Cultural Property Observer

A Web Log Championing the Longstanding Interests of Collectors in the Preservation, Study, Display and Enjoyment of Cultural Artifacts Against an "Archaeology Over All" Perspective

Saturday, January 3, 2026

CPO’s 2025 Year in Review- Repatriation on Demand Continues as Law of the Land

The past year was another challenging one for collectors, the trade and museums. Despite the Trump Administration’s “America First” rhetor...

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Repatriation of Late Roman Imperial Coins Raises Serious Questions about the Cultural Property Agreement with Turkey and the Private Property Rights of American Citizens

Nazlan Ertan, writing for Al-Monitor, reports on the repatriation of 83 Late Roman Imperial coins struck at Anatolian Mints, under a 2021 C...

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Summary of CPAC Meeting to Discuss Proposed Cultural Property Agreement with Cameroon, Renewals of Cultural Property Agreements with Colombia and Türkiye, and a Renewal of Emergency Import Restrictions for Afghanistan

On September 15, 2025, the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) met in a virtual public session to accept comments regarding a pr...

Monday, September 15, 2025

Cultural Property Agreement Renewals for Afghanistan and Turkey Raise Unreconcilable Contradictions

This is what I said at today's CPAC hearing: Thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the International Association of Pro...

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Time Again to Tell the Cultural Property Advisory Committee What You Think About Import Restrictions on Coins for Taliban Afghanistan and Erdogan’s Türkiye

The State Department has announced a Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) Meeting to consider renewals of current “emergency” import...

Sunday, August 10, 2025

"Soft Power" Love for the Taliban: Trump State Department Continues to Prioritize the Interests of Foreign Despots and Archaeological Advocacy Groups Over Those of American Citizens

Collectors hoping Trump II would “make collecting great again" have been sorely disappointed. Instead, giveaways in the form of Cultur...

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Not MAGA: Trump Administration Implements Biden Embargo on "Indian" Cultural Goods

The Federal Register has announced long anticipated import restrictions on Indian cultural goods. This is yet another wide-reaching Biden A...

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About Me

Cultural Property Observer: Washington, DC, United States; Peter Tompa has collected ancient coins for almost 50 years. He has written and lectured about cultural property issues for a decade. He is a contributor to a chapter on numismatics in K. Fitz Gibbon ed., "Who Owns the Past?" (Rutgers 2005). He has lobbied members of the U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch in an effort to ensure that the small businesses of the numismatic trade receive fair treatment from federal regulators. He currently serves as a board member of the Cultural Policy Research Institute and the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild. He also has been a co-chair of the American Bar Association's Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee. His advocacy has received notice in the media, including the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Art Newspaper and the Voice of America. He hopes his views as a collector and lawyer will provide a counterpoint to the "archaeology over all" perspective found in most blogs about cultural property issues. This Web page is a public resource for general information and opinion about cultural property issues, and is not intended to be a source for legal advice. Opinions expressed here are the author's own.

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