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

Monday, April 10, 2023

New CPAC members

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The White House has named the following new CPAC members, replacing the remaining Trump appointees. CPO would like to thank them all for t...

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

State Department Announces Proposed Renewals of MOUs with Bulgaria and China

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The State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center has provided advance notice of an upcoming CPAC meeting on April 26-27, 2023, to consider r...

Monday, January 30, 2023

CPAC Has an Important Role

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Here is what I said at today's CPAC hearing. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, I had to provide my comments via phone, and...

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

CPAC 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.

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The State Department has provided advance notice of a Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) meeting that will take place from Jan. 30-...

Saturday, August 20, 2022

Biden Administration Announces New CPAC Members.

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The Biden Administration has made the following announcement: Cultural Property Advisory Committee The Cultural Property Advisory Committe...

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Summary of July 26, 2022, Cultural Property Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss Proposed MOU Renewals with Belize and Libya

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On July 26, 2022, the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) met to consider proposed renewals of MOUs with Belize and L...

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

CPAC SHOULD FOCUS ON FACTS NOT FALSE NARRATIVES

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Here is what I said at yesterday's CPAC meeting to discuss proposed renewals with Belize and Libya. My comments related solely to Libya...

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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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