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"Imperial Coins & Artifacts" in partnership with vAuctions has announced its "second electronic auction of ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval coins via the vAuctions venue".
How many export licences does Mr De La Fe have in his archives to back up his claims to title to be selling these objects? Where did they come from, and how did they get there? Why - in the current climate of the market - is he not loudly proclaiming every scrap of information legitimising his goods, instead of maintaining a stubborn silence about the previous histories legitimising any or all of them? Is HIDING this information "conducting my business in a professional and ethical manner [...] to ensure that no discredit is brought to VCoins or other VCoins dealers". I would say not. I would say if De La Fe has this information legitimising the presence of these items out of the ground, out of the source country and in the USA, it should be prominently displayed in the sales offer to show the legitimacy of the objects he is openly offering. Otherwise how is he not discrediting V-Coins? If there is not this information in a form allowing legitimacy to be established, then obviously no ethical dealer would have any involvement in handling their sale.
Of course it goes without saying that this should apply to all dug-up antiquities, including round flat ones with pictures and writing on them.
Imperial coins and artefacts is a good name for this firm, as what it is doing here embodies perfectly the naked ambition of US imperialism and the apparent attitudes of the average US citizen to the culture of other peoples. By what right is Mr De La Fe selling this material in a New York shop? On a US-based Internet auction?![]()
"Imperial Coins & Artifacts" in partnership with vAuctions has announced its "second electronic auction of ancient Greek, Roman and Medieval coins via the vAuctions venue". The sale closes February 16th, 2012. This sale of 247 lots includes many rare Greek and Roman coins as well as a selection of exceptional, high quality pre-Colombian pottery and antiquities.V-Coins has a code of ethics. It does not include anything whatsoever about providing information to the potential, or actual, customer verifying the legitimate origins of the items on sale. Thus it is with Mr De La Fe's offerings here. This applies however not only to the Cuban dealer's coins (we remember the coiney whinge that it "has not been traditional" to associate collecting histories with traded items) but also every single artefact Mr De La Fe is offering. These include: four "Luristan" (ie western Iran) projectile points, three items metal detected items from a Roman site (otherwise how dated?) in Israel (admittedly listed as "Ex-Amphora"), three Mayan objects from Guatamala, four objects from Mexico, and as many as seven Moche and other items from Peru (some with "good mineral deposits" showing they are real dugups). There is also an ancient Egyptian necklace "in excellent condition, ready to wear or display" and a knocked-off Buddha head from Thailand (is this actually an antiquity Mr De La Fe?). So basically all the sort of arty-trendy trophy stuff that looks nice in a case in the living room, adding nothing very much to the possessor's knowledge of any ancient society.
How many export licences does Mr De La Fe have in his archives to back up his claims to title to be selling these objects? Where did they come from, and how did they get there? Why - in the current climate of the market - is he not loudly proclaiming every scrap of information legitimising his goods, instead of maintaining a stubborn silence about the previous histories legitimising any or all of them? Is HIDING this information "conducting my business in a professional and ethical manner [...] to ensure that no discredit is brought to VCoins or other VCoins dealers". I would say not. I would say if De La Fe has this information legitimising the presence of these items out of the ground, out of the source country and in the USA, it should be prominently displayed in the sales offer to show the legitimacy of the objects he is openly offering. Otherwise how is he not discrediting V-Coins? If there is not this information in a form allowing legitimacy to be established, then obviously no ethical dealer would have any involvement in handling their sale.
Of course it goes without saying that this should apply to all dug-up antiquities, including round flat ones with pictures and writing on them.
Imperial coins and artefacts is a good name for this firm, as what it is doing here embodies perfectly the naked ambition of US imperialism and the apparent attitudes of the average US citizen to the culture of other peoples. By what right is Mr De La Fe selling this material in a New York shop? On a US-based Internet auction?
