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

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Report from Isreal: Antiquities Still There for the Buying

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Some archaeological commentators imply that antiquities trading in the Middle East is forbidden, but while this may be true in places like...

Monday, March 30, 2015

ISIS Destruction Prompts Debate on Repatriation

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The New York Times reports how ISIS' jihad against Iraq's and Syria's cultural heritage has prompted questions about the wisdom...

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Assad Loyalist Support for HR 1493 Should Raise Serious Questions

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Franklin Lamb, an unapologetic supporter of Hezbollah and the odious Assad regime, has written an op-ed supporting HR 1493, a bill that p...

Art Newspaper Calls for Selective Deaccession of Italian Museum Stores

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Using materials recently repatriated from an old investigation by Switzerland as a jumping off point, Anna Somers Cocks, writing for the Art...

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Italian-American Expresses Concern About MOUs Impact on the Study and Appreciation of Italian Culture

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Karen Antonelli, a dual citizen of the US and Italy, expressed these heartfelt concerns about the impact of the MOU on Italian Americans: ...

Organizations Overwhelmingly Against Renewal of Italian MOU or Import Restrictions on Coins

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CPO previously reported that 94% of the public comments on the regulations.gov website either oppose the MOU's extension or import rest...

They've Got it Backwards

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Arturo Russo, a principal of Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG, a numismatic firm and auctioneer with offices in Milan, Zurich and London, kno...

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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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