Readers of this blog could hardly escape the sense of frustration that I personally have felt over what I see as intransigence in a bureau of the U.S. State Department. I’m sure that it literally pours from these lines. For years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has operated under a shroud of secrecy that becomes neither the Department nor those charged with fulfilling its mission. Several prominent journalists, including Steven Vincent, Nina Teicholz and Jeremy Kahn have raised questions about the lack of transparency at ECA regarding cultural property issues.

When the U.S. Legislature authorized implementation of parts of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, a well thought out series of safeguards was built into the process that we know as CPIA (the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act). These safeguards were intended to protect and preserve the rights of a broad cross section of society — including private and public collectors. The integrity of these safeguards is dependent upon transparency in the system where decisions affecting those various elements of society are made. (more…)

The U.S. Mint’s recent campaign to impound the Ron Paul Liberty Dollar as an unlawful impingement on the circulation of American currency may be garnering all the coin-related headlines. But serious coin collectors are monitoring a far lower-profile numismatic flap. Three coin-collecting associations — the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild, the International Association of ProfessionalNumismatists and the Professional Numismatists Guild — filed suit earlier this month against the State Department to protest its move in July to restrict imports of ancient coins from the island nation of Cyprus.

The suit, now pending in federal court in Washington, invokes the Freedom of Information Act in an effort to compel State to disclose the documentary record of the decision. Read Full Story

More than 100 million $1 coins featuring the likeness of Thomas Jefferson were put into circulation in September, but few people plan to use them, or even know they exist.

Only a quarter of U.S. residents have actually seen a Jefferson coin, or either of the other two Presidential $1 coins that are part of a series the United States Mint started to released earlier this year, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll. Americans are also attached to their paper bills, another poll found, and prefer using them instead even if it costs the government more money.

It’s a far cry from the social and political upheaval caused by the introduction of the first coins more than 2,500 years ago, said Tom Figueira, professor of Classics at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

“Mental changes with the introduction of coins were profound,” Figueira said. “It was a whole new way of thinking about value.” Read Full Story

The ACCG is joined by IAPN and PNG in a complaint filed against the U.S. State Department

GAINESVILLE, Mo., Nov. 15 - The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG), an advocacy group for private collectors and independent scholars, announced the filing today of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U. S. State Department (DOS).

According to Wayne G. Sayles, executive director of the guild, this action became unavoidable due to persistent refusal of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to provide the guild and others with information relating to requests for import restrictions.

The DOS recently imposed unprecedented import restrictions on ancient coins from Cyprus, requiring importers of even a single common coin of Cypriot type to provide unfair, unworkable and unnecessary documentation.

The ACCG seeks information relating to requests from Cyprus, China and Italy. In each case, apparent irregularities in the way these requests were handled led to significant concerns. Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives also requested similar information on behalf of the ACCG and others. “None of these avenues produced responsive replies,” said Peter K. Tompa, ACCG president. “The reason for this lawsuit is that the DOS has refused to provide meaningful information. We seek transparency and fairness of the process by which decisions affecting the American people are made.” (more…)

by Wayne G. Sayles

Suddenly, the Archaeological Institute of America is interested in ancient coins. That is good. The more that archaeologists learn about coins from antiquity, the more they will realize that the context within which they are found is merely one aspect, and a small one at that, of the tremendous historical resource that coins present. Unfortunately, the AIA’s motives for this blossoming interest are suspect.

Having virtually ignored coins for scores of years, why is the AIA disposed now to highlight the value of coins to archaeology? The answer is really quite basic. The numismatic community, comprised primarily of independent scholars, has argued effectively that archaeologists do not have a preeminent claim to the acquisition or study of ancient coins, much less to the dissemination of knowledge about them and about the past from whence they came. If the AIA were to acknowledge this simple fact, it would expose a chink in the armor of their perceived supremacy.

So, be prepared to see a lot more ink spilled by the AIA and other archaeological support groups regarding the “importance” of coins. Oddly, collectors have always known that coins are important. This awakening by archaeologists is probably a good thing if they really consider the issues rather than just fill the web and print media with institutional propaganda. (more…)