SAFE associated blogger Paul Barford believes he may have found a kindred spirit based on some quotations from Alan Stahl's review of "Studies in Early Medieval Coinage." See: http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2009/07/studies-in-early-medieval-coinage.html
Before Mr. Barford gets too excited, however, I suggest that he also review Prof. Stahl's letter to CPAC on the Cypriot MOU's renewal. See: Feb. 1, 2007, communication from Alan Stahl to CPAC available on the ACCG website at: http://www.accg.us/issues/news/AlanStahl.pdf
In it, Stahl recommends that Cyprus adopt a modified version of Britain's and Wales' Treasure Act and PAS. In so doing, Stahl states,
Incentives are needed for finders to take their coins to the local authorities, resources are needed so that the antiquities authorities in Cyprus can adequately record and study the coin finds, and a mechanism is needed so that American collectors who esteem the cultural heritage of Cyprus can buy coins minted or found there with the knowledge that they are not
contributing to the destruction of archaeological sites or the dispersal of national treasures.
A system of licensing of coin finds and exports could be devised to meet these needs, whereby the finders of coins in Cyprus either in archaeological excavations or by chance discovery would identify all coins to government authorities, expert numismatists working for the Cypriote government would document all finds and decide which coins were important to keep for the national patrimony, and those coins not selected for retention would be issued an export license tied to an online digital database. Purchasers of such coins could pay a licensing fee for each such coin, and the proceeds from this process could be used to fund the numismatic agency of the Cyprus Antiquities Authority.
The above statement represents my personal professional opinion and is not necessarily that of the Trustees of Princeton University.
February 1, 2007.
It is indeed unfortunate that Cypriot authorities have declined to consider Professor Stahl's suggestions and instead have continued on with their inherently hypocritical and corrupt practices of clamping down on everyone but "connected" "registered collectors,' like the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. See: http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2008/08/cyprus-caari-and-boccf-there-is-as.html
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