Of course, the resident heckler Paul Barford had to have his say and criticized my blog post: “As an archaeologist I would say that is potentially more important to our knowledge of the historical processes of this complex period than a mere king-list. Northumbria at the end of the ninth and beginning of the tenth centuries had many ‘kings’, in the tenth it was to have many more, but what social processes lie behind this procession of names, the shifting of power-blocks delimited by the nice broad lines on the historian’s maps? That some bloke called Airdeconut struck a coin (with a p.c. Christian monogram on the reverse) is good news fodder and may be exciting to coineys, but hardly advances our knowledge of the processes operating on the rest of society. This of course will not be known while all we have are a couple of hundred bits of metal hoiked [sic] out of the ground here and there and no context to put them in.”

As pointed out by Tompa: “Though the circumstances of the coin’s discovery are only briefly mentioned and the fact that it was reported under the Treasure Act is not mentioned at all, it is interesting that the AIA’s Magazine is publicising the discovery of an artifact not found in professional archaeological excavations, and under a system of cultural preservation that has been criticised by elements within the archaeological community.” 

If not for the Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme this fantastic discovery would most likely have never seen the light of day.

Hopefully reason will prevail one day and realistic solutions will be found for the very real issues which affect the preservation of our past.  Among these, encouraging the reporting of finds via a fair system in source countries (such as the Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme), the proper cataloguing and storage of finds and the financial crisis which archaeology faces.

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What was worse is that these very coins are perfectly legal to buy and sell within the European Union.  In fact, several of the auctions I was looking at are based out of ITALY!  So, it is perfectly legal for them to sell, but not legal for me to buy and import BECAUSE I am an American citizen living within the borders of the United States. 

Is it POSSIBLE that the paperwork can be “processed”?  Maybe.  But at what cost?  I was looking at coins that were selling for under 40 Euros, based on the experience of others, IF the Italian authorities get around to issuing the appropriate paperwork which is acceptable to US Customs, it would take months and there could be an expense associated with it.

The United States was a shinning example in democracy and freedom.  It is disgraceful that this nation is adopting the philosophies which it helped to “liberate” the rest of the world from.

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What is often “overlooked” is that more often then not, many of the examples highlighted show how the effective enforcement of existing laws and reasonable and responsible stewardship by museums and governmental agencies has led in some cases to the recovery of stolen or looted material.  In fact, recent events are proof that existing laws are not only adequate, but in some cases they have been abused to the detriment of of the rights of individuals involved.

Do we need more laws?  Or should we demand that institutions take responsibility and ensure that something as basic as having all of their holdings photographed and catalogued so that in the event of a theft they could be readily identified?

The call to force ALL antiquities to need documentation is the equivalent of requiring that every skateboard, pair of skates and even your childs go-cart be registered.  Allow me to explain:

Currently, most countries require that automobiles be registered.  But what would you say if you were told that every OTHER form of transporation also had to be registered and titles of ownership established?  This is exactly the case with portable antiquities.  Most  coins are worth LESS than a pair of of skates or a skateboard, some are worth considerably less, yet the anti-collecting zealots are quite vocal in proposing just such measures.  How ubsurb is it to ask the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of owners of objects older than 100 years to properly document and “register” their holdings in the name of preventing their theft?  (When in reality the purpose behind such laws is to devalue existing collections and make all existing antiquities in private hands “illicit”.)

The world illicit is also used quite liberally.  In fact, the greater majority of unprovenanced antiquities and coins are NOT illicit.  But they would become so if such laws were passed.

We read taunts that American’s do not understand, because it is not their cultural property (whatever that means, last time I checked my ancestry was Spaniard and I have many American friends that are quite proud of their European ancestry) or similar reasoning.  The concept of innocent until proven guilty is ingrained in the American psyche.  To force the innocent to go through greater expense or trouble because of the bad behavior of the few goes against the very principles that shaped the current understanding of freedom and equality of much of the “free world” and go against the principles which millions fought and died to establish and defend.

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Coins were conveniently designed to be portable.  They were also used as a method of cultural exchange and communication.  To place restrictions on their ownership because they are “cultural property” not only goes against their original purpose but also can affect the cultural diversity and evolution of future generations.  These minor objects from antiquity influence the cultural identity of those that possess them.  (How many artists, archaeologists, historians and other professionals were inspired to enter their fields because they once held and/or owned a small disk of metal which inspired them?)  They serve as a tactile lesson in history, geopolitics and art history to name a few.   They can also serve as reminders of cultural heritage and identity.

A denarius of Vespasian commemorating the historical event of the defeat and captivity of Judaea in 70 AD. At least tens of thousands (if not more) exist. Of little or no importance if left in "context" in a farmers field but an incredibly powerful tool as a tactile learning aid or a reminder to some of their cultural heritage and identity.

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The “funny” thing about coins and money in general is that it tends to travel far from where it was originally manufactured.  In fact, looking through my pocket change I find coins struck in Denver and Philadelphia to name just two of the mints in the United States; just yesterday I happened to receive a Canadian cent and a few months ago a cent from Barbados.  If I were to travel to just about any nation in the world I could also find United States currency.  Note- MOST international transactions are handled electronically in today’s world, unlike in antiquity.  Ancient coins, with few exceptions, were well travelled.

What about coins of Cyprus?  Recorded hoards prove beyond any doubt that some of these coins were also well traveled.  Unlike the statement which was made by the AIA president’s letter in 2007 to CPAC concerning import restrictions of coins of Cypriot type where he wrote:  “Coins minted on Cyprus were very rarely taken from the island in antiquity”

What about coins manufactured in Rome, which is the greater majority of coins which are sold on the market?  Roman coins struck at the mint in Rome have been found throughout the greater majority of lands that were populated during ancient times.  From India to China to all of Europe Roman coins have been found and in some cases, they were so well known that they were imitated when they manufactured their OWN coinage!

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Many of our unsold lots will be made available via our store after the New York International Numismatic Convention at a discount off of the estimated price.

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Gaining an accurate understanding of our past involves many disciplines working over long periods of time.  I would compare it to putting together a very large puzzle, each piece we lock into place gives us a clearer picture.  Sometimes it takes other pieces to be put into place before you realize that one piece fit but really did not belong.  In fact, the puzzle has barely been started and those that have worked on it in the past and those that are currently working on it will not get to see it completed within their lifetimes. 

For Barford to write “Is our “knowledge of the past” entirely dependent on knowing which Torre, Dicke or Harthacnut briefly claimed deo-gratia kingship in Northumbria or thereabouts in the 890s before succumbing to a rival’s axe at the next territorial punch-up ?” begs the question- Why are you interested in archaeology?

In response to his blog post- each individual piece of a puzzle may not important on it’s own.  But each piece that we get to put into place gives us a clearer view of the entire picture.  On it’s own it has little importance, but as part of the bigger picture it may help us understand the history of the region and may lead to understanding past and future discoveries.  This information may not be of use right now, for that matter, it may not be of use during my lifetime.  But every piece of data we have makes the overall picture that much clearer.

Finally- what new discoveries can Barford claim to have made in his lifetime?  From where I sit, a lay person with a metal detector has made a larger contribution to our recorded historical record by chance than a supposed professional archaeologist has done in decades of trying.

While the work of accurately recording our past will not be completed during our lifetimes, it still brings great satisfaction and enjoyment to see glimpses of a bigger picture.  If you ever worked on putting together a mega puzzle, you understand the satisfaction you can get from just completing one small corner.  But obviously Barford does not, nor will he ever “get it”.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/8955955/Viking-hoard-provides-new-clues-to-previously-unknown-ruler.html

This is a great example of how the Portable Antiquities Scheme works and contributes to our understanding of the past.  Imagine if similar systems were in place in other source countries as opposed to restrictive laws which force the local markets under ground.

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Imperial Coins & Artifacts in partnership with vAuctions is pleased to announce their first electronic auction of ancient Greek, Celtic, Roman and Medieval coins via the vAuctions venue (http://vauctions.com). This sale opens on November 24th, 2011 and closes on December 15th, 2011. This sale of 290 lots includes many coins of extreme rarity and several unpublished varieties of Roman Provincial coins as well as a selection of exceptional, high quality pre-Colombian pottery (collecting history/provenance is available to serious buyers.)

This sale includes several coins from my personal collection as well as a Medieval coin die, also from my collection. 

A portion of the proceeds from this sale will go to support Coinproject.com. Everyone’s continued support of this project is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Alfredo De La Fe
Imperial Coins & Artifacts Inc.

Auction Highlights

Medieval Coin Die
|A RARE brass obverse coin die

Estimate: $500
Opening Bid: $300

Roman Republican Denarius (ROMA incuse)
An extremely rare Republican anonymous denarius with ROMA in incuse (Crawford 45/1) which only comes to market perhaps once every twenty years

Estimate: $350
Opening Bid: $210

Clodius Albinus as Augustus
A rare denarius of Clodius Albinus as Augustus.

Estimate: $750
Opening Bid: $450

SYRIA, Cyrrhestica. Hierapolis-Bambyce
An extremely rare 1/24th Shekel of SYRIA, Cyrrhestica. Hierapolis-Bambyce,possibly struck under Seleukos I.

Estimate: $250
Opening Bid: $150

Marc Antony and Octavia Cistophoric Tetradrachm
IONIA, Ephesus, Marc Antony and Octavia. 39 B.C. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm

Estimate: $850
Opening Bid: $510

Aes Grave Triens
Anonymous Aes Grave Triens (86.75 g, 44 mm) Crawford 35/3a

Estimate: $1,450
Opening Bid: $870

Marc Antony AR Denarius
Marc Antony AR Denarius. Crawford 533/2

Estimate: $500
Opening Bid: $300

Tiberius “Tribute Penny” AR Denarius
Tiberius “Tribute Penny” AR Denarius. aEF, Sharp detail.
Estimate: $500
Openng Bid: $300

Vespasian AE Sestertius
An excellent example with EF details on the reverse

Estimate: $1,700
Opening Bid: $1,020

Hadrian Denarius Exceptional!
Fantastic coin. Trajan and Hadrian standing, holding globe between them reverse type.

Estimate: $300
Opening Bid: $180

Crispus, Early Rome Campgate
The impressive artistry of early Rome Mint campgates makes this coin a work of numismatic and architectural art. The archway of the “gate” has a 3-D perspective as do the portals of the turrets

Estimate: $795
Opening Bid: $475

Peru, Inca, Portrait Jar
ca. 1300-1500 AD

This rare upside-down example is 7-1/5″ high depicts a distinctive individual with strong facial characteristics and sharp teeth exposed in the open mouth. He is wearing a complex necklace and matching ear ornaments

Estimate: $1,000
Opening Bid: $600

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