Treasure comes home
US customs and border protection's (CBP) Baltimore field office recently repatriated seven ancient coins, dating from the Roman Empire, from several periods (81 BC through 217 AD). CBP initially encountered them in April 2009 during an inspection of air cargo that arrived from London (UK).
This specific parcel was destined to a coin collector in Missouri and also contained Chinese coins ascertained to be from the Zhou, Han and Western Han dynasties, dating from 400 BC through 220 AD.
The collector lost a protracted legal challenge to regain possession of the coins, and CBP’s office of international affairs coordinated with the government of Cyprus to repatriate them during a ceremony in Washington, DC. CBP recorded 23 seizures of cultural property during 2019 with a domestic value of nearly USD 1 million. (ah)