“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you” is a famous quote by Ronald Reagan meant to caution people anytime the government gets involved in something new.
These words should increasingly resonate with coin collectors as the U.S. State Department appears to be anxious to bump up the number of countries with which a rather one-sided Memorandum of Understanding is being agreed to that impact the ability of U.S. citizens and museums to import and own antiquities, often including certain coins.
Currently, ancient coins identified as having originated in Algeria, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen are on a list that requires their importation to be proved to have been made prior to specific dates by presenting satisfactory evidence to that…