Cultural Property Observer

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

Thursday, June 6, 2024

U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting About Proposed Cultural Property MOU Renewals with Ecuador and Jordan and a New MOU with Ukraine

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On June 4, 2024, the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (“CPAC”) met in a virtual public session to hear public comments regarding pro...

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

CPAC Meeting to Discuss Renewals of MOUs with Ecuador and Jordan and new request from Ukraine: 4 Points for 4 Minutes

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Here is what I said at today's CPAC meeting: Thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of IAPN and the micro businesses of the ...

Friday, April 19, 2024

Bogdanos Becomes Prop for Chinese Propaganda

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Attention-seeking "world culture cop" Matthew Bogdanos has allowed himself and Alvin Bragg's Manhattan DA's office to bec...

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

US Customs and State Department issue more grossly overbroad restrictions on behalf of another unfriendly authoritarian government, this time Pakistan

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The US State Department and its Cultural Heritage Center have again deputized U.S. Customs and Homeland Security to enforce the export con...

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

State Department Offers Advance Notice of CPAC Hearing to Address New MOU with Ukraine and Renewals of Current MOUs with Ecuador and Jordan-- UPDATED 4/26/24, 5/6/24

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The State Department Cultural Heritage Center has provided advance notice of a proposed MOU with Ukraine and renewals of current MOUs with...

Monday, February 12, 2024

State Department Inks New and Renewed MOUs with Authoritarian Governments After Giving and Getting A Little Help From Its Friends

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In the last several months, the State Department has inked a significant number of cultural property MOUs with authoritarian governments. ...

Monday, February 5, 2024

Public Meeting of the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee to Consider Renewal with Algeria and Proposed MOU with India

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On January 30, 2024, the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) met in a virtual public session to hear testimony regarding a propo...

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About Me

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

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