08.11.2009
A group of numismatists (scholars in numismatics and members of the executive board of The Association of Swiss Professional Numismatists) met with representatives of the Federal Department of Culture and members of the cantonal archaeology in order to analyse the position of the coin trade after 5 years of Cultural Goods Transfer Law.
For a list of attendees please refer to the end of this media information.
Following points were discussed:
The delegation wanted to attain legal security in dealing with ancient coins. The “irritations” that were felt on the market were due to a pilot project that had been initiated by the FDC. The goal was to prevent the illegal trade of cultural goods on the internet. The FDC in conjunction with the Federal Police (Fedpol) and the Conference of Swiss Cantonal Archaeologists has succeeded in removing most offers of such objects out of Switzerland from Ebay and preventing comparable offers from German and Austrian vendors from being delivered to Switzerland. This was an effort to quell illegal excavation on an international and national level. Thus an internal regulation was agreed upon with Ebay; this not being in any way a legal regulation or legal ordinance from the Swiss side. This pilot project was closed end of September 2009 and culminated in a signed *memorandum of understanding between Ebay and the FDC.
Ebay informs its clients concerning dealing with cultural goods as follows:
It is forbidden to offer archaeological cultural goods on Ebay unless the vendor has an official document of legality which allow dealing with such an object. This document must be shown well legible in the vendor’s offer.
(Englischer text aus Deutsch übersetzt: http://pages.ebay.ch/help/policies/artifacts.html)
The FDC clearly differentiates between the anonymous internet market and the professional established business.
The FDC does not interfere in the sale of ancient coins by way of the professional Swiss numismatic trade either through their internet pages, store business, auctions, coin shows, etc.
The FDC views, in contrast to the professional trade, Ebay dealers as being without or not indulging in any due diligence responsibility and thus dealing in a “free zone” that may be used to sell illegal (in the view of the FDC) goods. The head of the special group responsible for international cultural goods transfer in the FDC declared that the FDC is interested in strengthening the art historical professional market in Switzerland and that the Cultural Goods Transfer Law should prevent illegal trade and at the same time promote the legal trade.
Coin fairs in the classical form are not trade platforms as Ebay, as long as they do not function as intermediary or take a commission. In this form they do not underlie the special due diligence of the Cultural Goods Transfer Law. The individual exhibitor, if dealing with coins professionally, is required to abide by the rules of the said law.
In the general discussion of coins as cultural goods it was agreed that coins may be cultural goods in terms of the Cultural Goods Transfer Law. This concerns specially ancient coins, which may be connected to illegal excavations. Also coins of later date may be cultural goods if important. Each item must be viewed individually in order to ascertain whether it is a cultural good. It is in the competence of the professional numismatist to view purchases with due diligence and to judge the whole aspect of the individual deal to be sure that the item gas a legal provenance.
The participants appreciated the interchange of ideas and agreed to exchange information speedily and in due course.
Attending: