Treasure Trove Warning Over E-Bay

Treasure Trove Warning Over E-Bay

This story I found to be interesting as it could have a very big effect on what we may see for auction in the future, as I'm not sure how many people knew of the law and I don't think it was really being enforced.

People who find treasure may be breaking the law if they do not report it to the authorities, eBay and the British Museum are warning.
The museum has set up a specialist team - under its Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) - to make sure antiques are legally sold by eBay sellers.
Some traders in archaeological finds are unaware they may have to be declared under the Treasure Act.

Illegal listings will be reported to specialist Met Police detectives.
English, Welsh and Northern Irish archaeological finds which constitute "treasure" must be reported to the local coroner or the PAS under the Treasure Act.
Metallic objects made up of at least 10% gold or silver which are at least 300 years old are classed as treasure.

"There are definitely some people who know perfectly well what they're doing" British Museum


Some coins with lower amounts of gold or silver could also be classed as treasure.
Failure to report finds deemed to be treasure is a criminal offence under the act.
Items spotted by the PAS being sold on eBay illegally have included gold and silver Roman rings.

Staff from PAS - which is run by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) - will contact sellers to make sure they have reported items and are entitled to offer them for sale.

The British Museum's Roger Bland told BBC News: "There are definitely some people who know perfectly well what they're doing. They're selling finds on a regular basis all the time.
"But when we contact people who are selling objects we think should be reported as treasure there's quite a few more who I think genuinely do it out of ignorance because they don't know about the law."

'Valuable insights'

Chris Batt, chief executive of the MLA, said the partnership would mean illegal listings could be stopped and action taken.
"Doing so is vital because such activity is not only illegal but could also damage the archaeological record as, without effective reporting, valuable insights into our past could be lost forever," he said.

An eBay spokesman said educating its customers "on what to look out for when buying antiquities on eBay and informing sellers of their obligations is of paramount importance".
As part of the joint initiative, the site has created a guide to buying and selling antiquities which offers advice on reporting obligations.

Under the Treasure Act, metallic objects made up of at least 10% gold or silver which are at least 300 years old must be reported to the local coroner or the PAS.
Some coins with lower amounts of gold or silver could also be classed as treasure.
Items spotted by the PAS being sold on eBay illegally have included gold and silver Roman rings.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5401588.stm

Edward I (20 Nov 1272 - 7 Jul 1307) Coinage And History

I thought it might be good to move back in time, to Edward The First. This was another time in Englands history that events happend that were to steer the course of Englands future.

With the formation of a more formal Parliment and codec of laws and taxation, it was also the time that The title of Prince of Wales was created.


The House Of Anjou (1272-1399)

Edward I (20 Nov 1272 - 7 Jul 1307) - born 17th June 1239 - two marriages with seventeen offspring

Edward proved a competent general and powerful leader in stark contrast to his father. His legal reforms and development of Parliament possibly at the expense of feudalism earned him the title ‘lawgiver’. He sought to unite Britain and started off by successfully invading and garrisoning Wales. He promised the Welsh nobility a domestic overlord, and later surprised them by re-creating the title and investing his son, Edward, as the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. His fruitless invasion of Scotland (thwarted by William Wallace and Robert I) merely incited a bitter enmity from the Scots that would develop for many years to come. Much to the relief of the Scots under Robert Bruce, Edward died aged 68 whilst preparing to re-invade them.

The long cross coinage continued into this reign and was now again quite crude, it was abandoned in 1279 and a new coinage substituted. The new coinage consisted of the Groat (or Fourpence) for the first time. Athough this proved not yet popular enough to last, over thirty dies were used to make this new denomination. Being of such a large diameter they proved quite popular as jewellery and are only genuinely rare these days if never mounted.

Shipwrecks, Coins And Salvage

Shipwrecks, Coins And Salvage


I found this to be an intriguing story, and it brings about some interesting questions about the rights of salvage, ownership and Sovereignty over underwater archaeological sites. Thats just the legal problems, it's also fascinating in the history around it and how it got there.



N.S. shipwreck discovery brews international storm

Randy Boswell
CanWest News Service
An American shipwreck hunter has found "thousands of coins" and other artifacts at a site off the coast of Nova Scotia where a War of 1812 gunboat thought to be carrying White House plunder sank in a storm on its return to Canada after the ransacking of Washington.
But the discovery, the strongest sign yet that Philadelphia-based Sovereign Exploration Associates may have discovered the remains of the legendary British frigate HMS Fantome or other ships from its fleet, sets the stage for a possible international legal showdown involving the salvage company, the British government and heritage officials in Canada and the U.S. over the future of the wreck site.
CanWest News Service has learned the British government has asked Canada to halt exploration at the possible Fantome site and insisted that nothing should be taken from the area without permission from London.
Wendy Barnable, a spokesperson with the Nova Scotia government's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, said Wednesday the province has received a letter, via federal officials in Ottawa, in which Britain argues that the Fantome -- along with a sunken 18th-century British treasure ship, HMS Tilbury, also being sought by Sovereign off the Cape Breton coast -- "remain the property of the British government and can't be disturbed without their consent."
Describing the British intervention as unprecedented, Barnable said provincial heritage officials are studying the "very complex" issue and have, in the meantime, advised the U.S. salvager to seek British approval to continue its explorations.
In a statement announcing its latest finds, Sovereign said: "Our divers observed flatware, artifacts, ship fittings and thousands of coins. While our science team has not positively identified the vessels on the site, the new data combined with last year's recoveries . . . clearly establish the site as one of significant historical importance."
The search for the Fantome has been controversial and jurisdictionally complex because the British wreck lies in Canadian waters but is believed to hold gold and other treasures looted during a famous 1814 raid on the White House, treasury headquarters and other buildings in the U.S. capital. The same naval operation also inspired the "bombs bursting in air" imagery of The Star-Spangled Banner, the U.S. national anthem

Charles II (30 Jan 1649 - 6 Feb 1685) Coinage And History

As yesterday, I Showed some Charles I coins, I thought it would make some sense to show one from when his son Charles II was restored to The Monarchy. The following coin is a Charles II twopence from 1678 along with some background information.


HOUSE OF STUART


Charles II (30 Jan 1649 - 6 Feb 1685) - born 29th May 1630 - one marriage with no offspring


Several ill fated attempts to regain his inheritance from his father failed, as his armies were routed by the well organised Cromwell. A young Charles had to flee the country as the power of the Commonwealth steadily but surely took over, famously hiding in an oak tree en route to France. The restoration of the monarchy was negotiated by General George Monk who called for new elections, following a revival of royalist feeling in 1660. Charles II ascended to the throne after being recalled from his exile and the Restoration began on 29th May 1660. He was married in 1662 to Catherine Henrietta daughter of John IV Duke of Braganza, but failed to produce an heir. He did have sixteen illegitimate issue though after amorous affairs with various women including Nell Gwynn and Louise, duchess of Portsmouth. Charles was a keen horseman and actually rode several winners at Newmarket himself. He died aged 54 from complications following a stroke.

His reign was most important numismatically for the permanent introduction of machine made “milled” coinage from 1662 and for the introduction of a copper regal coinage of halfpennies and farthings from 1672 after the withdrawal of tradesman’s tokens. The hammered coinage finished being produced in early 1662, and the Roettier family designed the new coinage replacing Thomas Simon who was relegated to designing only the small silver coins and medallions. The major new milled denomination was the Guinea with it’s multiples and fractions which was valued at this time at twenty shillings. The silver denominations were the same as for Cromwell with the Sixpence in addition with the small silver from groat to penny. Some of the silver shillings have a plume on the centre of the reverse sometimes with a plume on the obverse as a mint mark, this indicates the silver came from Wales. Some of the gold coinage has an elepant below the bust indicating the gold came from Guinea in Africa.

Events That Happened On The Day You Were Born

Here is an interesting way to see what events happened the day you were born. Here are the events for my birthday it would be interesting to see what events happened for others.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_29

I found it to be easier to just insert the day for other people than trying to run a search. So use the link above and put in your day if you like, and come back and post your events to the comment's section on my Blog. I think it could be fun.

July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining.

Events

1014 - Byzantine-Bulgar Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock.

1030 - Ladejarl-Fairhair succession wars: Battle of Stiklestad - King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes.

1565 - Mary Stuart, widowed, marries Lord Darnley, duke of Albany.

1567 - James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling.

1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines - English naval forces under command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeats the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France.

1693 - War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen - France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands.

1793 - John Graves Simcoe decides to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, having sailed into the bay there.

1830 - Abdication of Charles X of France.

1836 - Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

1847 - Cumberland School of Law founded in Lebanon, Tennessee, USA. At the end of 1847 only 15 law schools exist in the United States.

1848 - Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt - In Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.

1851 - Annibale de Gasparis discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.

1858 - United States and Japan sign the Harris Treaty.

1864 - American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd is arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC.

1899 - The First Hague Convention is signed.

1900 - In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci.

1907 - Sir Robert Baden-Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. The camp ran from August 1-9, 1907, and is regarded as the founding of the Scouting movement.

1920 - Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.

1921 - Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party.

1932 - Great Depression: In Washington, DC, U.S. troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans.

1945 - The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched for mainstream light entertainment and music.

1947 - After being shut off on November 9,

1946 for a memory upgrade, ENIAC, the world's first all-electronic digital computer, is reactivated. It will remain in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.

1948 - Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad - After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin opened in London.

1957 - The International Atomic Energy Agency is established.

1958 - The U.S. Congress formally creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

1959 - First congressional elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union.

1965 - Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.

1966 - Musician Bob Dylan crashes his Triumph motorcycle in upstate New York. He goes into seclusion for over a year before reemerging and reinventing himself artistically.

1967 - Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134.

1967 - At the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela was shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead.

1976 - In New York City, the "Son of Sam" kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.

1981 - Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales.

1987 - British PM Margaret Thatcher and French president François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build the tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel).

1987 - Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayawardene sign the Indo-Lankan Pact on ethnic issue.

1993 - The Israeli Supreme Court acquits accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free.

1996 - The controversial child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) is struck down as too broad by a U.S. federal court.

2004 - U.S. Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts accepts the Democratic nomination for President of the United States at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.

2005 - Astronomers announce their discovery of Eris, a possible ninth planet.

Births

1166 - Henry II of Champagne (d. 1197)

1605 - Simon Dach, German poet (d. 1659)

1763 - Philip Charles Durham, Royal Navy Admiral (d. 1845)

1801 - George Bradshaw, English publisher (d. 1853)

1805 - Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and political scientist (d. 1859)

1843 - Johannes Schmidt, German linguist (d. 1901)

1849 - Max Nordau, Austrian author, philosopher, and Zionist leader (d. 1923)

1865 - Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer (d. 1936)

1869 - Booth Tarkington, American author (d. 1946)

1872 - Eric Alfred Knudsen, American author, folklorist (d. 1957)

1874 - James Shaver Woodsworth, Canadian minister, social worker, and politician (d. 1942)

1876 - Maria Ouspenskaya, Russian-born actress (d. 1949)

1878 - Don Marquis, American author (d. 1937)

1883 - Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian poet and writer (d. 1942)

1883 - Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator (d. 1945)

1884 - Ralph A. Bard, U.S. Navy Undersecretary (d. 1975)

1887 - Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-born composer (d. 1951)

1892 - William Powell, American actor (d. 1984)

1897 - Sir Neil Ritchie, British general (d. 1983)

1898 - Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1988)

1900 - Eyvind Johnson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1976)

1904 - J. R. D. Tata, Indian pioneer aviator and entrepreneur (d. 1993)

1905 - Clara Bow, American actress (d. 1965)

1905 - Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish 2nd UN Secretary-General, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1961)

1905 - Stanley Kunitz, American poet (d. 2006)

1905 - Thelma Todd, American actress (d. 1935)

1906 - Diana Vreeland, French-born fashion editor (d. 1989)

1907 - Melvin Belli, American lawyer and actor (d. 1996)

1913 - Erich Priebke, Nazi war criminal

1914 - Irwin Corey, American stand-up comedian.

1916 - Charlie Christian, American jazz guitar virtuoso (d. 1942)

1918 - Edwin O'Connor, American novelist and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (d. 1968)

1920 - Rodolfo Acosta, Mexican actor (d. 1974)

1924 - Lloyd Bochner, Canadian actor (d. 2005)

1925 - Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer

1925 - Ted Lindsay, professional ice hockey player

1927 - Harry Mulisch, Dutch author

1929 - Jean Baudrillard, French philosopher

1930 - Paul Taylor, American dancer and choreographer

1932 - Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, U.S. Senator from Kansas

1933 - Lou Albano, Wrestling manager

1935 - Peter Schreier, German tenor

1936 - Elizabeth Dole, U.S. Senator from North Carolina

1937 - Daniel McFadden, American economist, Nobel Prize Laureate

1938 - Peter Jennings, Canadian-born television journalist (d. 2005)

1941 - David Warner, Canadian actor

1942 - Tony Sirico, American actor

1943 - David Taylor, English snooker player

1951 - Dan Driessen, baseball player

1953 - Ken Burns, American producer and director

1953 - Geddy Lee, Canadian musician(Rush)

1957 - Nellie Kim, Russian gymnast

1955 - Dave Stevens, Illustrator

1959 - Sanjay Dutt, Indian actor

1959 - Ruud Janssen, Dutch writer and artist

1959 - Dave LaPoint, baseball player

1962 - Scott Steiner, US professional wrestler

1965 - Chang-Rae Lee, Korean-born author

1965 - Luis Alicea, Baseball player

1966 - Martina McBride, American singer

1972 - Wil Wheaton, American actor

1973 - Stephen Dorff, American actor

1973 - Wanya Morris, American singer (Boyz II Men)

1975 - Corrado Grabbi, Italian footballer

1976 - Josh Radnor, American actor

1979 - Abs Breen, English singer

1979 - Karim Essediri, Tunisian footballer

1980 - Fernando González, Chilean tennis player

1981 - Fernando Alonso, Spanish race car driver

1982 - Allison Mack, American actress

Deaths

238 - Pupienus, Roman Emperor

238 - Balbinus, Roman Emperor

1030 - Olaf II of Norway (b. 995)

1099 - Pope Urban II (b. 1042)

1108 - Philip I of France (b. 1052)

1507 - Martin Behaim, German-born navigator and geographer (b. 1459)

1612 - Jacques Bongars, French scholar and diplomat (b. 1554)

1644 - Pope Urban VIII (b. 1568)

1752 - Peter Warren, British admiral

1781 - Johann Kies, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1713)

1792 - René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, Chancellor of France (b. 1714)

1813 - Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (b. 1771)

1833 - William Wilberforce, English abolitionist (b. 1759)

1839 - Gaspard de Prony, French mathematician (b. 1755)

1844 - Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1791)

1856 - Robert Schumann, German composer (b. 1810)

1887 - Agostino Depretis, Italian statesman (d. 1813)

1890 - Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (b. 1853)

1900 - King Umberto I of Italy (b. 1844)

1913 - Tobias Michael Carel Asser, Dutch jurist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1838)

1938 - Nikolai Krylenko, Russian/Soviet jurist and politician (b. 1885)

1951 - Hozumi Shigeto, Japanese author (b. 1883)

1954 - Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (b. 1879)

1970 - John Barbirolli, English conductor (b. 1899)

1973 - Roger Williamson, English racing driver (b. 1948)

1974 - Cass Elliot, American musician (b. 1941)

1974 - Erich Kästner, German author (b. 1899)

1975 - James Blish, American writer (b. 1921)

1976 - Mickey Cohen, American gangster (b. 1913)

1979 - Herbert Marcuse, German philosopher (b. 1898)

1979 - Bill Todman, American television producer (b. 1916)

1981 - Robert Moses, New York public works official (b. 1888)

1982 - Harold Sakata, Japanese-American actor (b. 1920)

1982 - Vladimir Zworykin, Russian physicist and inventor (b. 1889)

1983 - Luis Buñuel, Spanish director (b. 1900)

1983 - Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (b. 1896)

1983 - David Niven, English actor (b. 1910)

1984 - Fred Waring, American band leader and inventor (b. 1900)

1990 - Bruno Kreisky, Chancellor of Austria (b. 1911)

1994 - Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1910)

1994 - Megan Kanka, rape victim, basis of Megan's Law (b. 1986)

1996 - Jason Thirsk, American bassist (Pennywise) (b. 1967)

1996 - Marcel Schützenberger, French mathematician (b. 1920)

1998 - Jerome Robbins, American choregrapher (b. 1918)

2001 - Edward Gierek, Polish politician (b. 1913)

2001 - Wau Holland, German hacker (b. 1951)

2003 - Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean rebel leader (b. 1937)

2004 - Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress (b. 1923)