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Showing posts with label ancient coins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ancient coins. Show all posts

November 25, 2025

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - ,,, No comments

Italian Authorities Arrest 55 Suspects in Major Archaeological Looting Probe in Sicily


In a major operation targeting two antiquities-trafficking networks, the Palermo unit of the Carabinieri’s Nucleo Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), under coordination by the Catania Deputy Prosecutor, Fabio Scavone, has uncovered evidence of extensive clandestine excavations at more than twenty archaeological sites in Sicily and an additional site in Roccelletta di Borgia, Calabria.  These incidences, carried out between 2021 and 2023. resulted in the systematic removal of a substantial number of cultural artefacts, which were then smuggled out of Italy and laundered onto the licit ancient art market.

According to the reconstruction presented by the Italian court magistrates, coordinated by the deputy prosecutor Fabio Scavone and the substitute Giovanni Gullo, a total of 74 suspects have been identified in this large transnational investigation.  All are alleged to have been part of two criminal networks capable of managing the entire clandestine supply chain: from the sourcing of objects through illegal excavation by grave robbers through intermediary smugglers and on to the international sale of the  archaeological finds outside of Italy in contravention of the country's cultural property laws. 

Overall, the Prosecutor's Office examined a total of 292 incidents documented in a 1,700-page crime report produced by the Carabinieri of the Palermo Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.  Having reviewed the evidence surrounding the case, the prosecutor asked for precautionary measures for 55 of the identified suspects, individuals believed to have been directly involved in the sourcing and/or trafficking of archaeological material illegally excavated in Italy and later moved into markets in Europe and the United Kingdom. 

Of these, prosecutors have asked for the pre-trial detention for 12 of the suspects, as well as house arrest pending trial for another 35, and lighter reporting obligations for eight other individuals, pending the resolution of their individual cases through the courts.

The list of suspects released publicly with pretrial precautionary measures or incarceration are:
Maria Lisa Aloi
Filippo Asero
Salvatore Romano Benfatto
Giuseppe Bertolami
Vincenzo Boccadifuoco
Salvatore Bonaventura
Giuseppe Buceti
Filadelfo Calvagna
Salvatore Camonita
Giovanni Castro
Salvatore Cavallaro
Benedetto Chiara
Carmelo De Luca
Fortunata Di Dio
Giuseppe Di Mauro
Alfio Emmanuele
Giuseppe Esposito
Domenico Faranda
Gaetano Faranda
Emanuele Ferro
Vincenzo Filonardi
Filippo Franceschino
Mario Gagliano
Vittorio Emanuele Guzzetta Bongiovanni
Giuseppe Salvatore Insigna
Leandro Insolia
Massimiliano Insolia
Enrico Lo Verde
Massimo Lucca
Settimo Carmelo Minnella
Umberto Moruzzi
Adriano Nicotra
Michele Consolato Nicotra
Salvatore Palumbo
Andrea Panicotti
Gianfranco Paternò
Nicolò Petronio
Giuseppe Pezzino
Sergiu Ionica Pop
Antonio Portale
Simone Adriano Petrin
Alessandro Privitera
Giuseppe Rapisarda
Vincenzo Rau
Antonio Francesco Rotondo
Francesco Salvia
Santo Sambataro
Vito Spitaleri
Vito Stancanelli
Giuseppe Strano
Pietro Tomasello
Salvatore Tomasello (born 1957)
Salvatore Tomasello (born 1967),
Giuseppe Sebastian Viola
It should be noted that the individuals cited by the authorities and documented in this article are for now are simply under investigation and have not been convicted of any crime.  It is also important to remind our readers that there is a substantial and essential difference between being a suspect in an investigation and being adjudicated guilty in a court of law. 

Preliminary Investigations Judge Simona Ragazzi has scheduled hearings in relationship to this trafficking investigation for November 25-29.

According to the 1,700-page report related to this investigation, the Carabinieri utilised surveillance devices and analysed documents, and auctions held in various locations outside of Italy ultimately allowing them to reconstruct the entire chain of thesetwo lucrative trafficking rings which primariy struck sites around Paternò, a town in Catania near Mt. Etna, Kamarina in the Ragusa area, Himera in the Palermo area, Megara Hyblaea in the Syracuse area, and Scolacium in Roccelletta di Borgia in the Catanzaro area.    


Dense in detail the TPC report demonstrates that wire taps placed on the suspects phones revealed that some accomplices used code words to describe the tools of the illicit trade used in their looting activities as well the names of the sites they plundered.  Likewise, on occasion the accomplices lapsed into speaking frankly,  discussing individual artefacts, silver, and jewellery found during their clandestine excavations.

Italian investigators confirmed that many of the objects excavated from these locations made their way into the licit ancient coin markets in the UK and Germany via foreign intermediaries abroad.  In one of several documented incidences 46 ancient coins dating between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE were sold in 2021 at a Munich auction house, where they brought in more than 42,000 euros.  Part of these assets were seized by the German judiciary, pursuant to a European judicial order issued by the Catania prosecutor's office.

A second grouping of coins chose a path to the UK and were laundered onto the London numismatic market by one suspect where 39 coins minted by the Greek colonies on Sicily including litrae, tetradrachms, denarii, and sestertii were reportedly sold on 7 October 2021, for a total of £88,590.00.

The scale of the arrests underscores not only the risks posed by organised heritage crime and transnational trafficking networks, but also a persistent and uncomfortable reality: despite decades of national awareness, strong legislation, and highly capable investigative units, Italy remains one of the world’s richest source countries for antiquities looting. Tomb raiders and illicit metal detectorists continue to plunder archaeological sites across Sicily, from Himera to Kamarina, Eraclea Minoa, Gela, and beyond, stripping the ground of artefacts valued anywhere from a few hundred euros to several thousand pounds, where they can easily be funnelled into the don't ask-don't tell international market accompanied by forged provenance documents.


By:  Lynda Albertson

March 27, 2025

Thursday, March 27, 2025 - ,,,, No comments

Ancient coins stolen from the Musée Saint-Remi found in Moscow's antique trade

Employees of Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB reported on Russia Media and the messaging system Telegram that law enforcement officers in Moscow had recovered 79 stolen gold coins, after police received a tip-off to the circulation of a grouping of ancient coins similar to those that were reported as missing from a French museum collection in late 2023.  After comparing photos and detailed descriptions of the stolen items, Russian police raided an antiques shop in Moscow, as well as several collectors' homes and recovered the stolen property. 


The coins in question appear to match with images released by the Musée Saint-Remi, in Reims, a city in northeastern France's Grand Est region, like this Aureus coin of Empress Faustina, which are reported to be collectively worth more than 55 million rubles (approximately 607,200 euros).  The information about their recovery was subsequently relayed to the French authorities via INTERPOL NCB channels to the Office central de lutte contre le trafic de biens culturels (OCBC - Central Office for the Fight against Illicit Traffic in Cultural) where images of the seized pieces appear to match with published object descriptions within the INTERPOL's ID-Art database. 

An investigation into the theft of ancient coins from the French archeology and art museum, housed in the former Abbey of Saint-Remi, was begun in December 2023 following a routine inventory where staff discovered that a total of 130 Roman, medieval, and modern coins, were missing from the museum's storage area. 

As a result of a subsequent police investigation into the missing coins in France, eight individuals have been indicted, including a (former) museum guard, previously on temporary duty with the museum.  

The members of this group have been formally charged in 2024 with theft of cultural property, illegal export, and concealment of archaeological discoveries as part of an organised gang.  They remain are under judicial supervision according to the Reims public prosecutor, while their case makes its way through the judicial system. 

October 19, 2020

Monday, October 19, 2020 - ,,, No comments

5 looters have been arrested in Pella, Greece for conducting a clandestine excavation

Image Credit:  Greek Ministry of Culture

Five looters, aged 43 to 50, were arrested by law enforcement officers of the Department of Heritage and Antiquities Protection of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate after having been caught digging an eight-meter deep hole at an archeological site located within the prefecture of Pella.  Ancient Pella was the capital of the Macedonian state from the end of the 5th to the early 4th century BCE.

At the scene of the clandestine excavation, officers found tools which could be indicative of nighttime exploration as the team of looters were found to have in their possession, gloves, flashlights, batteries, disposable masks, and a variety of tools used to carry out their campaign. 

Later, during a search carried out at by law enforcement at the residence of one of the perpetrators, officers seized 28 ancient bronze coins from the Roman and Middle Byzantine periods, a bronze bead, and a ring, all items that fall under the country's laws on the protection of antiquities and cultural heritage.

Greece was the first nation to vest ownership of all of its antiquities within the state. In doing so, all cultural property, defined by its Antiquities Law is regulated by the government and must be registered on an official inventory that comprises objects of the Hellenistic, Early Christianity, and Medieval eras.  All cultural property, including objects in private collections or those belonging to a religious organisation are also the property of the State.  Lastly, the State maintains the rights to exhibit and exploit this cultural property, and thus any objects discovered, by accident or otherwise must be reported within 15 days to the nearest archaeological authority.

November 9, 2019

Saturday, November 09, 2019 - ,,, No comments

Museum Theft: Museo di San Mamiliano in Sovana, Italy


In one of two museum thefts this week in Italy, authorities have reported that fifty gold solidus, dating back to the 5th century CE have been stolen from the Museo di San Mamiliano in Sovana, Italy.  

Discovered during restoration works carried out under the floors of the city church of San Mamiliano in 2004, the hoard of gold coins is known as the Treasure of Sovana.  Coins like these, were once in use by the Byzantine Empire between the fourth and tenth centuries. 

In total, cultural authorities documented 498 coins in the cache which can be dated chronologically between the beginning of the 5th century with the reign of Honorius and the last decades of the century - the reign of Zeno. Each of the coins weighed in at approximately 1/72 of a Roman pound (approx. 4,5 grams), and is said to be nearly 24 karat gold (so in excess of 99% pure).

It has been reported that once the thief or thieves entered the museum, they were able to deactivate the alarm system connected to the local carabinieri station and then turn off the internal video surveillance system to impede their identification.  For good measure the thieves also stole a CCTV backup storage device, likely indicating they were familiar with the museum's security. 

Once inside the museum, the culprits attempted to break the safety glass surrounding the coins, but meeting some resistance, and pressed for time, the thieves made off with only a portion of the gold coins on display. 

The following is a list of the coins that make up the Treasure of Sovana divided by empire and by name of the emperor (or emperors) transcribed.  Note: Which coins are missing has not been released. 

Western Empire
  • Honorius: eight coins; mints of Milan and Ravenna.
  • Valentinian III: twelve coins; mints of Constantinople, Milan, Ravenna and Rome.
  • Petronius: a coin; mint of Rome.
  • Miano: two coins; mints of Milan and Ravenna.
  • Libio Severo: ten coins; mints of Milan, Ravenna and Rome.
  • Anthemius: seventeen coins; mints of Milan, Ravenna and Rome.
  • Glycerine: a coin; Mint of Milan.
  • Giulio Nepote: six coins; mints of Arelate, Milan, Ravenna and an unidentified Germanic area.
  • Romulus Augustus: eight coins; mints of Arelate, Milan and Rome.

Eastern Empire
  • Theodosius II: twenty-three coins; mints of Constantinople, Ravenna and Thessalonica.
  • Pulcheria: a coin; mint of Constantinople.
  • Marciano: eleven coins; mints of Constantinople and Thessalonica.
  • Leo I: twelve coins; mints of Constantinople, Milan, Rome and Thessalonica.
  • Leo I and Leo II: a coin; mint of Constantinople.
  • Leo II and Zeno: two coins; mint of Constantinople.
  • Basilisk: eight coins; mints of Constantinople, Milan and Rome.
  • Basilisk and Mark: two coins; mint of Constantinople.
  • Zeno: two coins; mint of Constantinople.
  • Ariadne (Wife of Zeno and Anastasius, daughter of Leo I, mother of Leo II): a coin; mint of Constantinople.


Today, the fifth-century solidus is highly sought after, as much for its gold purity, as for its historical interest. Purchased legally, they are usually more expensive than a denarius issued by the same emperor. 

August 21, 2015

Friday, August 21, 2015 - ,,,,, No comments

Two Syrians Detained in Istanbul’s Esenyurt District for Smuggling Ottoman-era “Sikke” Coins

By Lynda Albertson

Antiquities trafficking from source countries to collector markets requires a global network of routes and facilitation by domestic and international criminal groups and, or middle men. Although the various trajectories are always evolving, there are certain well-established trafficking routes regularly used for the purpose of transporting illicit goods, be they drugs, precursor chemicals, illicit arms, humans or portable antiquities.

Some trafficking routes are chosen out of geographic necessity, while others are selected when smugglers associate an alternate route with a lower risk of discovery, higher profit margin or simply because logistics, such as fuel supplies, transport or available couriers, make one transport route or trafficker more appealing than another. 

Turkey has long been a viable trade corridor for heroin as well as other illegal merchandise.  As a stop along what is known as the Balkan Route the country's strategic geographical location has helped to develop it into a major staging area and transportation conduit used by drug traffickers smuggling heroin destined for European markets, with the largest percentage flowing into Germany and the Netherlands. 
April 27, 2015 Heroin Seizure 


But does Turkey serve as a trade route for illicit antiquities?

This week Turkish authorities announced that police had detained two Syrian antiquities smugglers also in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district and confiscated 500 historic "sikke" dating back to the Tanzimat period (1839–1876) of the Ottoman Empire.  Along with the coins police seized ammunition, a firearm, and a substantial amount of cash in three separate currencies:
August 2015 Coin Hoard Seizure

€119,000 (Euros)
₺134,500 (Turkish lira)
$4,250 (US Dollars)

Is the antiquities trade always tied to the illicit drug trade? 

Certainly not.  However one could conclude that underworld figures willing to ply their trade with one black market item (heroin) might be convinced to transport/fence other lucrative goods (coins) available on the illicit market if and when opportunity knocks and they are presented with objects for which there are likely to be buyers.  

Is the antiquities trade tied to one specific district? 

Again certainly not.  Nor should any parallel be drawn by any of our readers connecting these two isolated events in one distinct of Istanbul.

The lack of solid statistical reporting in the field of heritage-related crimes and the clandestine nature of illicit trafficking in general make drawing conclusions as to how often one type of illicit trafficking overlaps with another impossible to ascertain.  What is important however is that we actively recognize that fluid network structures, rather than more formal hierarchies, coupled with porous borders and geographical proximity to destabilized source countries located in the vicinity of established trafficking corridors where transnational criminal networks are already active could be leveraged as a means to traffic movable heritage.   It should also be understood that the average participant may not be a career criminal, but a regular citizen attempting to exploit an opportunity to supplement their income as a single link in a complex chain. 




March 24, 2014

Monday, March 24, 2014 - ,,, No comments

Antique Coin Dealers Joël and Michael Creusy Robbed of their Entire Collection in France

By Lynda Albertson, ARCA CEO

As reported in Coins Weekly, the family of Joël and Michael Creusy have been selling ancient coins for forty years. Saturday, March 15, 2014, on the way home from the Bi-Annual Numismatic Exhibition in Paris, the family’s entire ancient coin collection, worth an estimated one million euros, was stolen.  Details of the theft itself have not been made available at the moment to the general media.

https://www.facebook.com/numismeo 
One of the more risky collection professions in France, the family has stated in an open letter that can be read here that insurance companies no longer provide coverage while coins are in transit.  Michael Creusy further stated that unless the coins are recovered, the family’s Lyon-based coin business, ABC Numismatique, located at 14 rue Vaubecour in Lyon, France will face bankruptcy.

A 16 page list of the 456 stolen coins with detailed images can be viewed on the ABC Numismatique website. In addition, the British Numismatic Trade Association for coins metals and banknotes also keeps a publicly posted list of recent coin and metals related thefts.  This list detailing the numerous thefts can be accessed from the BNTA website here and give a better idea of how significant the problem is for ancient coin collectors and dealers.

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