site.btaBulgarian Customs Agency Hands Over to Turkiye 2,940 Antique Coins Rescued from Smuggling

A total of 2,940 antique coins seized by the customs officers at the Kapitan Andreevo customs checkpoint and saved from smuggling were handed over to the Republic of Turkiye.

The transfer of the cultural valuables took place on Tuesday at the Territorial Directorate of Burgas Customs with the signing of a tripartite protocol between representatives of the Customs Agency, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkiye.

The coins were confiscated after criminal proceedings were completed and the verdict entered into force. The coins shall be returned to Turkiye in accordance with the agreement between the governments of the two countries on the prohibition and prevention of the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property.

The Consul General of the Republic of Turkiye in Burgas, Mrs. Senem Guzel, was a guest at the event, which was also attended by representatives of the ministries of culture of the two neighbouring countries and Istanbul’s archaeological museums.

The antique coins were seized at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint on June 12, 2018 during a customs inspection of a truck driven by a Turkish citizen entering Bulgaria from Turkiye. In the course of the investigation it was established that the driver - a Turkish citizen with initials M.T. , was transporting the coins to Western Europe for commercial purposes. He was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment with a 4-year probation period and a fine of BGN 20,000, with a final verdict.

The archaeological, numismatic and valuation expertise in the case has established that all the coins are authentic. Their total value is BGN 73,500, but the experts define them as a coin treasure of extremely high historical value.

The coins are dated from the II-I century BC. They are a collective find of bronze coins from the ancient city of Amisos, today the city of Samsun, located in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkiye. The individual ancient coins depict Zeus, the goddess of victory Nike, the god of war Ares, also Athena, Dionysus and other deities.

According to the expert opinion, the coins are movable cultural property within the meaning of the Cultural Heritage Act, of extremely high scientific and exhibition value, but are not typical for the territory of Bulgaria.

The protocol of acceptance of the coins was signed by two representatives of the Turkish Culture Ministry: Zeynep Boz, Director of the Department for Combating Illicit Trafficking and Burcu Ozdemir, Head of the Department for Combating International Trafficking.

The Turkish guests thanked the Bulgarian Customs Agency and related institutions, and pointed out that the cooperation between the two countries in this field can serve as an example of cultural heritage protection globally.