| Coin Collectors Fill a Lawsuit against U.S. State Department |
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The executive director of ACCG, Wayne G. Sayles, stated that the lawsuit was necessary and unavoidable because the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) permanently refused to provide information linked to requests for import restrictions to the guild and others.
 It is to mention that recently DOS imposed unmatched import restrictions on ancient coins coming from Cyprus. U. S. State Department requires that importers, who have at least one Cypriot coin to provide certain documentation, which the guild believes to be unfair, unworkable and unnecessary.
The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild currently seeks for information that is related to requests coming from Cyprus, China and Italy. There were obvious irregularities in each case, the handling of which raised serious concerns.
On behalf of the guild and others the members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were the one who requested the same information as well.
"None of these avenues produced responsive replies," mentioned the president of ACCG Peter K. Tompa. "The reason for this lawsuit is that the DOS has refused to provide meaningful information. We seek transparency and fairness of the process by which decisions affecting the American people are made," he added.
Both the International Association of Professional Numismatists and the Professional Numismatists Guild also joined ACCG, which in its turn is represented in the court by Scott A. Hodes, a Washington attorney.
Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA), which was enacted in 1983, allowed DOS to impose import restrictions. The CPIA, besides offering protection for the rare cultural property, includes safeguards, included to limit exceeding the implementation of the accord signed by UNESCO back in 1970.
Members of the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild believe that only a fair submission of the CPIA can achieve any measure of protection on a continuing scale.
According to the guild, fairness and equity can be accomplished only in case there is a transparent system. ACCG hopes that their lawsuit will persuade the State Department to restore its procedures in order to ensure fairness to all the law demands.
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