tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32798879580850776912024-03-04T22:15:39.715-08:00Cultural Property ObserverA Web Log Championing the Longstanding Interests of Collectors in the Preservation, Study, Display and Enjoyment of Cultural Artifacts Against an "Archaeology Over All" PerspectiveCultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.comBlogger1769125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-59697347466600786172024-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:002024-02-12T11:17:20.777-08:00State Department Inks New and Renewed MOUs with Authoritarian Governments After Giving and Getting A Little Help From Its Friends<p>In the last several months, the State Department has inked a significant number of cultural property MOUs with authoritarian governments. These include new MOUs with <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/us-state-dept-uzbekistan-art-embargo-50000-bc-to-1917/">Uzbekistan</a> and <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/2454979/us-pakistan-ink-historic-pact-for-heritage-protection">Pakistan</a> as well as renewals of current MOUs with <a href="https://kh.usembassy.gov/signing-of-cultural-agreement-between-cambodia-and-the-united-states/">Cambodia</a> and Communist <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/china-expands-repression-of-islamic-culture-and-identity/">China</a>. Given their authoritarian nature, it is no surprise that these governments have demanded that such agreements cover the cultural heritage of displaced minorities and a wide array of artifacts, including common ones like collector's coins, which are legally, or at least openly, sold in these countries. What should be more concerning is that our State Department now apparently feels that "soft power" is more important than honestly balancing the interests of impacted groups as Congress contemplated in the <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title19/chapter14&edition=prelim">Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act</a>. And in doing so, the State Department has gone so far as <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/careful-collector-no-22-your-tax-dollars-at-work/">funding</a> archaeological advocacy groups to help "check the box" to help justify such dubious decision making. </p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-55309679706174514982024-02-05T08:41:00.000-08:002024-02-08T06:35:17.371-08:00Public Meeting of the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee to Consider Renewal with Algeria and Proposed MOU with India<p> On January 30, 2024, the US Cultural Property Advisory
Committee (CPAC) met in a virtual public session to hear testimony regarding a
proposed renewal of MOUs with Algeria and a new proposed MOU with the Republic
of India. An update on the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA’s) website made shortly before the
hearing provided further information about the scope of the requests. <i>See</i> <i>Cultural Property Advisory
Committee Meeting, January 30 – February 1, 2024, </i>Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs Media Center (November 29, 2023) (but subsequently updated),
available at <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-january-30-february-1-2024">https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-january-30-february-1-2024</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024). Although that update was subsequently deleted,
it stated that Algeria sought no change to the current exceptionally broad
designated list for import restrictions, and that India sought a breathtakingly
broad list of items to be covered which included cultural goods made as
recently as the end of the British Raj in 1950:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><b>India</b></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The Government of India seeks import restrictions on
archaeological and ethnological materials dating from 1.7 million years ago to
100 years ago, including objects dating from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic,
Neolithic, Ancient Periods (including, but not limited to, the Indus Valley
Civilization, Maurayan Empire, Shunga Empire, Gandharan Kingdom, Gupta Period,
and the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rastrakuta, and Pala Dynasties), and Historic
Periods (including, but not limited to, the Chola Dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal
Empire, and the British Raj). Categories of objects include stone tools
and artifacts, terracotta figurines, toys, coins and medals, seals and sealing,
molds, dies, sculpture, utensils, architectural materials, arms and ammunition,
scientific instruments, and jewelry and toiletries. Protection is also
sought for miniature paintings, art pieces in cloth and paper, and manuscripts
dating from the 7th century CE to 75 years ago. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><i><o:p> </o:p></i><i>Id. </i>(but subsequently deleted from the
website). </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The CPAC members did not introduce themselves before the
public session, but CPAC currently includes the following members: (1)
Alexandra Jones (Chair, Represents/Expertise Archaeology, Anthropology, related
fields, CEO Archaeology in the Community, Washington, DC); (2) Alex Barker
(Represents/Expertise Archaeology, Anthropology, related fields) Director,
Arkansas Archeological Survey, Arkansas); (3) Mirriam Stark, Represents/Expertise
Archaeology, Anthropology, related fields, Professor of Anthropology, University
of Hawaii); (4) Nii Otokunor Quarcoopome (Represents/Expertise Museums, Curator
and Department head, Detroit Museum of Art); ( (5) Andrew Conners
(Represents/Expertise Museums, Director, Albuquerque Museum, New Mexico); (6)
Michael Findlay (Represents/Expertise: International Sale of Cultural Property,
Director, Acquavella Galleries, New York); (7) Amy Cappellazzo, Represents/Expertise:
International Sale of Cultural Property, Principal, Art Intelligence Global; (8)
Cynthia Herbert (Represents/Expertise: International Sale of Cultural Property
President, Appretium Appraisal Services LLC, Connecticut); (9) Thomas R. Lamont
(Represents Public, President of Lamont Consulting Services, LLC, Illinois); (10) Susan Schoenfeld Harrington
(Represents Public, Past Deputy Finance Chair, Democratic National Committee,
Past Board member, China Art Foundation); and, (11) William Teitelman
(Represents General Public, Legislative Counsel to the PA Trial Lawyers
Association, Attorney (Retired)).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The Chair, Alexandra Jones, welcomed the speakers and
assured them that their written comments had been read. She indicated that speakers would be given 5
minutes each. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Dr. Mark Lycett was the first speaker. He is the director at the South Asia
Resources Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He supported the MOU and thought that import
restriction will help encourage continued collaboration between the Indian
government and American archaeologists.
His talk focused on looting of temple complexes for idols.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Prof. Miriam Stark (represents archaeology) asked Lycett
if he had observed looting. He says yes,
particularly of temple complexes. He had
not seen metal detectors in use but understood they are used.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>His written comments can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0032">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0032</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Kate FitzGibbon (Executive Director, Committee for
Cultural Policy) spoke about India.
India has a terrible record of neglect of its archaeological heritage
and its government, run by Hindu religious supremacists, has engaged in a
policy of destroying the cultural heritage of its Muslim population. The Indian legal system is ineffective at
dealing with looting. What has been
returned already has neglected. Many of
the bronze idols that have been returned suffer from bronze disease because they
have not been conserved. During the British
Raj both Indian and British enthusiasts built up great collections, many of
which were removed from India right after Independence due to fear that the post-independence
Socialist leaning government would confiscate them. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Despite Ms. FitzGibbon’s obvious knowledge of the
subject, there were no questions. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The Committee for Cultural Policy and the Global Heritage
Alliance’s written comments on the proposed MOU with India can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0042">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0042</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024)</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Sanja Kampoor briefly spoke. He indicated that he agreed with the points
made in Kate FitzGibbon’s testimony. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Nicholas Fritz spoke next. Fritz is a young professional numismatist
with Stack’s Bowers auction house. He
indicated that the Indian MOU request as to coins was over broad, including
many types well-known to scholarship, which should not be restricted. He further indicated that an MOU would only
encourage smuggling. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Alexandra Jones (Chair, representing archaeology) and
Miriam Stark (representing archaeology) asked Fritz a series of hostile
questions. Jones wanted to know why modern-day
India should not be able to control the heritage of all of historic India
(which included Pakistan and Bangladesh), and Stark debated with Fritz about
the importance of coins as archaeological artifacts. (Comment:
The belligerent tone both Ms. Jones and Ms. Stark used with Mr. Fritz
did not reflect well either on CPAC or the Biden Administration that appointed
them. If the State Department really
wants public comment, it should advise CPAC members of their responsibility to
treat members of the public, particularly those who have never appeared before
the Committee, with respect.)</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Peter Tompa (Executive Director, International
Association of Professional Numismatists) was called to speak next. He made the point that the designated list
for Algeria and the proposed one for India were greatly overbroad, including
coin types that circulated far outside these countries. He also indicated that later coins,
particularly of the Raj, do not fit the definitions of either archaeological or
ethnological objects necessary for them to be restricted. All coins of the British Raj are less than
250 years old and hence cannot be treated as archaeological objects under the
governing statute. Additionally, they are the products of what at the time were
sophisticated industrial practices, so they cannot be treated as ethnological
objects. He also discussed the large
internal market in India and how given such a market, import restrictions that
only impact American collectors made no sense.
He also noted that collecting is necessary because governments and
museums cannot preserve all the coins out there. Finally, he discussed the
importance of regulating metal detectors as a self-help measure and a less
drastic remedy. In so doing, Tompa made
clear that the British Portable Antiquities scheme and Treasure Act were the
preferred method of regulation. Tompa closed by recalling that he had met an
Indian collector some years ago who had built up his collection by buying coins
from jewelers in India, who would have otherwise melted the coins for
bullion. Tompa provided members of CPAC
with a real-world example to show that collectors are essential for the
preservation of coins. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Miriam Stark (representing archaeology) stated her belief
that coins must be restricted because they are important for archaeology. She demanded to know if Tompa had ever worked
at an archaeological site. He indicated
he had not, but he had discussed the issue with others who had. Tompa indicated that archaeologists mainly
see coins as dating tools, but they are generally poor tools for dating archaeological
strata because historical coins circulated for long periods of time and only
coins from secured contexts were really useful for that purpose. Stark also asserted that CPAC had no right to
suggest that the Indian government regulate metal detectors. Tompa indicated the governing statute
requires as much and before the State Department started issuing generic MOUs,
an agreement with Cyprus required as much.
He suggested that Stark should consult with State Department lawyers
about the statutory requirements for MOUs. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The International Association of Professional
Numismatists’ comments for the proposed renewal of the MOU with Algeria can be
found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0029">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0029</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The International Association of Professional
Numismatists’ comments for the proposed MOU with India can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0028">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0028</a> (last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Tompa’s personal comments can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0036">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0036</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024). </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Randy Myers spoke next on behalf of the Ancient Coin
Collectors Guild. He raised concerns
about insufficient public notice for CPAC meetings, including the details of
any requests. He noted that the State
Department website that announced the upcoming CPAC meeting, though dated
November 29, 2023, was updated just recently to include more details about the
request, but misleadingly without indicating the date the text was
modified. (Perhaps in response, the
State Department recently deleted this additional information from the
post.) Myers also reiterated the argument
that one cannot assume many of the coins on the Algerian designated list or
conceivably might be on the one for India were actually found there. He also discussed the importance of
considering a portable antiquities scheme as a less drastic measure before
imposing import restrictions. Finally, he
also indicated that neither Algeria or India should be awarded rights to coin
issues of displaced or discriminated minorities. This would include Christian Spanish and
Byzantine coins and many Muslim coins from India.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Alexandra Jones (chair, representing archaeology) debated
with Myers about the notice requirements, maintaining that the State Department
only needed to give the public 15 days’ notice. Myers explained based on his long experience
as an attorney for a large federal agency, he believed that the law requires 60
days’ notice. He also indicated that if
Jones wants to encourage informed public comment, 60 days’ notice is
essential. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild’s and the American
Numismatic Association’s joint written comments can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0012">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0012</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Elias Gerasoulis (Executive Director, Global Heritage
Alliance) next spoke on behalf of both the Global Heritage Alliance and the
Committee for Cultural Policy with regard to the proposed renewal of the MOU
with Algeria. Gerasoulis indicated that
Algeria had failed to meet any of the statutory for renewal. He further indicated that CPAC should not recommend
a renewal of a MOU that recognizes the rights of Algeria’s authoritarian
government to the cultural heritage of its displaced Jewish population.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The Global Heritage Alliance’s and the Committee for
Cultural Policy’s comments for the proposed renewal of the MOU with Algeria can
be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0017">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0017</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Ömür Harmanşah (Vice
President for Cultural Heritage, Archaeological Institute of America) spoke
briefly in support of both MOUs. </span>He
indicated that both countries had met their statutory burdens and MOUs should
be completed with each. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>The Archaeological Institute of America’s comments with
regard to India can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0052">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0052</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Those related to Algeria can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0048">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0048</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Peter Herdrich
(Executive Project Director, Algerian Cooperative Plan for the Digitization of
Heritage<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">CEO, Cultural
Capital Group) discussed</span><span lang="EN"> </span>a digitization project for
Algerian museum and private collections paid for by the US government which also
involved the Antiquities Coalition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herdrich
maintained that this US government funded program showed that Algeria was
engaged in protecting its own cultural heritage. (Comment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a real question whether money paid to
US contractors who also lobby for MOUs should be considered “self-help.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/careful-collector-no-22-your-tax-dollars-at-work/">https://culturalpropertynews.org/careful-collector-no-22-your-tax-dollars-at-work/</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(last visited February 5, 2024).)</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Nii Otokunor Quarcoopome (representing museums) asked
Herdrich if any of these efforts were directed at preserving Jewish and Berber
culture. Hedrich responded by indicating
that such materials were included in the inventories of institutions that were
partner organizations. </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p>Herdrich’s written comments can be found here:</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0037">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0040-0037</a>
(last visited February 3, 2024).</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-17456449846029216582023-12-13T10:48:00.000-08:002024-01-15T11:41:29.638-08:00CPAC to Consider New MOU with India and Renewal of MOU with Algeria <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;">The State Department has <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-january-30-february-1-2024">announced</a> that the Cultural Property
Advisory Committee (CPAC) will meet on January 30-February 1, 2024, to
consider a request for the United States to enter into a cultural property
MOU with the Republic of India. According to the Federal Register <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/12/13/2023-27320/cultural-property-advisory-committee-notice-of-meeting">notice</a>,
public comments and requests to speak are due no later than January 22, 2024,
for the public session which will take place from 2:00-3:00 PM on January 30,
2024. CPAC will consider a renewal of the current MOU with the People’s
Democratic Republic of Algeria at the same time.</span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">The
Cultural Heritage Center's <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-january-30-february-1-2024">website</a> should hopefully provide some clarity of the
scope of the Indian request in the near future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/16/2019-17743/import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-material-from-algeria">Import restrictions</a></span> associated with the
current MOU with Algeria already encompass a wide variety of ancient and early
modern coin types.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also cover, at
least implicitly, the cultural heritage of displaced Jewish and Christian
minority populations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span face="Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif"><span style="background: white; color: #353535; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Indian request should raise a number of questions given its likely breadth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">First, are all the listed
archaeological objects not only of "archaeological interest" but of
"cultural significance," and do they meet the governing statute's 250-year
threshold? Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, 19 USC Section
2601 (C) (i) (I)(II). Second, are all the listed ethnological objects really
the products of "tribal or nonindustrial society" "that are
important to the cultural heritage of a people because of its distinctive
characteristics, comparative rarity, or its contributions to the knowledge
origins, development or history of that people?" 19 USC Section 2601
(C) (ii) (I)(II).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">Third,
has India taken "measures consistent with the [1970 UNESCO] Convention to
protect its cultural patrimony" under 19 USC Section 2602 (a) (1) (B) when
concerns have been raised about India’s notoriously poor stewardship of its own
cultural heritage, including not only neglect, but outright destruction of Muslim
and Christian minority cultural heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">Finally,
does the State Department intend to recognize the rights of India’s sectarian
Hindu government to ownership and/or control of the cultural heritage of
today’s minority Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While India is a democracy, these groups have
nonetheless suffered discrimination and have even faced occasional pogroms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular, Muslim and Christian places of
worship have sometimes been attacked by mobs egged on by local
politicians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">Coins
also raise a number of specific issues. First, there appears to be a
substantial overlap in the types of Indo-Greek, Kushan, Indo-Sassanian, and
later Islamic coins found in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Under the
circumstances, how can the State Department conclude that particular coins were
"first discovered within and [are] subject to export control by" India?
19 USC Section 2601 (2) (C).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">Second,
coins of all periods are legally bought and sold in India. So, why should our
State Department restrict Americans from buying the same type of "Indian"
coins abroad?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">The current MOU with Algeria’s authoritarian government raises similar
questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, the designated list is
exceptionally broad, and includes at least implicitly the cultural heritage of
displaced Jewish and Christian populations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">The exceptional breadth of the designated list is readily
apparent regarding coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, it
includes many Greek, Roman Provincial, Numidian, Mauritanian, Byzantine,
Islamic and Ottoman coin types that circulated either regionally or internationally.
Under the circumstances, how can the State Department conclude that particular
coins were "first discovered within and [are] subject to export control
by" Algeria? 19 USC Section 2601 (2) (C).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;">How to comment? According to the State Department, the
public should be able to comment on </span><i><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;">regulations.gov</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;"> by searching
for docket </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">DOS-2023-0040 and following the prompts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">As of today, however, that <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0040-0001">link</a> is not active.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CPO will update this blog post once it is
possible to comment and/or the State Department provides more clarity about the proposed designated list to be associated with any MOU with India. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Addendum (December 16, 2024): The blue "comment now" button on the regulations.gov website is now active. You should be able to directly access the ability to comment <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/DOS-2023-0040-0001">here.</a> </span></span></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Addendum (January 15, 2024): The State Department has provided some additional information about the categories of material for which import restrictions will be considered. They are as follows:</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #353535; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1.28571em;"><strong>India</strong></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #353535; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1.28571em;">The Government of India seeks import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological materials dating from 1.7 million years ago to 100 years ago, including objects dating from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Ancient Periods (including, but not limited to, the Indus Valley Civilization, Maurayan Empire, Shunga Empire, Gandharan Kingdom, Gupta Period, and the Gurjara-Pratihara, Rastrakuta, and Pala Dynasties), and Historic Periods (including, but not limited to, the Chola Dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, and the British Raj). Categories of objects include stone tools and artifacts, terracotta figurines, toys, coins and medals, seals and sealing, molds, dies, sculpture, utensils, architectural materials, arms and ammunition, scientific instruments, and jewelry and toiletries. Protection is also sought for miniature paintings, art pieces in cloth and paper, and manuscripts dating from the 7th century CE to 75 years ago. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #353535; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1.28571em;"> <strong>Algeria</strong></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #353535; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1.28571em;">Extending the Algeria agreement would continue import restrictions on certain archaeological material from Algeria, ranging in date from approximately 2.4 million years ago to approximately 1750 AD including material from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Classical, Byzantine, Islamic, and Ottoman Periods. The Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria has not requested additional categories of material.</p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #353535; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 1.28571em;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">More <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-january-30-february-1-2024">here</a>.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><br /></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-13194609534932927972023-10-10T13:58:00.000-07:002023-10-10T13:58:11.174-07:00Amended and Expanded Import Restrictions on Cambodian cultural goods.<p> The State Department and US Customs have unveiled amended and expanded import restrictions on behalf of Cambodia's authoritarian government. These include additional restrictions on a limited number of coin types. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">5. Coins<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Rare coinage from the
Funan area of Southern Cambodia is included. Coinage dates from the 1st through
6th centuries A.D. In gold, silver, gilded silver, or tin. Designs vary, but
coins often bear the image of a rising sun, a deer, a rooster, a Garuda, a team
of oxen, and other designs. Inscriptions may be present and in Kharosthi script
or Sanskrit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Source: 88 Fed. Reg.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">64372-64379 (September 19, 2023), available at </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/19/2023-20335/extension-and-amendment-of-import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/19/2023-20335/extension-and-amendment-of-import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material</span></a></span><p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-62042627712807205492023-09-01T08:22:00.006-07:002023-09-03T10:32:19.218-07:00CPAC to Consider Renewal of MOU for Honduras and Proposed MOU for Nepal <p> The State Department Cultural Heritage Center has <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meet-chicago-september-19-20-2023-0">announced</a> that the Cultural Property Advisory Committee will consider public comment for a renewal of a MOU with Honduras and a proposed new MOU with Nepal. According to the State Department notice, the period for written comments will end on September 12th, with a public session to take place on September 19th for oral comments. </p><p>Based on the notice, it does not appear that Honduras seeks any new restrictions on coins. On the other hand, Nepal apparently does seek import restrictions to be placed on coins, particularly the early "Lichhavi" types. </p><p>For a direct link to comment, see <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0023-0001">here.</a> Alternatively, go to regulations.gov, and then search for docket DOS-2023-0023.</p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-46737279864995734282023-08-31T12:58:00.033-07:002023-09-03T10:38:16.342-07:00Cultural Property MOU entered into with Yemen without vetting by CPAC or public comment<p> Lee
Satterfield, the Assistant Secretary, ECA, has apparently unilaterally
transformed current “emergency import restrictions” for Yemen into a cultural
property <a href="https://twitter.com/ECA_AS/status/1697246115941482513 ">MOU</a> with that country, all without input from Cultural Property
Advisory Committee or the public. Unfortunately, Yemen these days is
run by factions aligned with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of
China. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">The
Cultural Property Implementation Act, 19 USC Section 2605 contemplates that
such agreements will only be entered into after the proposal is vetted by CPAC,
which then is expected to recommend which kinds of objects are considered for
import restrictions under the agreement (19 USC Section 2605 (f)).
By converting the current “emergency import restrictions” into ones
under a MOU, the State Department has prevented CPAC and the public (including
concerned Jewish exile and collector groups) from commenting on whether
import restrictions should continue for the country, which does not respect the
rule of law. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">When Yemeni import restrictions were last before CPAC in 2019, despite a short 2-week comment period, any
such agreement faced substantial <a href="https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2019/10/summary-of-cpac-meeting-on-requests.html ">opposition</a> from Jewish exile and coin
collector groups. The State Department presumably engineered this MOU without vetting
it through the Cultural Property Advisory Committee and allowing public comment
as required under CPIA, 19 USC Section 2605 because they knew it would be
controversial and subject to the same opposition today. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">It
is unclear whether this will result in a change in the current designated <a href="https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2020/02/us-state-department-approves-mou-with.html">list</a>,
which implicitly includes the cultural heritage of Yemen’s displaced Jewish
minority as well as a wide variety of coin types.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Addendum (September 3, 2023): A State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/united-states-and-yemen-sign-cultural-property-agreement/">press release</a> suggests that the MOU does not only convert current "emergency import restrictions" into "regular ones" under a MOU, but also extends them past their current sunset date, again all without the required input from CPAC and the public.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Note that the first sentence of the press release states, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> "</o:p>On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational
and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield and Ambassador of Yemen to the United
States Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, accompanied by the Department’s Special Envoy for
Yemen Tim Lenderking, signed a bilateral cultural property agreement that
renews and extends protections for Yemeni cultural property which were put in
place in 2020 on an emergency basis."</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-34182931299058442682023-06-07T09:59:00.000-07:002023-06-07T09:59:35.214-07:00Public Session of the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee to Review Proposed Renewals of MOUs with Bulgaria and China, June 5, 2023<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>On June 5, 2023, the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee
(CPAC) met in a virtual public session to hear testimony regarding the proposed
renewals of MOUs with Bulgaria and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). An update on the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs’ (ECA’s) website made shortly before the hearing provided
further information about the requests. See
<a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2023">https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2023</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023). According
to that website, Bulgaria has asked for import restrictions on additional categories
of archaeological material dating from the Paleolithic Period to the Neolithic
(c. 1.6 million years ago – 7500 B.C.) and on additional ethnological material of
an ecclesiastical nature dating from 1750 through the 20<sup>th</sup>
century. <i>Id. </i>In contrast, the PRC does not seek any
additional restrictions. <i>Id. </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
public session was postponed from April 26-27, 2023, presumably to allow all
the remaining Trump appointees to be replaced by Biden appointees to CPAC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those replaced included Anthony Wisniewski, the
sole coin collector representative on the Committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the replacements, Susan Schoenfeld
Harrington, has discernable links to the PRC, as a past Board Member of the
China Art Foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See <a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-cpac-members.html">http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-cpac-members.html</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Despite
the postponement, the public was only allowed an exceptionally short time to comment
on these MOUs on the regulations.gov website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>See <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0016-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0016-0001</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(last visited June 7, 2023). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the Federal Register notice was
posted on Friday, May 19, 2023, due to a snafu, the regulations.gov website did
not accept comments until midday Monday, May 22, 2023.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The comment period closed only 4 days later,
on Friday, May 26, 2023.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An analysis of the
comments that were submitted can be found here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>See <a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2023/05/low-public-support-for-mous-with.html">http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2023/05/low-public-support-for-mous-with.html</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(last visited June 7, 2023).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oral
comments during the public session were also circumscribed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than the usual 5 minutes, each speaker
was only allotted 4 minutes to speak. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At
least the following CPAC members were present for the meeting:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(1) Alexandra Jones (Chair, Represents/Expertise
Archaeology, Anthropology, related fields, CEO Archaeology in the Community,
Washington, DC); (2) Alex Barker (Represents/Expertise Archaeology, Anthropology,
related fields) Director, Arkansas Archeological Survey, Arkansas); (3) Nii
Otokunor Quarcoopome (Represents/Expertise Museums, Curator and Department
head, Detroit Museum of Art); (4) William Teitelman (Represents General Public,
Legislative Counsel to the PA Trial Lawyers Association, Attorney (Retired));
(4) Andrew Conners (Represents/Expertise Museums, Director, Albuquerque Museum,
New Mexico); (5) Michael Findlay (Represents/Expertise: International Sale of
Cultural Property, Director, Acquavella Galleries, New York); (6) Susan
Schoenfeld Harrington (Represents Public?, Past Deputy Finance Chair,
Democratic National Committee, Past Board member, China Art Foundation); (7) Cynthia
Herbert (Represents/Expertise: International Sale of Cultural Property President,
Appretium Appraisal Services LLC, Connecticut); and (8) Thomas R. Lamont (Represents
Public?, President of Lamont Consulting Services, LLC, Illinois).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Additionally,
at least the following State Department employees were present for the
meeting:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allison Davis (Executive
Director, CPAC) and Andrew Zander.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These individuals
spoke at the public session about one or both MOUs: (1) Kate FitzGibbon (Committee
for Cultural Policy/PRC); (2) Elias Gerasoulis (Global Heritage Alliance/PRC);
(3) Peter Tompa (International Association of Professional Numismatists/Bulgaria
and PRC); (4) Doug Davis (Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation/PRC); (5) Ömür
Harmanşah (Archaeological Institute of America/Bulgaria and PRC); (6) Douglas
Mudd (American Numismatic Association, Ancient Coin Collectors Guild/Bulgaria);
(7) Louisa Greve (Uyghur Human Rights Project/PRC); (8) Peter Irwin (Uyghur
Human Rights Project/PRC); (8) Josh Knerly (Hahn, Loeser & Parks, LLP for Association
of Art Museum Directors/PRC); (9) Dr. Rowan Flad (Harvard Department of
Anthropology/Society for American Archaeology/PRC); (10) Dr. Anne Underhill (Yale/Society
for American Archaeology/PRC); and (11) Dr. Rian Thum (University of Manchester/PRC).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Alexandra
Jones (AJ), CPAC’s chairperson, indicated that the Committee had reviewed all
the testimony, and asked the speakers to limit their remarks to 4 minutes
each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AJ indicated that she would allow
CPAC members to ask questions after each speaker finished their prepared
remarks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very few questions were
actually posed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kate
FitzGibbon (KFG) spoke first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
indicated that none of the criteria for renewal of the MOU found in the
Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA) could be met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second determination, related to the PRC
taking measures consistent with the UNESCO Convention concerning the protection
of its cultural patrimony, has not been met because of the PRC’s intentional
destruction of the cultural heritage of its Uyghur population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KFG pointed to the creation of concentration
camps as well as the destruction of over 500 Uyghur sites in her
testimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, the first and third
determinations, related to the PRC’s cultural patrimony being in jeopardy, and
the effectiveness of the response, could not be met given the booming internal
Chinese market for cultural goods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
fourth determination relating to benefits to the international system could not
be met given the PRC’s mercantilist approach to repatriating artifacts and
failing to follow through on museum loans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Committee for Cultural Policy’s and the Global Heritage Alliance’s joint
written testimony can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0044">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0044</a>
) (last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Elias
Gerasoulis (EG) echoed many of the concerns that KFG raised about the PRC’s
intentional destruction of minority culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also noted that current import restrictions have the perverse effect
of promoting the interests of PRC auction houses associated with the government
over their American competitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
makes no sense for ECA to undertake to renew the MOU given the anti-American
actions the PRC has taken, including the recent spy balloon overflight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EG believes that renewing the MOU would be
tantamount to committing diplomatic malpractice. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peter
Tompa (PT) asked CPAC to oppose any effort to expand current import
restrictions on behalf of Bulgaria to Roman Republican and Roman Imperial
coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He explained that one cannot
assume that such coins come from Bulgarian archaeological contexts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only a very small percentage of such coins
circulated there compared to those which circulated elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also indicated that it is important to
distinguish Roman Republican and Roman Imperial coins from Roman Provincial
coins, which are currently restricted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roman
Provincial coins were struck for local use in contrast to Roman Republican and
Roman Imperial coins which were meant to circulate through the Empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to time constraints, PT was only able to
express general concerns about the MOU with the PRC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He mentioned that the PRC should not be
rewarded for destroying the cultural property of its minority populations or
for its failure to address counterfeiting of US historical coins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>PT’s
planned oral comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2023/06/cpac-should-be-skeptical-about-new.html">https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2023/06/cpac-should-be-skeptical-about-new.html</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
International Association of Professional Numismatist’s (IAPN’s) written
comments about the MOU with Bulgaria can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0010">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0010</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>IAPN’s
written comments about the MOU with the PRC can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0009">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0009</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>PT’s
personal written comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0056">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0056</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Doug
Davis (DD) indicated that the PRC is a major source of counterfeits with
100,000s of coins being faked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are
exported in bulk to the US for resale, often to unsuspecting buyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation Task Force has worked with US law
enforcement on seizing $46 million worth of counterfeit US coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to historical US coins,
counterfeiters are also faking modern US Mint products including bullion pieces
like silver eagles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a global
problem because Chinese counterfeiters are faking coins of all nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>CPAC
member Alex Barker asks DD about what kinds of bullion are being faked. DD
indicates the fakes include silver bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation’s written comments can be found
here: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0067">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0067</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ömür Harmanşah
(OH) indicates that the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) supports the
renewals of both MOUs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The AIA maintains
that each of the four criteria for renewal found in the CPIA are met for both
MOUs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OH mentions that the PRC recovered
66,000 stolen archaeological artifacts in the year 2021 showing that the PRC’s
cultural patrimony is in jeopardy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OH
states that it is important to ensure restrictions are imposed on mass produced
items like coins to promote their study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He further indicates that the PRC has worked to ensure that there is
extensive collaboration with US archaeologists and museums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, an exhibition featuring the
famous “Terracotta warriors” has been exhibited in a number of venues around
the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
AIA’s written testimony regarding the MOU with Bulgaria can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0068">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0068</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
AIA’s written testimony regarding the PRC renewal can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0066">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0066</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Douglas
Mudd (DM) speaks on behalf of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the
Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG), a member organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DM indicates that import restrictions have
negatively impacted the study of coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
coins are so durable many have come down to us from ancient times. There are
far too few trained archaeologists to study the numbers of coins that have been
found and there is no reason to sequester them all in museums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important thing that can be accomplished
is to ensure they are properly recorded, something that can be achieved through
programs like the UK’s Portable Antiquity Scheme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DM also asks that import restrictions not be
imposed on widely circulating Roman Imperial coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He further believes that the current designated
list should be subject to expert review because many of the coin types
currently on that list circulated in quantity outside of the confines of
Bulgaria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The ANA’s
written comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0006">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0006</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
ACCG’s written comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0031">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0031</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Louisa
Greve (LG) opposes the MOU with the PRC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The PRC is committing genocide against the Uyghurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CPAC should not brush aside this genocide and
cultural cleansing in order to approve the renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current MOU authorizes import
restrictions through the Tang period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The PRC has sought to rewrite history through cultural cleansing to create
a false narrative that Han was the dominant culture throughout what is today
the PRC. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If CPAC and ECA approves this
MOU, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UYRP) will protest the decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
UYRP’s written comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0069">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0069</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peter
Irwin (PI) is LG’s colleague at the UYRP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The PRC has not worked to protect cultural heritage, but to purposefully
destroy that of the Uyghurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some 10,000
to 50,000 sites have been destroyed to date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These includes mosques and up to 85% of the historic city of Kashgar. The
MOU should not be extended in these circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Josh
Knerly (JK) stated the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) supports the
extension of the MOU with the PRC contingent on Article II being modified to
provide for multi-year museum loans with more significant objects and the PRC
granting immunity from seizure for art sent there for display from the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2019 MOU dropped any meaningful
requirements regarding loans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Multi-year
loans are necessary to make it cost effective to bring exhibits to the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only multi-year loans allow museums to share
the substantial costs involved. Another issue is US tariffs of 7.5% on Chinese
art, which make it impossible for US museums to purchase Chinese art internationally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such tariffs give Chinese museums, dealers
and collectors a competitive advantage compared to their American
counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>CPAC
member Susan Schoenfeld Harrington asks JK if the MOU provides an
opportunity for cultural exchange with the PRC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>JK indicates for this to happen, the PRC needs to change its policies on
long term loans and immunity from seizure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
AAMD’s written comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0061">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0061</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr.
Rowan Flad (RF) indicates that the PRC has undertaken significant self-help
measures to protect its own cultural patrimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A database of cultural heritage has been established.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is active collaboration with American
archaeologists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>RF’s
written testimony may be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0055">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0055</a>
(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr.
Anne Underhill (AU) states that the PRC has met its obligations under the
MOU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has protected archaeological
sites from looting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One innovative
program has used drones to monitor a site for looting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another development is an increase in “indoor
excavations,” for which entire depositional matrices are transported to covered
labs for careful excavation in safe conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2020, 4,200 crimes were investigated, involving 9,700 individuals. Some
93,000 artifacts were recovered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Access
to museums has improved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>AU’s
written comments can be found here: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0057">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2023-0016-0057</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(last visited June 7, 2023).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr.
Rian Thum (RT) indicates that he could not make policy determinations, but he
could state facts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an unassailable
fact that the PRC has failed to take measures consistent with the UNESCO
Convention to protect its cultural patrimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has demolished large parts of
the Silk Road city of Kashgar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has
recently bulldozed two very important Uyghur shrines, and any archaeological
artifacts beneath them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another target
is books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially PRC authorities
enforced a “blacklist” of forbidden books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, however, that has been replaced with a “whitelist” which deems any
book not explicitly permitted to be forbidden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This has led to the confiscation and destruction of countless books,
some of which are otherwise unknown to scholarship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has also prompted some Uyghurs to burn
their own books in an effort to avoid being sent to concentration camps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As was discussed regarding Bulgaria, modern boundaries
don’t always correspond with ancient ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The same is also true with the status of the Uyghur region in the
PRC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RT observes all of the PRC’s achievements
prior speakers associated with archaeological advocacy groups praised relate solely
to the study of the PRC’s Han culture. These studies feed the PRC’s
narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PRC seeks to rewrite history
to make it appear that Han culture was always the dominant culture in the
Uyghur areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RT expresses disappointment
that his colleagues are unwilling to acknowledge the PRC’s intentional
destruction of Uyghur cultural heritage for political purposes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>No CPAC
members asked any additional questions, and AJ concluded the public session approximately
10 minutes early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-18079790905541666102023-06-06T12:50:00.005-07:002023-06-06T12:50:56.139-07:00CPAC Should Be Skeptical About New Restrictions on Coins<p> This is what I said more or less at yesterday's CPAC hearing. Due to the time to speak being cut to 4 minutes, I did not get to address the MOU with PRC as much as I would have liked. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span> </span><span> </span>I’m speaking on
behalf of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">IAPN,</i> which represents the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">small businesses</i> of numismatic
trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CPAC should be especially <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">skeptical</span> of US import
controls on Bulgarian and Chinese coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both countries have <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">large
internal markets</span> in the exact same sorts of coins that are embargoed
under US import restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Let me first address the MOU with <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Bulgaria.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Cultural Heritage Center’s website now suggests
that it does not seek new restrictions on coins, but IAPN nonetheless urges CPAC
to <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">oppose</span> any
effort to expand the current designated list to include widely circulating <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Roman Republican and Roman
Imperial coins.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">CPAC previously rejected</span> such
import restrictions during its past deliberations in 2011 and 2018.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently, <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">only “Roman Provincial coins” are restricted.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">completely different</span> than Roman Republican and
Roman Imperial coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Roman Provincial coins, usually
of bronze, were struck by local authorities and were meant to circulate
locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast, Roman Republican
and Roman Imperial coins were struck under the authority of Roman Republican or
Imperial officials and were designed to circulate throughout the Roman Empire.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b><i>The Cultural Property
Implementation Act limits any restrictions to coins <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">“first discovered within, and … subject to the
export control by”</span> Bulgaria.</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>However, <i>Roman Imperial coins found in Bulgaria represent a very
small portion of those found internationally. Only <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">3.2%</span> of hoards containing Roman Imperial
coins struck at the late Roman branch mint at <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Serdica</span> (modern day Sofia) are found within
Bulgaria and 96.8% are found outside that country. Moreover, only <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">6.58%</span> of hoards
containing coins from the most prolific Roman Imperial Mint, that at Rome, are
found in Bulgaria with the remainder of such coins found elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, </i>hoard evidence proves that <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">one simply cannot make the required
assumption that such coins were necessarily found in Bulgaria before they can
be placed on the designated list.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">CPAC also should not confuse the Roman Provincial Mint
that operated in Serdica during the early Imperial period with the Roman
Imperial Mint that operated there in the late 3<sup>rd</sup> and early 4<sup>th</sup>
century A.D.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coins of the Roman
Provincial Mint at Serdica are restricted already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those of the Roman Imperial mint of Serdica
are not; nor should they be because again only a small fraction of the entire
universe of such coins are found in Bulgaria today.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>CPAC should also consider the f<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">ailure</span> of the State Department
to hold Bulgaria to its prior promise to <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">facilitate the legal export of coins</span> of the sort
that Bulgarians already collect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given
this failure, CPAC should recommend that U.S. Customs <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">harmonize U.S. import controls with E.U. export
controls.</span> The CPIA was passed before the E.U. created a system of export
controls for cultural goods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOUs with
E.U. countries like Cyprus, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria should be consistent
with these E.U. export controls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
can be done simply by making import restrictions under such MOUs subject to
E.U. export controls which have supremacy within the E.U.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would allow Americans to import coins
exported lawfully from Bulgaria’s fellow E.U. members even if they are subject
to import restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themeshade: 128;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">The current MOU with China should
be allowed to lapse.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PRC
should not be rewarded for <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">destroying
the cultural heritage of its repressed minorities</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor
should the US reimpose import restrictions on Chinese coins when its government
turns a blind eye to the <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">counterfeiting
of US historical coins.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PRC
is also the world’s most <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">sophisticated
surveillance state,</span> and simply does not need U.S. help to stop looting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PRC government also prides itself on
fostering a brisk trade in cultural goods, including coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While IAPN commends China for allowing its
own citizens to collect common ancient coins, this also means that US <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">import restrictions have the
perverse effect of providing Chinese dealers and auction houses with a competitive
advantage over their American counterparts.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, while the US has been enforcing its embargo
on Americans importing ancient Chinese coins and other art, Chinese auction
houses and dealers have been opening up shop in the US for the express purpose
of exporting Chinese art bought here back to China for resale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for listening to our concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-81161291259415900082023-05-31T07:55:00.039-07:002023-06-08T07:22:49.988-07:00Low Public Support for MOUs with Bulgaria and China<p>There are 67 comments posted on the regulations.gov website following the close of the exceptionally short 4-day comment period regarding proposed MOU renewals with Bulgaria and China. CPO reviewed 63 different comments which suggests that 4 were duplicates. All the comments can be reviewed here: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0016-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0016-0001</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u5:p> </u5:p>The vast majority (51) were from coin collectors or members of the small businesses of the numismatic trade. The coin collector and dealer organizations that opposed the
MOUs or their application to coins were the American Numismatic Association, the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild, the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force, and the International Association of Professional Numismatists. Each submitted detailed comments in support of their position. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u5:p> </u5:p>Three groups opposed the China MOU, the Committee for Cultural
Policy (CCP), Global Heritage Alliance (GHA) (1 combined submission), and the Uighur
Human Rights Project. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The CCP and GHA have already posted their comments on the Internet here: <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/special-report-2023-china-mou-building-chinas-art-monopoly-and-destroying-minority-culture-and-identity/">https://culturalpropertynews.org/special-report-2023-china-mou-building-chinas-art-monopoly-and-destroying-minority-culture-and-identity/</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There were a mere 5 comments supporting the MOU with Bulgaria
and only 4 supporting the MOU with China. The Antiquities
Coalition submitted an additional comment that supported both MOUs. The Archaeological Institute of America supported both MOUs in separate comments included in these totals. The 4 comments in favor of the MOU with the PRC, included ones submitted by the Association of Art Museum Directors. Those comments conditioned support for that MOU on changes related to museum loans. Dr. Robert E. Murowchick of Boston University and Dr. Anne Underhill of Yale were the only individuals supporting a renewal of the current MOU with the PRC. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Update 6/8/23- On initial review, CPO missed the testimony of Dr. Rowan Flad of Harvard, who also supported the MOU with the PRC. Both he and Dr. Underhill also indicated that they were speaking on behalf of the Society of American Archaeology. Their testimony, as well as that of the other speakers, can be found in CPO's 6/7/23 post.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<u5:p></u5:p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-50542768022451112572023-04-10T11:16:00.001-07:002023-05-07T13:01:22.516-07:00New CPAC members <p> The White House has named the following new CPAC members, replacing the remaining Trump appointees. CPO would like to thank them all for their service, especially Anthony Wisniewski, the sole ancient coin collector on the panel. While all "trade" slots are now filled, none of the individuals currently on the panel appear to have specific knowledge of the trade in archaeological and ethnological materials, which of course, is the focus of CPAC deliberations. </p><p></p><p style="background: white; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><strong><u><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Cultural
Property Advisory Committee</span></u></strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Cultural Property Advisory Committee reviews requests for
import restrictions submitted to the United States by foreign governments,
considers proposals to extend existing agreements and emergency actions,
carries out ongoing review of current import restrictions, and provides reports
of its findings and recommendations to the Department of State.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act
established the 11-member presidentially-appointed Committee to ensure that the
U.S. government receives advice from diverse public interests in cultural
property matters. The Committee includes two members who represent the
interests of museums; three members who are expert in archaeology,
anthropology, ethnology, or related fields; three members who are expert in the
international sale of cultural property; and three members who represent the
interest of the general public. The Cultural Heritage Center serves as the
secretariat for Committee and convenes and facilitates the Committee’s
quarterly meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Amy Cappellazzo, Member, Cultural Property
Advisory Committee</span></strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amy Cappellazzo is a Founder and Principal of Art Intelligence
Global. Cappellazzo has spent nearly three-decades operating at the highest
level of the fine art market. Most recently, she was Chairman of the Fine Art
Division of Sotheby’s. She joined Sotheby’s when her advisory firm, Art Agency
Partners, was acquired by the auction house in 2016. The firm filled a
significant need in the art market for a client-oriented combination of
industry knowledge, financial sophistication, and discretion. Cappellazzo
previously served as a market leader in the field of contemporary art at
Christie’s, where she rose to the post of Chairman of Post-War &
Contemporary Development over thirteen years. Cappellazzo began her career as
an art advisor and curator and was a key figure in the establishment of Art
Basel in Miami Beach. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from New York University,
and an M.S. from the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute in City
Planning, focusing on the role of Public Art in shaping cities. She hails from
Buffalo, NY.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Susan Schoenfeld Harrington, Member, Cultural
Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Susan Schoenfeld Harrington brings a wide range of experience
and perspective to the Department of State’s Cultural Property Advisory
Committee due to her diverse and multinational career in consulting, media,
law, politics and the arts. Born in Manhattan, she is a graduate of Columbia
Law School, Wellesley College, and Hunter College High School. Additionally,
she is a recipient of a Harry S. Truman Scholarship and a Fulbright Fellowship,
which took her to Hong Kong. Schoenfeld Harrington currently runs a business
advisory group in London, with clients that include the Schoenfeld Group at
Brown Harris Stevens and Brand Positioning Doctors. Previously the CEO of a
media consultancy in Asia, Schoenfeld Harrington worked with international
groups including Viacom, Discovery and Microsoft, advising on market entry,
programming strategies, etc. Previously, she practiced law in New York,
focusing on M&A in the media industry. She is a contributing author to the
book ‘Telecommunications in Asia.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Schoenfeld Harrington has been involved in U.S. Democratic
politics for many years, most recently as a Deputy Finance Chair of the DNC.
She has been a top ex-pat fundraiser for Democratic Presidential, as well as the
Senate and House Committees. She is also a keen supporter of Run for Something,
VoteVets, and Onward Together. Schoenfeld Harrington serves on various boards,
including the American Friends of the Musee d’Orsay, Hampstead Theatre, Project
Rousseau, and as the Secretary of the Chatham House Foundation’s U.S. Board.
She served on the Board of the China Art Foundation and is a long-standing
supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Thomas R. Lamont, Member, Cultural Property
Advisory Committee</span></strong><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 21.1pt; margin-bottom: 18.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; max-width: calc(50% - 20px); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Long time Springfield, Illinois attorney, Thomas R. Lamont,
formerly served as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs. Subsequently, he received a presidential appointment to the National
Commission on the Future of the Army. Lamont also served as a commissioner on
the American Battle Monuments Commission. Prior to his federal service, he
served as a member and chairman of the University of Illinois Board of
Trustees. A graduate of Illinois State University and the University of
Illinois College of Law, Lamont currently is the President of Lamont Consulting
Services, LLC and resides in Springfield, IL. He is married to wife, Bridget
and has one son, Michael.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> The full press release may be found <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/29/president-biden-announces-key-appointments-to-boards-and-commissions-22/#:~:text=The%20Cultural%20Property%20Advisory%20Committee,reports%20of%20its%20findings%20and">here.</a></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-31114623947321218292023-03-22T09:36:00.070-07:002023-05-24T05:01:01.959-07:00State Department Announces Proposed Renewals of MOUs with Bulgaria and China<p> The State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center has provided
advance notice of an upcoming CPAC meeting on April 26-27, 2023, to consider renewals
of current MOUs with Bulgaria and China For more, see <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2023">https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2023</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The State Department will accept comments on these MOUs from
the public at a future date when official notice of the meeting is provided in
the Federal Register.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Both MOUs already impact the ability of American collectors
to import historical coins of the sort widely and legally collected
elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once a coin type is placed on a “designated
list,” U.S. Customs can detain, seize and repatriate it unless the importer
produces provenance information that is usually unavailable for most coins,
particularly the inexpensive types most people can afford to collect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These rules apply to all coin imports, not
just to imports directly from countries for which import restrictions have been
granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever broader (and sometimes
overlapping) lists have made it increasingly difficult to import coins for the
US Collector market even if enforcement remains spotty. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The designated list for Bulgaria covers a wide variety of
Greek, Roman Provincial, Byzantine, Bulgarian Empire and Ottoman coins that
were either made or circulated there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
more, see 79 Fed. Reg. 2781-2785 (January 16, 2014), available at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/01/16/2014-00615/import-restrictions-imposed-on-certain-archaeological-and-ecclesiastical-ethnological-material-from">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/01/16/2014-00615/import-restrictions-imposed-on-certain-archaeological-and-ecclesiastical-ethnological-material-from</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The designated list for China covers all Chinese coins from the
earliest times to the end of the Tang Dynasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For more, see 74 Fed. Reg. 2838-2844 (January 16, 2009), available at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/01/16/E9-848/import-restrictions-imposed-on-certain-archaeological-material-from-china">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/01/16/E9-848/import-restrictions-imposed-on-certain-archaeological-material-from-china</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Right now, there are no all-encompassing import restrictions
on Roman Imperial coins, but this is subject to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hobby leaders are particularly worried about
a staff driven effort to use the Bulgarian renewal to expand current import restrictions
to include widely collected Roman Imperial coins of the sort that circulated throughout
the Roman Empire and beyond. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See <a href="https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2023/2/18/23604528/ancient-coin-collecting-us-import-restrictions">https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2023/2/18/23604528/ancient-coin-collecting-us-import-restrictions</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roman Imperial coins are by far the most
available and widely collected type of ancient coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New restrictions on Americans importing such
coins from legitimate markets in Europe could greatly damage the US ancient
coin market and collecting as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course, there are other concerns with both MOUs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can ask about the efficacy of any MOU
with Bulgaria when it is estimated that up to 4% of the population is engaged
in treasure hunting for fun or profit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
for the China MOU, one wonders why the US denies its own citizens the right to
import ancient Chinese coins when the Chinese government itself encourages its
own citizens to buy, sell and collect the exact same coin types. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, does the authoritarian Chinese high-tech
surveillance state really need US help to police its own archaeological sites?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Watch here for updates for when the State Department accepts
comments for these upcoming renewals on the regulations.gov website. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Update:: 4/12/23- The Cultural Heritage Center website now indicates that the CPAC hearing has been postponed until a future date. Watch this website for additional updates. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Update: 5/1/23- The Cultural Heritage Center website now indicates that the CPAC hearing will now take place on 6/5/23 and that any comments will be due on or before 5/26/23. See <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2023">https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2023</a> It also suggests that there will be no changes in any renewal with China. While it states that no additional categories of archaeological materials will be considered for times when coins circulated, it is not entirely clear whether this really forecloses consideration of new import restrictions on Roman coins. The regulations.gov website is yet to go live which gives the ability to comment. Watch here for an update when it does. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Update: 5/24/23- The State Department finally published the noticed of meeting on 5/19 and enabled comments on 5/22/23, giving 4 days for the public to comment before the 5/26/23 close on these important renewals. Cynics will conclude that the exceptionally short time frame allowed for public comment was designed to limit it as much as possible so that the State Department bureaucracy could claim these renewals "were not controversial." The Federal Register notice and comment button can be found here: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0016-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2023-0016-0001</a></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-51660065190387807902023-01-30T14:46:00.003-08:002023-01-30T14:47:34.797-08:00CPAC Has an Important Role<p> Here is what I said at today's CPAC hearing. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, I had to provide my comments via phone, and will not be able to produce a good summary of the meeting.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><span> <span> </span></span>CPAC has an important role to ensure that congressionally
mandated limitations on executive authority are honored.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Here, even
assuming that all the criteria for import restrictions are met, CPAC must still
ensure that the designated list only encompasses coins and other artifacts that
were “first discovered within” and “subject to export control” by Cambodia,
North Macedonia or Uzbekistan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> In other
words, there needs to be documentary proof coins now sold on legitimate markets
in places like Europe can only be found in Cambodia, North Macedon or
Uzbekistan before they can lawfully be placed on the designated list.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Such an
assumption is impossible to make here. The
vast majority of coins that circulated in Cambodia, North Macedonia or Uzbekistan
were made elsewhere and circulated either regionally or internationally as
items of commerce. The number of these
coins found in these countries is an insignificant percentage of the totals found
elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> This is
particularly true for coins like Alexander the Great tetradrachms and Roman
Republican and Roman Imperial coins. Indeed,
the State Department approved a speech given at a recent numismatic Congress in
Warsaw that made that very same point for Roman Imperial coins.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> CPAC must consider three other
points. First, coins are the products of what at the time were
sophisticated industrial practices. Moreover, coins by their nature are “common
or repetitive or essentially alike in material design, color, or other
outstanding characteristics with other objects of the same type.” As such, they cannot be considered
“ethnological” objects. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Second, coins
can only be found by design with metal detectors. Several comments, particularly one by Dr.
Soren Stark, acknowledge that local officials are often well aware of these
activities. That begs the question why regulations
regarding metal detectors such as the institution of a Portable Antiquities
Scheme are not tried as a “self-help” measure and a “less drastic remedy” first
before limiting the ability of Americans to import coins further.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Finally, we
acknowledge and appreciate the Antiquities Coalition’s statement that the CPIA
is meant to only act prospectively to preclude import of artifacts illicitly
exported from a State Party for which restrictions have been granted after the
effective date of any governing regulations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Unfortunately,
however, Customs doesn’t see it that way and instead applies restrictions as
embargoes on any item on the designated list imported after the effective date
of the restrictions. This is a much
broader construction of its authority that allows source countries to “claw
back” artifacts imported from legitimate markets abroad. This also explains why CPAC’s attention to
these issues is so important. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-34674836702208890312022-11-30T11:50:00.013-08:002022-12-22T08:00:38.353-08:00CPAC to Meet on Jan. 30th to Consider New MOUs with North Macedonia and Uzbekistan as well as a renewal of a current MOU with Cambodia.<p class="MsoNormal">The State Department has provided advance notice of a
Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) meeting that will take place from
Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 2023. See </p><p> <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-January-30-February-02-2023">https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-January-30-February-02-2023</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">During that meeting, CPAC will (1) consider extending and
amending the cultural property agreement with the <b>Government of
Cambodia</b>, (2) review a new request from the <b>Government of North
Macedonia</b>, and (3) review a new request from the <b>Government of
Uzbekistan</b> for cultural property import restrictions. The
Committee invites public comment on these proposals through the regulations.gov
website, but that site is not active as yet.
When it does become active, comments will be accepted through Jan. 23,
2022. CPO will be updated to include the
link where to comment once a Federal Register notice with this information is
published. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The potential MOU with North Macedonia could have the most
impact on coin collectors. There is a
substantial overlap among coins thought to have been struck in the area that
circulated regionally in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, modern North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. Other types known to be struck
elsewhere, like Alexander III tetradrachms, Roman Republican and Imperial
coins, Byzantine issues, and Venetian and Ottoman coins circulated even further
afield in international commerce. That
makes it impossible to assume that coins of types that circulated in these
countries (and beyond) are exclusively found in North Macedonia or even that
they “circulated primarily” there. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The potential MOU with Uzbekistan could further impact
Kushan and Bactrian coins which are already covered under emergency import
restrictions for Afghanistan. The same
issue of regional circulation is raised for such coins which also may be found
in Pakistan and India. There is a pending
MOU with Pakistan, but none with India.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In contrast, the proposed renewal of the MOU with Cambodia
should raise few issues. There currently
are no import restrictions on coins and the State Department would be hard
pressed to find that Cambodian coins meet the threshold requirements for either
archaeological or ethnological artifacts. They don’t appear to be typically
found in the ground. Nor are they the
products of tribal cultures. Coins came
to Cambodia quite late, and most were made with modern minting machinery. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Addendum (12/22/22): It is now possible to post comments for a renewal and possible amendment of the current MOU with Cambodia, and new proposed MOUs with North Macedonia and Uzbekistan here: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2022-0048-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2022-0048-0001</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-83350706106007647392022-08-20T07:44:00.003-07:002022-08-20T07:44:30.421-07:00Biden Administration Announces New CPAC Members. <p> The Biden Administration has made the following announcement:</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #0a2458; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><u><span style="background: white; color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></u><span style="background: white; color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Cultural Property Advisory Committee
reviews requests for import restrictions submitted to the United States by
foreign governments, considers proposals to extend existing agreements and
emergency actions, carries out ongoing review of current import restrictions,
and provides reports of its findings and recommendations to the Department of
State.</span><span style="color: #0a2458; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The Convention on Cultural Property
Implementation Act established the 11-member presidentially appointed Committee
to ensure that the U.S. government receives advice from diverse public
interests in cultural property matters. The Committee includes two members who
represent the interests of museums; three members who are expert in
archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, or related fields; three members who are
expert in the international sale of cultural property; and three members who
represent the interest of the general public. The Cultural Heritage Center
serves as the secretariat for Committee and convenes and facilitates the
Committee’s quarterly meetings.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Alexandra Jones,
Chair, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Dr. Alexandra Jones, Founder and Chief Executive
Officer of Archaeology in the Community, is an education leader focused on
community outreach and service. Jones is currently Professor of Practice in
History and Archaeology at Goucher College. She worked for PBS’s television
show “Time Team America” as the Archaeology Field School Director, where she
directed field schools for junior high and high school students at each of the
sites for the 2013 season. She obtained dual Bachelor of Arts degrees from
Howard University in History and Anthropology in 2001 and a Master of Arts
degree in History from Howard University in 2003. She then attended University
of California, Berkeley for a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Anthropology with a
concentration in Historical Archaeology in 2010. Jones serves on the Board for
the Society of Black Archaeologists, the District of Columbia’s Historic
Preservation Review Board, the Board of Directors of the St. Croix
Archaeological Society, and is an Academic Trustee for the Archaeological
Institute of America.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Alex W. Barker,
Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Alex W. Barker is a museum anthropologist and
archaeologist focusing on issues of cultural heritage, iconography, and the
rise of social complexity. A graduate of the Getty Museum Leadership Institute,
Barker serves as Director of the Arkansas Archeological Survey, and has
previously held leadership positions at the University of Missouri Museum of
Art and Archaeology, the Milwaukee Public Museum, and the Dallas Museum of
Natural History. He has experience in both domestic and international cultural
property issues, served on the national Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act Review Committee from 2011-2015, and coordinated an
international antiquities documentation project in collaboration with the
Capitoline Museum in Rome. He is a peer-elected Expert Member of the
International Council on Monuments and Sites International Scientific Committee
on Archaeology and Heritage Management and the International Scientific
Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage. He has received national awards
for research from the Society for American Archaeology and for service from the
Society for American Archaeology and the American Alliance of Museums. Barker
is a former President of both the Council for Museum Anthropology and the
American Anthropological Association. Barker received a BA from Marquette
University, MA from Wichita State University, and PhD from the University of
Michigan.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Andrew Lamarche
Connors, Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Andrew Connors is currently the Director of the
Albuquerque Museum, where he previously served as Curator of Art from 2009
through 2018. Connors’ former roles include Chair of the Visual Arts Department
at Albuquerque Academy (2006-2009), Senior Curator at the National Hispanic
Cultural Center in Albuquerque (1999-2006), and Associate Curator at the
Smithsonian American Art Museum (1984-1999) where he developed collections and
exhibitions on Hispanic, Latino, Native American, and Folk Art. He studied Art
History and Architecture at Yale University and did his graduate work in
Folklore and American Studies at George Washington University. He has
curated dozens of exhibitions, primarily in the areas of United States Latino
Art, Colonial Art from Puerto Rico, Contemporary Art, and Graffiti. He recently
completed an exhibition and book on the history of jewelry in New Mexico from
prehistory to the present, the first exhibition in a series of medium-focused
historical survey exhibitions on New Mexican art that will include ceramics and
textiles. As a lecturer, guest teacher, and consultant, he has worked with
numerous organizations including the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian
Office of Folklife Programs, Institute for Latino Studies at the University of
Notre Dame, Chicano Studies Department at the University of California Los
Angeles, Getty Center for Education in the Arts, and the Royal Government of
Bhutan.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Michael Findlay,
Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Michael Findlay is a Director of Acquavella
Galleries which specializes in Impressionist, Modern, and Post-War Contemporary
Art and presents major exhibitions of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró,
James Rosenquist, Lucian Freud, and Wayne Thiebaud. Findlay directed one of the
first galleries in SoHo in Manhattan in the 1960s, which pioneered the work of
artists like John Baldessari, Hannah Wilke, and Sean Scully and secured
portrait commissions for Andy Warhol. He was a Senior Director at Christie’s
auction house and sat on the Board of Directors from 1984 to 2000. He has
served on the Art Advisory Panel for the Internal Revenue Service since 2001,
serves on the Board of the New York Foundation for the Arts and the British
Schools and Universities Foundation, and is on the Advisory Council of the
Appraisers Association of America. Findlay frequently lectures at museums and
universities in the U.S. and overseas. He has published poetry and essays in
journals, periodicals, and exhibition catalogues, as well as two best-selling books,<em><span style="font-style: normal;"> Seeing Slowly—Looking at Modern Art</span></em> and <em><span style="font-style: normal;">The Value of Art</span></em>. He is married to the
contemporary quilt artist Victoria Findlay Wolfe and has two children.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Cynthia Denise
Herbert, Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Cynthia D. Herbert, AAA, President of Appretium
Appraisal Services LLC, is a Certified Member and past President of the Board
of the Appraisers Association of America. She has appraised an extensive range
of fine and decorative art, antiques, and residential contents/personal property.
Herbert is an instructor at the Appraisal Institute of America and the
Appraisers Association of America. Additionally, through The Appraisal
Foundation, she is an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor (Uniform Standards of
Professional Appraisal Practice). Herbert graduated with a BA from Georgetown
University and an MA from New York University.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Nii Otokunor
Quarcoopome, Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Nii Quarcoopome is the curator of African art
and department head of Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous Americas at the Detroit
Institute of Arts. He received his doctorate in African art history in 1993
from the University of California, Los Angeles. After years of college
teaching, he entered the museum field in 2000, beginning at Newark Museum before
joining Detroit Institute of Arts in 2002. Between 2012 and 2016, Quarcoopome’s
concurrent appointment at the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Detroit Institute of
Arts made him the first shared curator in American history. His exhibition,
“Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500-Present,” earned a
National Endowment of the Humanities implementation grant and the American
Association of Museums’ recognition for excellence. His academic record boasts
several prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, including the Fulbright and J.
Paul Getty.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">Miriam T. Stark,
Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">Dr. Miriam Stark, an anthropological
archeologist, is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawai’i at
Mānoa and has worked in Cambodia since 1996. With field experience in North
America, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia, Stark has published more than
100 articles and chapters on Southeast Asian and North American archaeology. A
specialist in ancient ceramics, salient themes in her research include
urbanization, ceramic production and distribution, and power relations in
premodern Cambodia. Stark’s Cambodian archaeological research program
integrates research with capacity-building in collaboration with Cambodia’s
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and its various units. She has worked with
nearly 100 Cambodian students, interns, and archaeological professionals since
launching her first field-based project in the country, and continues to mentor
early career archaeologists in Cambodia. Stark became the Director for
the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies in 2018
and is currently a Fulbright Senior Specialist and an Honorary Research
Associate with the University of Sydney. Stark earned her doctorate in Anthropological
Archaeology at the University of Arizona and held a postdoctoral fellowship in
materials analysis at the Smithsonian. She has served as a board member for the
Society for American Archaeology and currently serves on 13 editorial boards
for archaeology and Southeast Asia-focused journals.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background: white; font-weight: normal;">William A. K.
Titelman, Member, Cultural Property Advisory Committee</span></strong><br />
<span style="background: white;">William Titelman has had a highly varied career,
while maintaining a lifelong passion for art, history, archeology,
anthropology, and antiquities. He received his J.D. from The Dickinson School
of Law over a decade after his B.A. in philosophy and art history from
Washington and Jefferson College and Brown University. In between degrees, he
worked in senior executive capacities in Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp’s
Administration and served as a civilian volunteer in Israel during the Yom
Kippur War. Titelman has always championed the rights of injured victims,
consumers, workers, and shareholders. He served for a decade as Legislative Counsel
to the PA Trial Lawyers Association, never losing a legislative battle.
Titelman joined a business and commercial law firm, starting its Harrisburg
office and its government affairs, legislative, and administrative law
practices. He has spearheaded numerous legislative accomplishments, including
the enactment of Pennsylvania’s Business Corporation Law, brownfields
legislation, electric utility deregulation, and the state’s seatbelt law. He
led a national campaign opposing a notorious anti-takeover bill. Titelman was a
principal in developing the Commonwealth Riverfront Center in Harrisburg,
served as Executive Vice President at one of the nation’s largest drugstore
chains, and established the public pension fund and labor union practice for a
plaintiffs securities litigation firm. He founded Pennsylvanians for Gun
Control to support passage of the Brady Bill, was a founding board member of
the Israel Policy Forum, and has served on numerous non-profit boards.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">A Pennsylvanian, Titelman was born in Altoona,
grew up in Pittsburgh, lived in Harrisburg for 30 years, then moved to
Washington, DC, before retiring in Florida. During the last nine years he has
also spent much of his time living and learning in Greece.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>For the White House Press release, see <p></p><p><a href=" https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/19/president-biden-announces-key-appointments-to-boards-and-commissions-5/"> https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/19/president-biden-announces-key-appointments-to-boards-and-commissions-5/</a><br /></p><p>Who do these new members replace? While not clear from the release, it appears the following current members will no longer serve on the committee:</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Public: Stephen Passentino (former Chair)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Archaeology/Anthropology: Ricardo St. Hilaire; Joan
Connelly; and Rachael Fulton Brown<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Museums: Karol Wight <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">International Sale of Cultural Property: Mark Hendrick and David Tamasi.</p><br /><p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-68650434140285897962022-07-28T11:21:00.034-07:002022-07-29T04:28:18.987-07:00Summary of July 26, 2022, Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss Proposed MOU Renewals with Belize and Libya <p> <span> </span><span> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">On July 26, 2022, the US Cultural Property Advisory
Committee (CPAC) met to consider proposed renewals of MOUs with Belize and
Libya. CPAC is comprised of the
following members: <b>(1)</b> <b>Stefan Passantino (Chairman-
Public); (2) Steven Bledsoe (Public); (3) Karol Wight (Museums); (4) J.D.
Demming (Public); (5) Ricardo St. Hilaire (Archaeology); (6) Joan Connelly
(Archaeology); Rachael Fulton Brown (Archaeology); (7) Anthony Wisniewski
(Collector-Sale of International Cultural Property); (8) Mark Hendricks (Sale
of International Cultural Property); and (9) David Tamasi (International Sale
of Cultural Property). </b>Because CPAC
was meeting in person after a long hiatus due to the pandemic, it was
unfortunately impossible to determine if all members were present. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleaprior" target="_blank" title="Michelle Prior - Program Officer - U.S. Department of State | LinkedIn"><b><span style="background: white; color: #3c4043; font-size: 9pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Michelle
Prior</span></b></a><b>, </b>a program officer for the Cultural Heritage Center,
was also present to run the Zoom presentation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again,
other Cultural Heritage Center staff may have been in the room, but it was impossible
to tell given the Zoom image quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino </b>welcomed the speakers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
acknowledged “familiar faces” and commented there were new speakers for this
session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He indicated that each speaker
would be given 5 minutes for their presentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked Committee members to hold questions
to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He further indicated that
speakers would be grouped, with those discussing Belize alone or Belize and
Libya speaking first.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Dr.</b>
<b>Eleanor King </b>(Howard University) spoke on her own behalf as well as for the
Society for American Archaeology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Belize
meets all the criteria for a renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its
cultural heritage is still in danger due to looting which is exacerbated by its
rugged terrain and porous borders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Belize does take self-help measures in the form of awareness campaigns
against looting, posters warning about purchasing looted objects, and workshops
devoted to the subject. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Import
restrictions are not only the best available method to prevent importation of
stolen objects, but they are also the only real ones available. Given the
porous nature of Belize’s borders and the country’s restricted resources, it
would be impossible to seal all exit points from the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, there are extensive collaborative
efforts between US and Belizean archaeologists. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Dr.
King’s </b>written comments can be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0037">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0037</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Dr. Brian
Daniels </b>(Smithsonian and University of Pennsylvania) spoke on behalf of the
Archaeological Institute of America (“AIA”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>Dr. Daniels </b>indicated that the AIA’s membership comprised of approximately
200,000 professional archaeologists, corresponding members, students, and
enthusiasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Belize and Libya have
met all the necessary criteria for renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both Libya and Belize still suffer from looting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both have dedicated archaeological
departments. Although the archaeological departments in Libya must answer to
different governments, they operate with the same common purpose. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Dr. Daniels </b>indicates ASOR will provide
further information on Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
a host of collaborative projects with Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before the 2011 Revolution, the AIA ran tours to Libya. The AIA also ran
tours to Belize before Covid. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The AIA’s
written comments on Belize can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0049">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0049</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
AIA’s written comments on Libya can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0050">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0050</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Stephen
Knerly </b>(Hahn Loeser) spoke on behalf of the Association of Art Museum
Directors (“AAMD”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He first addressed
Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He first questioned if Jewish
artifacts can be considered Libyan state property now because antiques held
prior to 1968 were not state property under Libyan law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
noted there are a host of issues related to the scope of the designated list if
CPAC decides to recommend a renewal of the MOU with Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With regard to the MOU with Belize, he criticized
the open-ended nature of the designated list of archaeological material, effectively
being extended an extra five years with every renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also criticized the Form Article II that
has been put in place in more recent agreements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These should be tailored to the individual
countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
AAMD’s written comments on Libya and Belize may be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0054">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0054</a>
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Peter
Tompa </b>(Peter Tompa Law) spoke on behalf of the International Association of
Professional Numismatists (“IAPN”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
comments focused on Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ASOR received
$800,000 in State Department grants that paid for work that was then used to
justify renewing this MOU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, on a
closer look, the report ASOR submitted actually demonstrates that Libya has not
taken adequate self-help measures to justify a renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also noted that one cannot assume most
coins on the designated list are only found in Libya, or even that they
“circulated primarily” there, which is the State Department’s own
standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The State Department should at
least be held to its own standard and the coin types that do not meet it should
be delisted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Tompa </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>finally indicated we should all look forward
to the day Libya is at peace and the $800,000 given to ASOR to help justify a
renewed MOU with Libya can instead be used to fund a Portable Antiquities
Scheme in Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Peter
Tompa’s </b>complete oral comments can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2022/07/cpac-should-focus-on-facts-not-false.html">http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2022/07/cpac-should-focus-on-facts-not-false.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His
personal written comments can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0012">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0012</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>IAPN’s
written comments on Libya may be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0018">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0018</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>IAPN’s
written comments on Belize may be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0015">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0015</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Randolph
Myers </b>spoke on behalf of the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (“ACCG”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He first noted that the 28-day notice
provided for public comment, while far better than the 5 days allowed for
comment on proposed emergency import restrictions for Afghanistan, still falls
far short of the 60 days public notice period under the Administrative
Procedure Act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also noted the
injustice of import restrictions on Jewish cultural artifacts. He indicated
that hoard evidence proved that most types of coins on the current designated
list are found in far greater frequency outside of Libya than they are found inside Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is particularly true for the famous type
with the Silphium plant on the reverse which was made to pay mercenaries from
Crete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He further indicated that the MOU
has not been effective with only one Immigration and Customs Enforcement
seizure of an artifact that left Libya at least 10 years prior to the MOU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
ACCG’s written comments may be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0002">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0002</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Kate
FitzGibbon </b>spoke on behalf of the Committee for Cultural Policy (“CCP”) and
the Global Heritage Alliance (“GHA”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
focused on Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One cannot conflate
Libya and Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
functioning government in Libya. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reports
from British archaeologists do not paint the same picture as in the ASOR
report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is poor stewardship of
Libya’s cultural heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The overbroad
designated list encompasses 13,000 years of Libyan history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ambiguities in that list recognize Libya as
the de-facto custodian of the cultural heritage of its displaced Jewish
population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MOU should be
terminated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alternatively, CPAC should
only recommend new emergency restrictions on limited numbers of cultural goods
consistent with the statute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
CCP’s and GHA’s written comments about Libya can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0041">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0041</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
CCP’s and GHA’s written comments about Belize can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0003">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0003</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Gina
Waldman</b> spoke on her own behalf as well as Jews Indigenous to the Middle
East and North Africa (“JIMENA”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
was born in Tripoli, from which she and her family were brutally expelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The driver of the bus meant to take her out
of the country instead set it afire with her and her family in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was saved by British Christians and
eventually settled in California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOUs
are supposed to stop looted property, but here the Libyan government was the
looter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Libya took all the Jewish
community’s religious artifacts, and all its private and communal
property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless the current MOU is
re-written to explicitly exclude Jewish and Christian property, the MOU will
legitimize Libya’s confiscations of minority cultural heritage and
property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a carve out done in
the MOU with Morocco and the same should be done here. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Libya has desecrated the synagogue where <b>Ms.
Waldman</b> worshiped by turning it into an Islamic Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has presented CPAC with a video showing
this desecration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The person who took
the video was arrested and was sentenced to 8 months in a Libyan prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Libyan authorities have robbed the Jewish
community, desecrated its synagogues, and even erected skyscrapers over its
cemeteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Libya cannot be considered a
custodian of Jewish cultural heritage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>JIMENA’s
written comments can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0048">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0048</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Raphael
Luzon </b>was born in Benghazi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This MOU
will just justify the Libyan Government’s taking of Jewish property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CPAC should follow the Moroccan example and
recommend an exemption for Jewish cultural heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There needs to be a carve-out for Jewish
religious articles. Libya has robbed its Jewish citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He understands Libyan Jewish cultural heritage
was carted up and put in a storeroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
does not know what happened to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
Synagogue he attended has now been converted into a Coptic Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>David
Gerbi </b>is a doctor in psychology and the President of “ASTREL,” an
organization which represents the Jews of Libya in exile. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He now lives in Israel and appeared on zoom
from a museum in Israel devoted to commemorating Libya’s Jewish diaspora. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1967, when he was 12 years of age, he spent
days hiding with his family from a rampaging mob that was looting and
destroying Jewish homes and businesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
2002, Ghaddafi invited him to Libya to visit his aunt, the last Libyan
Jew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ghaddafi wanted his help in
normalizing relations with the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was fearful he would suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Mr. Gerbi </b>worked with Congressman Tom
Lantos on this issue and after relations with the U.S. were normalized Qaddafi
invited him to Libya in 2007 to see Jewish sites and restore DAR BISHI
Synagogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, during his trip he
was arrested and the money he raised to restore the Synagogue was stolen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was deported to Malta without any
money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After he got back to Rome, there was an
assassination attempt and he moved to Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2009, Qaddafi reconciled with him and again invited him home to
restore the Synagogue, but this never happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the 2011 Revolution, he was invited back to serve in the
government, but on his arrival, he was threatened with death and fled again
with the help of the Italian Government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He recently was invited back to Tripoli to restore Synagogues but was
again threatened with death and was forced to leave again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Rabbi </span>Eric
Fusfield </b>spoke on behalf of B’nai B’rith International.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B’nai B’rith is our nation’s oldest and best-known
Jewish advocacy and social service organization, promoting the rights and
concerns of the Jewish community on a wide range of issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No issue is of greater importance to the
Jewish community than the rights of the nearly one million Jewish refugees from
the Middle East and North Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nowhere
did this Jewish presence end more tragically than in Libya, where Jews had lived
since the 4th Century B.C.E. and numbered as many as 40,000 in the early 1900s
but lost their entire population as a result of anti-Semitic pogroms and immigration
to Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cultural patrimony of the
Libyan Jewish diaspora is gravely threatened by the absence of guarantees to
custody of materials that are rightfully theirs. The Jewish community wrote a
letter in December 2018 requesting the exclusion of Jewish ritual items from
the current Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Libya.
However, the previous administration’s refusal to acknowledge the letter
amounted to a de facto U.S. recognition of Libya’s confiscation of Jewish
properties in 1958 and 1969 and to the persecution Libyan Jewry suffered at the
hands of the regime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This MOU
legitimizes the confiscation of Jewish property seized by Libya’s government
when Jews were forced from the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B’nai
B’rith strongly urges the Committee to include a derogation, or carve-out, for Jewish
personal and communal property should this MOU be renewed. We have seen a
precedent for this in the Morocco MOU, which clearly and explicitly excluded Jewish
property from its scope. To do less would be nothing short of a betrayal of American
values.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>B’nai
B’rith’s written comments can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0030">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0030</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Panina Meghnagi </b>is from the Libyan diaspora. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">She had to flee her home in Tripoli with one suitcase.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Her family had to leave everything behind.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">They were stripped searched on leaving the country.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Jews lived in Libya for 2,000 years before being driven out.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Their cultural heritage has been destroyed, buried under Autostradas and Skyscrapers.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">There were 40,000 Jews living in Libya in the 1940’s.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Pogroms took place in the 1950s.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">During the 1960’s most Jews and Christians fled the country.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">She implored the Committee to “love us” and do not renew this MOU.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Morocco is a good example of a country that preserves its Jewish heritage.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Dr. Andrew Vaughn </b><span style="font-family: arial;">is the Executive Director of the American Society of Overseas Research (“ASOR”) and as Co-Director of ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives (“ASOR CHI”).</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Vaughn </b><span style="font-family: arial;">participated in meetings with Libyan cultural heritage officials in Tunisia.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">He was impressed with their motivation to work cooperatively to protect Libya’s cultural assets.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Government actors and supporting militias are not involved in the antiquities trade which helps with enforcement.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">There have been instances where the public has returned chance finds to members of the Department of Antiquities.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">He has been working with Libya’s Department of Antiquities (“DOA”) towards creating temporary exhibitions in the US of material seized under the MOU. The DOA looks on ASOR as partners.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Preservation efforts include that of materials of minority populations as a counter to extremism.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Vaughn </b><span style="font-family: arial;">polled Libyan cultural heritage officials who indicated that ancient coins are the most looted item.</span><span style="font-family: arial; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(Note- they are also one of the most common ancient artifacts, see Tompa individual comments).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Dr. Vaughn’s</b> written comments on behalf of ASOR can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0051">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0051</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Will Raynolds </b>is the co-director of ASOR-Cultural Heritage Initiative. Despite the division of the DOA under two separate governments, the separate entities work well together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ASOR has intensive collaborations with both DOAs and smaller, local groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the signing of the MOU, there have been sincere efforts to protect Libya’s cultural heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Raynolds </b>was particularly heartened by voluntary returns of objects by Libyan citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Raynold’s </b>written comments on behalf of ASOR can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0038" style="font-family: arial;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0015-0038</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As more
than an hour had already been devoted to public comment, <b>Chairman Passantino</b>
asked questions from members of the Committee to be kept short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An
unidentified CPAC member indicated that he believed speakers from the Jewish
Diaspora had made a compelling case for exempting Jewish artifacts from any new
import restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked <b>Dr.
Vaughn</b> about his views on the subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>Dr. Vaughn </b>does not answer the question, and instead indicates he
is not familiar with the legal aspects of such a decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Anthony
Wisniewski</b> asked <b>Stephen Knerly </b>if there were credible enforcement
efforts taking place in Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
indicated that there are no such efforts and that is but one piece of Libya’s
failure to undertake self-help measures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Anthony
Wisniewski</b> pointed <b>Kate FitzGibbon </b>to page 18 of her submission
where she discussed the State Department’s application of a “circulated
primarily” standard as a trigger for import restrictions on coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Ms. FitzGibbon </b>confirmed that the
standard contradicts the governing statute’s limitation of import restrictions to
coins “first discovered within, and subject to export control” by Libya.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
also noted that with two DOAs in Libya there is no effective enforcement of
cultural heritage laws.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anthony
Wisniewski</b> pointed <b>Peter Tompa</b> to page 7 of IAPN’s submission which
discussed the current designated list for Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked if there were any Roman Imperial
coins struck in Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Mr.</b> <b>Tompa
</b>indicated that such coins were not struck in Libya and as stated in a
footnote only 0.18 % of all Roman Imperial coin hoards with Italian mint coins
are found in Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Anthony
Wisniewski </b>also asked about Greek Coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>Mr. Tompa </b>agreed with <b>Mr</b>. <b>Wisniewski </b>that the Greek
designated list excludes large denomination stater and tetradrachm coins. <b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr.</b> <b>Tompa </b>stated that hoard
evidence indicates that Greek silver and gold coins from Libyan mints did not “circulate
primarily” there because the vast majority are found outside Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This includes high denomination tetradrachm
coins from Cyrene and Barce as well as the stater size coins with the silphium
plant on the reverse mostly found in Crete as described in <b>Randolph Myer’s </b>testimony.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-75693612114645305442022-07-27T10:08:00.010-07:002022-07-27T12:00:29.120-07:00CPAC SHOULD FOCUS ON FACTS NOT FALSE NARRATIVES<p>Here is what I said at yesterday's CPAC meeting to discuss proposed renewals with Belize and Libya. My comments related solely to Libya. I hope to upload a summary of what happened in the near future. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><span> </span><span> </span>Thank you for letting me speak on behalf of the micro and
small businesses of the numismatic trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>CPAC should focus on facts not false narratives based on a report from
ASOR, which received $800,000 in State Department grants for its work in Libya.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ASOR’s report will
be used to justify extending this MOU to quote “save” Libyan cultural
heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, after reading it, one
can only conclude that Libya has failed to take necessary self-help measures. Libya
does not enforce its own confiscatory Ghaddafi era laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ASOR only
documents five seizures of looted antiquities in Libya since 2017 when import
restrictions were first promulgated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thefts
from museums after the 2011 Revolution are detailed, but poor documentation
makes recovery far more difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything
recovered could be returned as “stolen property” anyway, without an MOU. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Given the
reality on the ground, can CPAC in good conscience recommend further import
restrictions on coins? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is impossible
to assume most coins on the designated list were found in Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current designated list includes many Imperial
coin types that circulated regionally or internationally. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other Greek silver and gold coins did not even
“circulate primarily” in Libya, the State Department’s own standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently, IAPN demonstrated that coins of
Alexander the Great should be delisted for Cyprus because they did not meet
this criteria. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the State
Department ignored this research and instead expanded the current Cypriot list even
further!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That raises the question, is
the State Department’s own standard “just for show?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Libya is a
complete mess with a bloody gun battle between rival factions in Tripoli just
last week. Hopefully, one day Libya will be at peace and $800,000 can be used to
fund a Portable Antiquities Scheme rather than trying to justify suppressing coin collecting further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>US collectors are not at fault for Libya’s
problems and should not suffer further damage in search of an illusory
solution. Thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-31064854551168124802022-07-17T12:09:00.032-07:002022-07-20T13:18:43.204-07:00Cypriot Designated List Expanded<p>In the Federal Register dated July 18, 2022, the Cypriot designated list was amended to add Byzantine,
Medieval, Frankish, Lusignan, Venetian, and Ottoman con types that “circulated
primarily” in Cyprus. </p><p>The revised designated list (effective on July 14, 2022) now reads as follows:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">. Coins of Cypriot Types.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Coins of Cypriot types made of gold,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">silver, and bronze including but not<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">limited to:</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">a. Issues of the ancient kingdoms of<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Amathus, Kition, Kourion, Idalion,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Lapethos, Marion, Paphos, Soli, and<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Salamis dating from the end of the 6th<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">century B.C. to 332 B.C.</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">b. Issues of the Hellenistic period,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">such as those of Paphos, Salamis, and<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Kition from 332 B.C. to c. 30 B.C.</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">c. Provincial and local issues of the<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Roman period from c. 30 B.C. to A.D.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">235. Often these have a bust or head on<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">one side and the image of a temple (the<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Temple of Aphrodite at Palaipaphos) or<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">statue (statue of Zeus Salaminios) on the<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">other.</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">d. Byzantine, Medieval Frankish,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Lusignan, Venetian, and Ottoman types<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">that circulated primarily in Cyprus,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">ranging in date from A.D. 235 to 1770.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">Coins were made in copper, bronze,<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">silver, and gold. Examples are generally<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">round, have writing, and show imagery<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">of animals, buildings, symbols, or royal<br /></span><span style="font-family: Melior; font-size: 9pt;">or imperial
figures.</span></h1><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>See <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/07/18/2022-15398/extension-and-amendment-of-import-restrictions-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-from">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/07/18/2022-15398/extension-and-amendment-of-import-restrictions-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-from</a></p><p>The "circulated primarily" standard does not comport with the plain language of the Cultural Property Implementation Act , 19 USC Section 2601.
See <i>Ancient Coin Collectors Guild v. U.S. Customs and Border Protection</i>,
801 F. Supp. 2d 383, 407 n. 25 (D. Md. 2011) (“Congress only authorized the
imposition of import restrictions on objects that were ‘first discovered
within, and [are] subject to the export control by the State Party.”). </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Additionally, without being more specific, this “circulated
primarily” phraseology also raises “fair notice” questions under 19 USC Section
2604. That provision requires the designated list be “sufficiently
specific and precise” so that the import restrictions only apply to items
covered by the agreement, and that fair notice is given to importers. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>The other issue here is that at the April 26, 2022, CPAC meeting to
discuss the renewal, IAPN presented substantial evidence that even
under this “circulated primarily” standard, all Archaic, Classical and
Hellenistic gold (AV) coins of Cyprus should be delisted along with all silver
(AR) coins of Alexander III (“the Great”), Philip III Arrchidaelus, and
Demetrius I Poliorcetes. <i>See </i>IAPN’s supplemental correspondence,
dated Jan. 17, 2022, available at</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0015">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0015</a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">This raises the question whether the “circulated
primarily” standard is just a bureaucratic justification for the State Department's unpopular imposition of import restrictions on coins rather than a real
standard the bureaucracy can be expected to hold itself to when promulgating regulations. </p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-63424498759323535862022-06-13T14:05:00.025-07:002022-07-18T07:57:04.636-07:00CPAC to Consider Libya and Belize Renewals<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>The State Department Cultural Heritage Center website has provided
advance notice that the Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet to consider
renewals of current MOUs with Libya and Belize.
See <a href="https://eca.state.gov/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-july-26-27-2022">https://eca.state.gov/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-july-26-27-2022</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
public may provide written comment in advance of the meeting and/or register to
speak in the virtual open session scheduled for July 26, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.
EDT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both written comments and requests
to speak at the open session will be due July 19<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Written
comments are to be posted on regulations.gov. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An upcoming Federal Register notice should
provide details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Libyan renewal should be controversial for several reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MOU was originally rushed through after
allowing only 5 days for public comment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the time, Libya was a failed State with two competing governments
propped up by foreign interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Subsequently, <i>without seeking input from CPAC, </i>the State
Department morphed “emergency import restrictions” into a MOU with the faction headquartered
in Tripoli.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, Libya remains a
failed state where the political stalemate often erupts into open combat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each side is well armed with the help of their
authoritarian foreign sponsors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Tripoli faction is propped up by Turkey with the help of Syrian mercenaries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast, the Benghazi faction is propped up
by Egypt and Russia with Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group providing extra
muscle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place is so dangerous that no
US Embassy has operated there since the ambassador was murdered by terrorists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anyone really believe that artifacts
repatriated under this MOU will be safe in such an environment?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These
concerns about the safety of these artifacts are exacerbated because the
designated list is so all encompassing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It covers archaeological material from 12,000 B.C. to 1750 A.D. and Ottoman
era ethnological material from 1551 A.D. through 1911 A.D.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This designated
list raises issues of concern to Jewish exile groups and coin collectors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jewish groups are concerned that the MOU with
Libya recognizes the rights of that government to the cultural heritage of the country’s
displaced Jewish minority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While specific
references to Jewish cultural heritage were removed from revised import
restrictions associated with the MOU, such material is still implicitly covered
because there is no specific exemption as was the case with Morocco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
restrictions on coins are grossly overbroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>See <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/07/09/2018-14637/import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-from-libya">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/07/09/2018-14637/import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-from-libya</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular, the restrictions empower
U.S. Customs to seize Greek silver and gold coins, Roman, Byzantine, and
Ottoman coins imported from legitimate markets in Europe on the assumption that
they are “Libyan” even though such coins circulated regionally and
internationally and not “exclusively” or even “primarily” in Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
contrast, the MOU with Belize, a Central American Democracy, is much less
controversial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The import restrictions
are also broad, applying to a wide variety of archeological material ranging in
date from approximately 9000 B.C. to at least 250 years old, including, but not
limited to, objects comprised of ceramic, stone, metal, shell, bone, glass, and
wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issue there will be whether
there will be any effort to expand current import restrictions to ethnographic
artifacts or coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Update (7/18/22): The Regulations.gov link from which to comment is now live. It may be found here: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2022-0015-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2022-0015-0001</a> For a direct link to the comment page, see <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/DOS-2022-0015-0001">https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/DOS-2022-0015-0001</a></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-19828351149505224762022-04-26T17:38:00.008-07:002022-04-27T04:06:31.793-07:00Summary of April 26, 2022, Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss Proposed MOU with Islamic Republic of Pakistan<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>On April 26, 2022, the US Cultural Property Advisory
Committee (CPAC) met to consider a proposed MOU with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The following members were present: <b>(1)</b> <b>Stefan
Passantino (Chairman- Public); (2) Steven Bledsoe (Public); (3) Karol Wight
(Museums); (4) J.D. Demming (Public); (5) Ricardo St. Hilaire (Archaeology);
(6) Joan Connelly (Archaeology); Rachael Fulton Brown (Archaeology); (7)
Anthony Wisniewski (Collector-Sale of International Cultural Property); (8) Mark
Hendricks (Sale of International Cultural Property); and (9) David Tamasi
(International Sale of Cultural Property).
Allison Davis, CPAC’s State Department Executive Director, and Michele
Prior, also of ECA, </b>were also present.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino</b> welcomed the speakers. He indicated that the
Committee had read all the comments which he found helpful and useful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
there were only four speakers, while a five-minute limit would be observed,
there would be time left over for questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The following speakers addressed the Committee: (1) <b>Dr. Brian
Daniels </b>(Archaeological Institute of America)<b>; </b><span style="background: white; color: black;">(2)<b> Randy Myers </b>(Ancient Coin
Collectors Guild (ACCG); (3) <b>Peter Tompa </b>(Peter Tompa Law representing
the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN)); and (4) <b>Kate
FitzGibbon </b>(Committee for Cultural Policy and Global Heritage Alliance)<b>.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr. Brian Daniels (BD) </span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">indicated there was plenty of evidence of
site looting, particularly of Gandharan material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was most recently demonstrated by the NY
DA’s recent repatriation of Gandharan sculpture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BD indicated that Pakistan met all the
criteria for a MOU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
antiquities laws on the books which are now enforced at a regional level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>U.S.-Pakistani archaeological collaborations
have taken place at Harappa in Punjab Province, Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pakistani scholars have expressed an interest
in supplying loans to US museums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The AIA’s written comments can
be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0036"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0036</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Randy Myers (RM) </b>focused
on two procedural objections and one substantive objection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He indicates that the notice period of fourteen
days is simply too short to elicit much informed comment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also indicates that the notice was
procedurally deficient because there was little justification provided for the
apparent inclusion of coins in this request.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He stated that as a retired U.S. Government attorney who worked on
administrative matters, he believed that the notice of this hearing provided to
the public to comment was deficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Substantively, RM focused on one issue related less drastic measures to
be considered before import restrictions may be imposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He indicated that Pakistan should consider a
program akin to the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure Act as an
alternative to import restrictions on coins. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The ACCG’s written comments can
be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0007"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0007</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Peter Tompa (PT) </b>focused
on three major points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, how can
Customs assume a given coin was “first discovered within” and “subject to”
Pakistani export control given the overlap in find spots in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, why restrict coins at all given the
existence of a large internal market in Pakistan itself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rationale for import restrictions is that
they will dampen market demand and hence decrease the incentive for looting,
but US import restrictions would only have a negligible impact on demand
because the primary market for Pakistani coins appears to be within Pakistan
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, even if coins are
restricted, CPAC should condition any import restrictions on coins on the
provision the availability of easily obtainable export certificates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The IAPN’s written comments can
be found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0010"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0010</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Kate FitzGibbon (KFG) </b>starts
her presentation discussing a screen shot </span><a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1284306652364144641" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">posted on Twitter</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> from 2020 showing construction workers smashing a large
Gandharan Buddhist statue with sledgehammers in the city of Mardan, Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She goes on to describe poor stewardship of Pakistan’s
cultural heritage that goes back at least to the 1970s. She notes that Pakistan
has pawned off caring for cultural heritage to localities and that a scant
$300,000 is spent annually on archaeology, which mostly goes to salaries of the
cultural heritage bureaucracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
suggests that lack of interest, lack of education and discomfort about teaching
pre-Islamic history in schools are major culprits. However, the main problem is
top to bottom corruption in Pakistani society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She urges that the State Department provide grants and educational help
to try to build a cultural infrastructure that will enable basic protections
inside Pakistan. She indicates this will be far more effective in safeguarding
heritage than an MOU that will have no domestic effect inside Pakistan, and no
legal justification under US law.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The CCPs and GHAs written
submission can be found here: </span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0037"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2022-0008-0037</span></a><span style="background: white;"> </span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino</b> then allowed CPAC members a brief time for questions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anthony
Wisniewski </b>asks KFG about open sales of cultural heritage in Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She noted that coins are widely sold at the
bazar in Peshawar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also indicates
that items like old copper pots are often repurposed, noting that a pot she
once owned while she lived in Pakistan showed up as a prop on a Pakistani TV
program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also indicated that
beautiful old wooden architectural carvings are shipped out of Pakistan by the
container load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The use of modern air
conditioning has prompted homeowners to strip wood decorations out of their
homes because it does not react well to an air-conditioned environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KFG does not believe a MOU will have any
positive impact on the preservation of cultural heritage because of the endemic
corruption in Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Rachael
Fulton Brown </b>asks KFG if she believes import restrictions limited to
specific period like the Hellenistic and Gandharan period could be
effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KFG did not believe so
because of the endemic corruption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
also notes in passing that the material seized by the NY DA left Pakistan at
least ten years ago and much of it appeared to be fake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Ricardo
St. Hilaire </b>asks BD if he agrees with KFG’s characterizations of an
internal market in Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
indicates that while such a market is tolerated, that does not mean that it
legal or that such material would be allowed to be exported. BD believes that a
MOU would function as a loadstar to encourage Pakistani officials to crack down
on corruption and the illicit trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Karol
Wight</b> asks BD to comment on museum loans in the absence of an AAMD (Association
of Art Museum Directors) representative speaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BD indicates there has been efforts to secure
loans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suggests that the visa problems
Pakistani couriers had transporting an exhibit to the Asia Society may have made
Pakistan gun shy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He believes that a MOU
could smooth over such issues.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Mark
Hendricks </b>asks BD whether he believes that the existence of a large
internal market in Pakistan will limit the impact of a MOU on looting. BD
believes that a MOU will help encourage Pakistani officials to crack down on
illegal activity and prohibit illicit exports. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anthony
Wisniewski </b>asks BD if items made in quantity can have cultural
significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BD answers they can
because studying groups of objects can tell us significant things about ancient
cultures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives the example of the forensic
examination of the metallurgy of a collection of bronze ingots.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Anthony
Wisniewski </b>asks PT whether a coin made outside of Pakistan could be claimed
as Pakistani under the CPIA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PT indicated
this would require Pakistan to demonstrate with scholarly evidence that the
coin type was only found in Pakistan or show that a particular coin actually
came from there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also indicated that
it would be difficult to show that such a coin had cultural significance to Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PT believes that BD has confused archaeological
interest with cultural significance, which requires an object to have
importance to a given culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He indicated
that it would be difficult for Pakistan to show that a coin made outside of
Pakistan had cultural significance to Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino </b>then thanked the speakers and CPAC went into a recess before
reconvening in a closed session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-9410984272091513992022-04-05T14:29:00.060-07:002022-04-06T13:14:45.115-07:00CPAC to Consider New MOU with Pakistan<p>The State Department has announced that the Cultural Property Advisory Committee will <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/04/05/2022-07122/cultural-property-advisory-committee-notice-of-meeting">meet</a> on April 26-27 to consider a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/04/05/2022-07123/notice-of-receipt-of-request-from-the-government-of-the-islamic-republic-of-pakistan-under-article-9">request</a> for the United States to enter into a cultural property MOU with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. According to the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/04/05/2022-07122/cultural-property-advisory-committee-notice-of-meeting">Federal Register Notice</a>, public comments and requests to speak are due no later than April 19, 2022 for the public session which will take place from 2:00-3:00 PM on April 26, 2022. </p><p>The Cultural Heritage Center's <a href="https://eca.state.gov/highlight/cultural-property-advisory-committee-meeting-april-26-27-2022">website</a> indicates the exceptional breadth of the Pakistani request. That request covers the lower Paleolithic period through the first half of the 20th century:</p><p><span face="Helvetica, Arial, "Nimbus Sans L", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #353535; font-size: 14px;">The Government of Pakistan seeks import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material from the Lower Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Historic Pre-Muslim Period, Early Muslim Period, Mughal, Sikh, and Colonial periods through the creation of Pakistan. Requested archaeological material includes, but is not limited to, stone; ceramics; metal objects including coins; stucco/plaster; glassware; bone, ivory, shell, and horn; manuscripts, paintings, proclamations, deeds, books, and documents; textiles of silk, wool, leather; and wood, dating from the lower Paleolithic (2 million years before present) through the first half of the twentieth century A.D. Requested ethnological material includes, but is not limited to stone; ceramics; metal objects including coins; stucco/plaster; glassware; bone, ivory, shell, and horn; manuscripts, paintings, proclamations, deeds, books, and documents; textiles of silk, wool, leather, and wood objects both architectural and moveable objects; and wooden objects dating from the Pre-Muslim Historic period through the first half of the twentieth century A.D.</span></p><p>The request should raise a number of important general questions. First, are all the listed archaeological objects not only of "archaeological interest" but of "cultural significance," and do they meet the governing statute's 250 year threshold? Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, 19 USC Section 2601 (C) (i) (I)(II). Second, are all the listed ethnological objects really the products of "tribal or nonindustrial society" "that are important to the cultural heritage of a people because of its distinctive characteristics, comparative rarity, or its contributions to the knowledge origins, development or history of that people?" 19 USC Section 2601 (C) (ii) (I)(II).</p><p>Third, has Pakistan taken "measures consistent with the [1970 UNESCO] Convention to protect its cultural patrimony" under 19 USC Section 2602 (a) (1) (B) when concerns have been raised about Pakistan's notoriously poor stewardship of its own cultural heritage, including not only <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/the-dolorous-case-of-pakistans-museums/">neglect</a> but <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/pakistan-museum-trashes-ancient-statues/">theft and outright disrespect for minority cultural heritage. </a></p><p>Finally, does the State Department intend to recognize the Islamic Republic's rights to ownership and/or control of the cultural heritage of today's small Hindu, Christian and Jewish communities? These groups have suffered from severe discrimination, and such recognition would raise the same concerns as has been expressed with other controversial MOUs with authoritarian Middle Eastern countries. There also is the issue of ancient Buddhist statuary which has not only suffered neglect and disrespect as noted above, but outright <a href="https://culturalpropertynews.org/smashing-buddhas-in-pakistan-rural-ignorance-and-museum-indifference/">destruction</a> from local iconoclasts. </p><p>Coins also raise a number of specific issues. First, there appears to be a substantial overlap in the types of Indo-Greek, Kushan, Indo-Sassanian, Turkish and later Islamic coins found in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Under the circumstances, how can the State Department conclude that particular coins were "first discovered within and [are] subject to export control by" Pakistan? 19 USC Section 2601 (2) (C).</p><p>Second, coins of all periods are legally bought and sold in Pakistan. So, why should our State Department restrict Americans from buying the same type of "Pakistani" coins abroad?</p><p>Finally, metal detectors are in wide use in Pakistan. That raises the question if they first should be regulated as both a "self-help" measure and "less drastic" remedy before import restrictions are placed on American coin collectors. See 19 USC Section 2602 (a) (1) (A) (B). </p><p>How to comment? According to the State Department, </p><p><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">For general comments, use </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">http://www.regulations.gov,</i><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"> enter the docket [DOS-2022-0008], and follow the prompts.</span></p><p>Unfortunately, the links provided to comment do not appear yet to be active. CPO hopes to update this post as soon as comments are accepted.</p><p>UPDATE (4/6/22): The blue "comment now" button is now active on the regulations.gov website. It may be accessed <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2022-0008-0001">here.</a></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-14645076050079828132022-03-18T15:28:00.020-07:002022-03-18T16:51:28.848-07:00Import Restrictions on "Albanian" Coins Announced <p><span style="font-size: medium;">U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced new import restrictions on "Albanian coins" as part of another overbroad laundry list of import restrictions on anything and everything that may be found in Albania from 300,000 B.C. to 1913.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Effective date:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>March 17, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Source: 87 FR 15079-15084 (March 17, 2022), available at <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/17/2022-05685/imposition-of-%09import-restrictions-on-categories-of-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-of"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/17/2022-05685/imposition-of-<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>import-restrictions-on-categories-of-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-of</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">The Designated list of
coins subject to import restrictions is as follows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">8. Coins—This category
includes coins of Illyrian, Greek, Macedonian, Roman provincial, Byzantine,
Medieval, and Ottoman types that circulated primarily in Albania, ranging in
date </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">from approximately the
6th century B.C. to A.D. 1750. Coins were made in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">copper, bronze, silver,
and gold. Examples are generally round, have </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">writing, and show
imagery of animals, buildings, symbols, or royal or imperial </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">figures.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Comment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The designated list of coins is particularly
broad and includes coins that circulated regionally as well as
internationally. It goes far beyond coins that "primarily
circulated" within Albania. Despite the assumption contained in the
regulation, no Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman types “circulated primarily”
within Albania or were even made there. As for Illyrian coins, hoard
evidence indicates that popular cow/calf coins from the Roman Republican period
“circulated primarily” in Romania, not Albania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only bright spot is that neither Roman Republican nor Roman Imperial
coins seem to be restricted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
case can be made that the “circulated primarily” standard is statutorily
deficient because it is contrary to the CPIA requirement that restricted items
must be first discovered within and subject to export control of a particular
country. There also is a fair notice issue because how is a typical
collector or dealer to know whether or not a particular issue “circulated primarily” in Albania or not?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It is frustrating that the State Department invites public comment, and then promptly ignores it. Both <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0003-0014">ACCG</a> and <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0003-0015">IAPN</a> prepared detailed papers about coin circulation in Albania, but either no one at the State Department bothered to read them or no one cared what facts were presented.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another abuse of power designed to ensure the broadest possible import restrictions apply. </span></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-63652986614675330862022-02-19T08:30:00.042-08:002022-02-21T05:28:43.754-08:00 "Emergency" Import Restrictions Imposed on Afghan Cultural Goods to 1920's.<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and US Customs and Border Protection have imposed extremely broad "emergency import restrictions" on cultural goods "sourced" to Afghanistan. The restrictions that were put in place address <a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2021/10/summary-of-october-5-2021-cultural.html">few of the concerns</a> raised by representatives of museums, collectors and the small and micro businesses of the numismatic and ethnographic art trades at a rushed Cultural Property Advisory Committee meeting that took place on Oct. 5, 2021. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>"The Designated List includes </span><span>archaeological and ethnological material </span><span>sourced from Afghanistan. </span><span>Archaeological material ranges in date </span><span>from the Paleolithic (50,000 B.C.) </span><span>through the beginning of the Durrani </span><span>Dynasty (A.D. 1747). Ethnological </span><span>material includes architectural objects </span><span>and wooden objects associated with </span><span>Afghanistan’s diverse history, from the </span><span>9th century A.D. through A.D. 1920."</span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>A link to the Federal Register Notice announcing the restrictions can be found </span><a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/22/2022-03663/emergency-import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-of-afghanistan">here.</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>The real question is how these restrictions are going to be enforced and if any material that may be seized will be repatriated to the Taliban once diplomatic relations are restored. CPO also wonders if these "emergency import restrictions" will morph into <a href="https://www.state.gov/18-223/">a memorandum of understanding</a> with Afghanistan's Taliban government as was recently done with Libya. <o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><b>There also is a significant issue whether these import restrictions were promulgated legally. As recounted in the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/22/2022-03663/emergency-import-restrictions-imposed-on-archaeological-and-ethnological-material-of-afghanistan">Federal Register Notice</a>, a request from the former government of Afghanistan was only acted upon after that government fell. Although Afghanistan's former government evidently requested a MOU, "emergency import restrictions" which do not require a signed agreement were imposed instead. Such "emergency import restrictions" also require a "request" from a "State Party." See 19 USC </b></span><b><span class="normaltextrun" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">§ </span></b><b>2603 (c) (1). Thus, the same question arises, can the State Department act based on a "request" of a government that no longer exists?</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><b>There also is a significant practical issue for collectors, museums, the trade as well as the representatives of displaced religious and ethnic minorities. "Emergency restrictions" were contemplated to be imposed on a much narrower range of cultural goods than "regular restrictions." <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The baseline requirements of “cultural
significance” and “first discovery” still apply, but emergency restrictions
otherwise focus on material of particular importance.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In essence, the material must be a “newly
discovered type” or from a site of “high cultural significance” that is in
danger of “crisis proportions.” 19 USC </span></b></span></span><b><span class="normaltextrun" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">§ </span></b><span><b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">2603 (a). Alternatively, the object must be part of the
remains of a civilization, the record of which is in jeopardy of “crisis
proportions,” and restrictions will reduce the danger of pillage. <i>Id</i>. </span></b></span><span><b>Here, in contrast, the "emergency import restrictions" that were imposed are hardly narrow. Rather, they are instead exceptionally broad, including items produced as late as the 1920's. </b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="eop" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-indent: -0.25in;">The one bright spot is that the designated list does not include "textiles" under the ethnographic category. If it did, such import restrictions would potentially devastate the livelihoods of Afghan women who make a living weaving textiles for export.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Aside from that, the exceptionally broad designated list is concerning because i</span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><span class="normaltextrun" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">mport restrictions
are not applied prospectively solely to illegal exports made after the
effective date of regulations under 19 U.S.C. § 2606, but rather are
enforced far more broadly against any import into the U.S. made after
the effective date of regulations, i.e., an embargo, not targeted, prospective
import restrictions. </span><span class="eop" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> It remains to be seen whether the Federal Register's limitation to cultural goods "sourced" to Afghanistan has any effect whatsoever on enforcement. </span></b></span></p><p class="paragraph" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="eop"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Those of the Buddhist faith should be particularly concerned about restrictions encompassing Buddhist material of the sort the Taliban has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200203-the-afghan-artefacts-that-survived-taliban-destruction">destroyed</a> in the past. </b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>The inclusion of musical instruments under ethnological material is particularly chilling given the Taliban's strictures against music and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/asia/fawad-andarabi-afghan-folk-singer-killed-intl/index.html">murder</a> of a prominent folk musician. </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>The designated list of coins is particularly broad and includes coins that circulated regionally as well as internationally. It goes far beyond coins that "primarily circulated" within Afghanistan, the State Department's prior standard and encompasses coin types (like Roman Imperial coins) purposely left of prior lists. Hopefully, such broad restrictions made on an "emergency basis" will not be cited as "precedent" in the future, particularly given the Federal Register's requirement that they be "sourced" to Afghanistan. </b></span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Coins— Ancient coins include gold, silver,
copper, and bronze coins; may be hand stamped with units ranging from
tetradrachms to dinars; includes gold bun ingots and silver ingots, which may
be plain and/or inscribed. Some of the most well-known types are described
below:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">a. The earliest coins in Afghanistan are Greek
silver coins, including tetradrachms and drachmae. Approximate date: 530-333
B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">b. During the reign of Darius I, gold staters
and silver sigloi were produced in Bactria and Gandhara. Approximate date:
586-550 B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">c.
Achaemenid coins include round punch-marked coins with one or two punched holes
and bent bar coins ( <i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">shatamana</span></i> ).
Approximate date: 5th century B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">d.
Gandhara coins include <i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">janapadas,</span></i> bent
bar coins based on the silver sigloi weight. Approximate date: 4th century B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">e.
Mauryan coins include silver <i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">karshapanas</span></i> with
five punches, six arm designs, and/or sun symbols. Weights ranged from 5.5 to
7.2 gm. Approximate date: 322-185 B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">f. Gold staters and silver tetradrachms were
produced locally after Alexander the Great conquered the region. Approximate
date: 327-323 B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">g. Greco-Bactrian coins include gold staters,
silver tetradrachms, silver and bronze drachms, and a small number of
punch-marked coins. The bust of the king with his name written in Greek and
Prakit were on the obverse, and Greek deities and images of Buddha were on the
reverse. Approximate date: 250-125 B.C.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">h.
Common Roman Imperial coins found in archaeological contexts in Afghanistan
were struck in silver and </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #7f7f7f; padding: 0in;">Start Printed Page 9443</span><span style="color: #333333;"> bronze.
Approximate date: 1st century B.C.-4th century A.D.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">i.
Kushan Dynasty coins include silver tetradrachms, copper coin (Augustus type),
bronze diadrachms and gold dinars. Imagery includes portrait busts of each king
with his emblem ( <i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">tamgha)</span></i> on both sides.
Classical Greek and Zoroastrian deities and images of the Buddha are depicted
on the reverse. Approximate date: A.D. 19-230.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">j.
Sassanian coins include silver drachms, silver half drachms, obols ( <i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">dang),</span></i> copper drahms and gold dinars, and gold
coins of Shapur II (A.D. 309-379). Starting with Peroz I, mint indication was
included on the coins. Sassanian coins may include imagery of Zoroastrian Fire
Temples. Approximate date: A.D. 224-651.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">k. Hephthalite coins include silver drachms,
silver dinars, and small copper and bronze coins. The designs were the same as
Sassanian, but they did not put the rulers' names on the coins. Hephthalite
coins may include imagery of Zoroastrian Fire Temples. Approximate date:
5th-8th centuries A.D.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">l. Turk Shahis coins include silver and copper
drachma with portraits of the rulers wearing a distinctive triple crescent
crown. The emblems of these Buddhist Turks were also included on the coin.
Inscriptions were in Bactrian. Approximate date: A.D. 665-850.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">m. Shahiya or Shahis of Kabul coins include
silver, bronze, and copper drachma with inscriptions of military and chief
commanders. Hindu imagery is included on the coin design. The two main types of
images are the bull and horseman and the elephant and lion. Approximate date:
A.D. 565-879.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">n. Chinese coins belonging primarily to the Tang
Dynasty are found in archaeological contexts in Afghanistan. Approximate date:
A.D. 618-907.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">o. Ghaznavid coins include gold dinars with
bilingual inscriptions, Islamic titles in Arabic and Sharda and images of
Shiva, Nandi, and Samta Deva. Approximate date: A.D. 977-1186.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">p. Ghurid coins include silver and gold tangas
with inscriptions and abstract goddess iconography. Approximate date: A.D.
879-1215.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">q. Timurid coins include silver and copper
tangas and copper dinars, both coin types are decorated with Arabic
inscriptions. Approximate date: A.D. 1370 -1507.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(241, 241, 241); line-height: 20.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">r. Mughal coins include shahrukhi, gold mithqal,
gold mohur, silver rupee, copper dams, and copper falus. The iconography
varies, depending on the ruler, but popular designs include images of the Hindu
deities Sita and Ram, portrait busts of the rulers, and the twelve zodiac
signs. Approximate date: A.D. 1526-1857.</span></span></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-77981228194530496762022-01-27T10:23:00.008-08:002022-01-29T12:22:30.891-08:00Summary of January 25, 2022, Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss Proposed Renewals and Amendments of MOUs with Cyprus and Mali and a Proposed Renewal of a MOU with Guatemala <p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>On January 25, 2022, the US Cultural Property Advisory
Committee (CPAC) met to consider proposed renewals and amendments of MOUs with Cyprus
and Mali and a proposed renewal of a MOU with Guatemala. CPAC carried over a discussion of the Cypriot
renewal from its October 5, 2021, meeting. The following members were present: <b>(1)</b> <b>Stefan
Passantino (Chairman- Public); (2) Steven Bledsoe (Public); (3) Karol Wight
(Museums); (4) J.D. Demming (Public); (5) Ricardo St. Hilaire (Archaeology);
(6) Joan Connelly (Archaeology); Rachael Fulton Brown (Archaeology?); (7)
Anthony Wisniewski (Collector-Sale of International Cultural Property); (8) Mark
Hendricks (Sale of International Cultural Property); and (9) David Tamasi
(International Sale of Cultural Property).
Allison Davis, CPAC’s State Department Executive Director, and Michele
Prior, also of ECA, </b>were also present.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino</b> welcomed the speakers. He apologized for starting
late due to some technical difficulties. He indicated that the Committee
had read all the comments, and speakers could only be allotted 4 minutes time
given the busy schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speakers
would be divided up according to subject matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Chair also reserved a short amount of
time for questions. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The following speakers addressed the Committee on Mali: (1) <b>Kathleen
Bickford Berzock (</b><span style="background: white; color: black;">Mary and Leigh
Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University); (2) <b>Kate FitzGibbon </b>(Committee
for Cultural Policy and Global Heritage Alliance); (3) <b>Susan McIntosh </b>(Rice
University).<b> Barbara Arroyo </b>(Society for American Archaeology) addressed
the Committee about Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following speakers spoke specifically about
import restrictions on coins: (1) <b>Peter Tompa </b>(Peter Tompa Law
representing the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN));
(2) <b>Robert Leonard </b>(private collector); and (3) <b>Randy Myers </b>(Ancient
Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG)).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
following speakers focused their comments on Cyprus: (1) <b>Andrew McCarthy </b>(College
of Southern Nevada); (2) <b>Josh Knerly </b>(Hahn Loeser representing
Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD); (3) <b>Helena Aroz (HA) </b>(Antiquities
Coalition); (4) <b>Lindy Crewe</b>(Cyprus American Archaeological Research
Institute (CAARI); and (5) <b>Dr.</b> </span><b>Despina Pilides </b>(former
Curator of Antiquities, Cypriot Department of Antiquities).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following speakers covered all the MOUs
at issue: (1) <b>Dr. Brian Daniels </b>(Archaeological Institute of America); and
(2) <b>Dr. Marlene Losier (ML) </b>(Losier Gonz law firm).<span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Kathleen Bickford Berzock (KBB)</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> indicates that the Caravans of Gold exhibit demonstrates
that Mali has engaged in cultural exchange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>KBB believes that Mali has done all it could to preserve its cultural
patrimony despite political instability and the pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Kate FitzGibbon (KFG) </b>does
not believe Mali has met any of the four determinations before import restrictions
may be renewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are minimal
exports coming from Mali with only $691 of cultural goods being exported in
2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a concern with insufficient
notice of any amendment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Federal
Register indicates that the request only goes up to the mid-18th c. while the
Cultural Heritage Center’s website suggests that restrictions up to the 1920’s
will be considered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the Malian
material on the market was exported during the French Colonial period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mali has failed to fund its cultural heritage
sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOUs should not be renewed over
and over again if they are not making a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the effort to protect Malian cultural
heritage seems to have been funded from abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The US Government made a significant grant back in 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to insist on better benchmarks before
the MOU is renewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real problem in
Mali is political turmoil, most recently with a military coup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There should also be safe haven given to
Malian artifacts in the event of further armed conflict that could destroy cultural
heritage. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Committee for Cultural
Policy’s and Global Heritage Alliance’s papers can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Mali:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0027"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0027</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Cyprus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0077"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0077</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Guatemala:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0021"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0021</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Susan McIntosh (SM)</b> did
not have time to submit written comments. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MOU with Mali is necessary to reduce
looting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Malian government has done
what it can to protect its own cultural heritage by creating nine cultural
missions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These formerly had been funded
by taxes on tourists who are now scarce due to Covid and political
instability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the lack of taxes,
the Malian government has still funded this effort to the best of its ability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looting remains a problem at least with lower
value material. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Barbara
Arroyo (BA)</b> supports renewal of the MOU with Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MOU is important to stem criminal activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the problems occur where the
government does not have adequate resources to protect cultural heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an ongoing effort to work with the
Catholic Church to document religious artifacts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is still a looting problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recently, the US recovered 257 Guatemalan
archaeological items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>US archaeologists
have not only funded digs, but the training of Guatemalan archaeologists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Society for American
Archaeology’s papers can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0028"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0028</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Peter Tompa (PT) </b>noted that there were no import restrictions on coins for 25 years after the CPIA was
passed into law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not surprising
as coins are items of commerce, and while they may be of “archaeological
interest,” they are not generally of “cultural significance.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2007, this changed under questionable
circumstances that raise fairness questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coin collectors are realists and recognize such import restrictions are
here to stay, but a reset is warranted in how they are implemented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, to be consistent with the Cultural
Property Implementation Act (“CPIA”), restrictions should only be placed on
coins that are exclusively or actually found in Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The State Department’s current standard,
based on where a coin “primarily circulated” simply ignores the statutory
requirements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, even if this
standard is utilized, all Cypriot mint gold coins and Cypriot mint coins of
Alexander the Great and his immediate successors struck on an Attic weight
standard should be delisted based on hoard evidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, the State Department should only
utilize neutral experts to prepare designated lists and meet and confer with
the trade and collectors about such lists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Under no circumstances should collectors have to guess what coins are
restricted and which are not restricted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, there should be no restrictions on Spanish Colonial and
Republican era coins from Guatemalan mints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These coins either do not meet the 250-year-old threshold for
archaeological objects or are not normally discovered on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are not ethnological objects because
they are not the products of tribal cultures but what were for the time sophisticated
industrial processes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, one
cannot assume they are found in Guatemala because they travelled widely in
international commerce and even served as legal tender in the United States
until 1857.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>PT’s oral comments can be found
here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2022/01/comments-from-todays-cpac-hearing-its.html"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2022/01/comments-from-todays-cpac-hearing-its.html</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>IAPN’s written comments can be
found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Cyprus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0038"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0038</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Cyprus
Supplemental:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0015"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0015</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Guatemala:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0009"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0009</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Robert Leonard (RL) </b>states
that import restrictions should not be extended to Crusader era coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Examination of the actual object is essential
for proper scholarship, and import blockages will harm the study of medieval
Cypriot numismatics in the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Such coins were well known to Italian merchants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hoard evidence presented proves that they
circulated outside of Cyprus in quantity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Legitimate Cypriot dealers only sell Cypriot coins imported from
abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Import restrictions only hurt
American collectors buying such coins from third countries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes absolutely no sense to restrict
Guatemalan coins because that would be restricting what were legal tender in
the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>RL’s written testimony can be
found here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0002"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0002</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Randy Myers (RM)</b> wants to
focus his comments on behalf of the ACCG on one procedural and one substantive
issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Procedurally, the Federal
Register notice fails to indicate specifically
that there will be an effort to amend the Cypriot MOU to include more
coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This does not provide sufficient
notice to allow collectors to comment. Substantively, there is no indication
that less drastic measures have been considered before import restrictions have
been imposed on coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One such less
drastic measure would be for Cyprus to adopt a program akin to the Treasure Act
and Portable Antiquities Scheme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
program requires coins that are found to be reported so they can be recorded
and gives the State a right of first refusal over coins for a payment of fair
market value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CPAC should also recommend
that the State Department honor export permits from fellow EU members for
imports of Cypriot coins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The ACCG’s written testimony can
be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0025"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0025</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Andrew McCarthy (AM)</b> states
that MOUs are a crucial tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coins
should be included because how is he supposed to know if a coin on the market
was stolen from his archaeological site unless the burden of proof is placed on
collectors to provide a provenance for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>McCarthy hopes the MOU will be expanded to include both very early
material as well as a rolling date for material over 100 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early settlements have been looted for
paleolithic tools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Archaeological
remains of a famous bandit dating from the early 20<sup>th</sup> century should
also be protected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Josh Knerly (JK)</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> focuses on the fourth determination that
asks if the application of import restrictions is consistent with the general
interest of the international community in the interchange of cultural property
among nations for scientific, cultural and educational purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He notes that this provision contemplates
collaboration far broader than that related to the exchange of archaeological
and ethnological material because “cultural property” is far more broadly
defined in the CPIA and UNESCO Convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also notes that the boilerplate Article II placed in the current
Cypriot MOU fails to set forth specific criteria to facilitate such cultural
exchange. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same issues arise with
regard to the MOUs with Guatemala and Mali.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a separate “action plan” for Mali which addresses these issues
to some extent, but JK questions whether the State Department will allow CPAC
to make recommendations to modify it in an effort to stimulate cultural
exchange. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The AAMD’s written testimony on
Cyprus can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0105"><span style="background: white; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0105</span></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b><span style="background: white; color: black;">Helena Aroz (HA) </span></b><span style="background: white; color: black;">viewed the 2016 CPAC proceedings on
Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOUs are important in combatting
looting and benefit collectors and dealers by keeping looted material off the
market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They complement widely held
ethical guidelines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HA also had the
opportunity to excavate in Cyprus where she saw firsthand that looting leads to
the loss of important information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
also had excellent interchanges with the Cypriot people and remembers fondly
being invited to attend local weddings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOUs
are also important in fostering cultural exchange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Antiquity Coalition’s paper
on Cyprus can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0080"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0080</span></a><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b><span style="background: white; color: black;">Lindy Crewe (LC)</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black;"> speaks about CAARI’s efforts as the only on-site
American archaeological organization in Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>CAARI hosts both US scholars and US tourists. It has hosted Fulbright
scholars and interacts with the 17 US archaeological digs on Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been major advances in the study
of Byzantine and Colonial era archaeology which also deserves protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looting has also impacted the ability to
study DNA when cemeteries are disturbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr.</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Despina
Pilides (DP) </span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">strongly supports the MOU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She previously was the curator for the
Department of Antiquities in charge of museums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She also worked on archaeological digs and has been a Chair of ICOM, the
International Council of Museums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
study indicates that one-half of the Byzantine material that was left in the
Turkish occupied zone remains missing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
needs to be strong protections for Byzantine and Ottoman era artifacts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has been an effort to digitize
Byzantine era artifacts from the Turkish zone that are in the museum at Nicosia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coins are important for Cypriot history and
should be protected to help protect the context in which they are found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>DP’s
written testimony can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0014">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0014</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Dr.
Brian Daniels (BD) </b>mentions that the AIA has over 200,000 members [the vast
majority of this number are individuals who subscribe to Archaeology Magazine].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The AIA supports renewals of MOUS with Mali, Cyprus
and Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Import restrictions are
an important tool in discouraging looting of archaeological sites. The MOU with
Cyprus should be made consistent with that of Greece and Turkey regarding what
coins should be covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been
long term loans of objects provided by Cyprus, Guatemala and Mali.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mali in particular has done what it can
despite political turmoil. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
AIA’s papers can be found here:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0025">https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0037-0025</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr.
Marlene Losier (ML) </span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">supports renewals and
expansion of import restrictions to new categories as part of a “progressive view”
of the development of the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By entering
into such MOUs we encourage other countries to protect our own heritage both
abroad and even in space like the Apollo 11 landing site. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino</b> then allowed CPAC members a brief time for questions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anthony
Wisniewski </b>observed that most of the oral and written testimony reflected
the opinions of the speakers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
noted that CPAC cannot apply a “progressive view of the law” because it is
obliged to apply Congressional statutes as written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He notes that coin collectors have produced
information from third party academic sources that by their nature have a much
higher degree of reliability than the arguments of the participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asks PT if he agrees with the statement
that those sources show that over 95% of the Cypriot mint coins of Alexander
the Great are found outside of Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PT
agrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then indicates this carries a
burden on this point which has not been contested by proponents of the
restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Joan
Connelly </b>asks DP about the digitization of collections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DP says some 96,000 objects have been
digitized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has been a special
effort to digitize items in the Nicosia Museum that come from the occupied
North of Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She then reiterates the
importance of coins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Karol
Wight</b> asks JK about Cyprus’ lack of an immunity from seizure law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>JK indicates such a law patterned on those of
other EU countries would help facilitate loans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>Chairman
Passantino </b>then thanked the speakers and CPAC went into a recess for lunch
before reconvening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some
additional testimony on the Cypriot renewal can be found in this summary of
CPAC’s October 5, 2021, meeting:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2021/10/summary-of-october-5-2021-cultural.html"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2021/10/summary-of-october-5-2021-cultural.html</span></a><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-24932102017216674282022-01-25T12:55:00.007-08:002022-01-25T12:57:47.093-08:00Comments from Today's CPAC Hearing: It’s Time for a Reset for Import Restrictions on Coins<p> I said this more or less at today's CPAC hearing to discuss proposed renewals of MOUs with Cyprus and Guatemala: </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>I am speaking on behalf of IAPN which represents the micro
and small businesses of the numismatic trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In many ways, this hearing is a much greater test for CPAC than for
ancient coin collectors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve heard a
lot in the past several years about how the system is rigged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, unfortunately, there is convincing
evidence that may be the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For 25 years
after the CPIA was passed, there were no restrictions on coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should be no surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coins are items of commerce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, it is difficult for modern nation states
to justifiably claim them as their “cultural property.” They are among the
most common of historical artifacts and while they may be of “archaeological
interest”, they are generally not of “cultural significance.” They are
avidly collected and traded worldwide including in Cyprus. It simply
makes no sense to preclude Americans from importing such coins. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, when the CPIA was being discussed,
Mark Feldman, a high-ranking State Department lawyer, represented to Congress
that it was “hard … to imagine a case where we would need to deal with coins
except in the most unusual circumstances.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In 2007, all
this changed with Cypriot coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to the declarations of two former CPAC Members, including
Former Chair Kislak, that change was made against CPAC’s recommendations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, there was an attempt to mislead the
public and the Congress about CPAC’s opposition to import restrictions on coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even worse, the decision maker made the
decision after she had already announced she was leaving for a job at Goldman
Sachs, where she was recruited by and worked for the husband of a former AIA
trustee and the founder of the Antiquities Coalition, which has been highly
active lobbying for import restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can such a decision be a fair one?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are
realists and understand at this point that import restrictions on coins are probably
here to stay, but CPAC can still advocate for a reset on how they are implemented.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, CPAC should insist that the State
Department only apply restrictions to coins that are “exclusively found” within
Cyprus or to those where there is proof that they were illicitly excavated
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only such coins </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; layout-grid-mode: line; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">can be “first discovered within, and … subject to export control by”
Cyprus as required by the CPIA at 19 U.S.C. § 2601(2).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast,
the State Department’s current standard based on where a coin “primarily
circulated” simply ignores these requirements.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; layout-grid-mode: line; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Second, even under a “primarily circulated” standard,
certain coin types on the current designated list should be removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, numismatic research proves that all Cypriot
mint gold and all Attic standard Hellenistic silver coins of Alexander the
Great, Philip and Demetrius did not “primarily circulate” within Cyprus and
should be delisted. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; layout-grid-mode: line; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Third, CPAC should ensure that the State Department only
uses neutral experts to help prepare designated lists; not ones who have
advocated for import restrictions in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At a minimum, State should be directed to meet and confer with
collectors and the trade on the contents of these lists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under no circumstances should collectors and
US Customs be forced to guess what coin types are restricted and which are not,
as is the case with the recent Turkish and amended Greek lists. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; layout-grid-mode: line; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally, no new restrictions should be contemplated for
Guatemalan coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spanish Colonial and
Republican era coins are not archaeological in nature; they either do not meet
the 250-year threshold and/or are not “normally discovered” within the
ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor do such coins meet the
definition of ethnological objects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are not the products of tribal cultures but were produced en masse with
sophisticated industrial processes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, due to their wide circulation in international commerce, one
cannot assume such coins were “first discovered within” and hence were “subject
to export control by” Guatemalan authorities.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Indeed, early coins that circulated within Guatemala were also
legal tender in the United States until 1857.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; layout-grid-mode: line; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With these recommended actions, CPAC can demonstrate that
it operates with fairness and adheres to the CPIA’s statutory
requirements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; layout-grid-mode: line; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Thank you.</span></p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279887958085077691.post-17186665053963460682022-01-07T14:27:00.009-08:002022-01-10T04:01:04.141-08:00State Department reopens record for renewal and possible amendment of the current MOU with Cyprus; Renewals of MOUs with Guatemala and Mali also to be discussed. <p>The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and its Cultural Heritage Center have provided public notice of a Cultural Property Advisory Committee meeting on January 25 and 26 to discuss a renewal of a MOU with Guatemala, and renewals and possible amendments of current MOUs with Cyprus and Mali. The public notice can be found <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOS-2021-0037-0001">here.</a> A direct link to comment can be found <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/DOS-2021-0037-0001">here.</a> It is important that any comments be received before the January 18, 2021 11:59 PM deadline. That is also the deadline to inform the Cultural Heritage Center if you want to speak at the hearing. </p><p>The renewal and possible amendment of the MOU with Cyprus was to be discussed last October, but consideration of the request was bumped to CPAC's January meeting given a last minute addition of proposed "emergency import restrictions" on behalf of Afghanistan being placed on the docket. CPO has covered the CPAC public meeting that discussed that absurd request that will only benefit the Taliban regime <a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2021/10/summary-of-october-5-2021-cultural.html">here.</a> At this juncture, we have not heard one way or the other whether the State Department will actually go through with authorizing such import restrictions that would claw back Afghan heritage imported from legitimate markets in Europe just so it can be handed over to the iconoclasts who blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas and smashed many of the statues in the Kabul Museum. </p><p>In any case, that report also includes links to papers submitted by the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0025">ACCG,</a> <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0038">IAPN</a>, and Alan <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0037">Berman</a> about the proposal to extend and amend the Cypriot MOU. Collectors of Byzantine, Crusader and Turkish coins should beware; it is likely that this renewal will be used as a vehicle to amend current restrictions on Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman Provincial coins minted in Cyprus to include such later issues. </p><p>Please consider commenting if you failed to do so back in September because silence will be spun as acquiescence. A guide on the request and what to say can be found <a href="http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2021/09/please-comment-on-proposed-renewals-of.html">here.</a> Those of you who also collect Latin American coinage should also consider commenting on the Guatemalan request. The issues there are similar to those raised with regard to MOUs with other Latin American countries. As described in IAPN's <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/comment/DOS-2021-0032-0021">paper</a> about last year's Peruvian request, Spanish Colonial and Republican era coinage of Latin American countries simply fail to meet the threshold criteria for archaeological or ethnological objects. Spanish Colonial and Republican era coins cannot be considered archaeological objects because they are not normally discovered in the ground. Nor can they be properly viewed as ethnological objects. They are the products of what at the time were sophisticated industrial practices, not crafts of tribal societies. Moreover, such coins circulated widely, including within the United States, where they were legal tender until 1857. </p><p>On Mali, there are no numismatic issues as far as CPO can tell. Evidently, the people of Mali preferred to use salt as currency rather than coins. The first Malian coins were not local, but French Colonial issues from the late 19th c, making Mali one of the few countries coin collectors at least have little to worry about. Or, maybe we all should be worried if the State Department embargoes Malian salt as cultural heritage and US Customs bans all salt imports because even trained customs inspectors cannot tell Malian from other types of salt. Don't laugh! Recently, <a href="https://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-us-state-department-imposes-import.html">"rope"</a> became targets of such embargoes, although to be fair any rope shortage appears to be the result of pandemic related supply chain issues and not cultural property embargoes. </p>Cultural Property Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05924359202414555962noreply@blogger.com0