that the goods are in fact stolen. In any case, this does not mean that the buyer is entitled to retain stolen goods.Well, there is that case of a 62 year old man in Eisenberg, TH who (due to an investigation of the Hessian police) got rid of his entire collection of about 250 pieces because four ancient Greek coins that he bought via
ebay may have an obscure background. That was in June 2008. And the collection was confiscated merely because he collects coins, not pedigrees or proofs of provenance ...
Even the police in Jena said that the man seemed, with regard to buying these coins, to be a case of naivete rather than criminal energy. Now you may say, yes, it would make sense to always keep the documents (see above) along with the coins. Fully agreed, even though such documentation is not a legal requirement in Germany. And you may say that, apart from those "obscure four", he will ultimately get his coins back. Quite possibly so.
But don't be too sure. A coin dealer in Solingen, NW was accused of fencing, in the case of a Celtic coin which according to the Hessian police had been from a looted site in Hesse. Well, finally the court told him that the case would no longer be continued (Einstellung des Verfahrens), and even the Ministery of Culture in Rhineland-Palatinate (the seller's state of residence) said that the coin was not covered by the Treasure Trove Regulation.
Was the coin returned? No, the Hessian police will not give it back, as they still assume the coin was looted ... In the meantime, some members of the Hessian Parliament have asked the state administration whether the activities of the Hessian police, particularly Eckhard Laufer's campaign, is backed by the government and what the legal background is.
Please note that the information above is from various German newspaper/coin magazine articles; I do not have any first hand info. Is there reason to be concerned? Seems so. But the whole thing is pretty far away from the picture that some dealers and collectors in the US are painting these days.
Christian
Posted 02/10/2009 01:20 am
And generalizations such as "the German government" are not exactly helpful methinks when it comes to what some in the Hessian police think is appropriate action.
