Moderators: MichelleH, Minimalist, JPeters
I personally am looking forward to the write-up from an archaeological angle.Odyssey likely will return to the same spot for more coins and artifacts.
"We have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed," Odyssey CEO John Morris said. "We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance."
Starflower wrote:Not exactly a lot of archaeological info, more on the lines of salvage, but still interesting.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wire ... asure-ship
I personally am looking forward to the write-up from an archaeological angle.Odyssey likely will return to the same spot for more coins and artifacts.
"We have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed," Odyssey CEO John Morris said. "We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance."
Star
From this New York TimesKevin Crisman, an associate professor in the nautical archaeology program at Texas A&M University, said salvage work on shipwrecks constituted “theft of public history and world history.”
He said the allure of treasure hidden under the sea seemed to blind the public to the ethical implications. “If these guys went and planted a bunch of dynamite around the Sphinx, or tore up the floor of the Acropolis, they’d be in jail in a minute,” Mr. Crisman said.
From the Los Angeles Times:George Bass, an archaeologist at Texas A&M University who specializes in shipwrecks, said he is skeptical of such early estimates, especially when so little information has been provided. "Very often, it's exaggerated because, of course, they need to get financial backers," he said.
I was feeling very sarcastic when I quoted them. 
I was under the impression the hunters sold the stuff off, and then gave a percentage of the proceeds to the government.Digit wrote:It's not like it sounds though Charley. The museums get the stuff they want you get cash, so in effect the the museum/state buys the stuff which you have to declare, and as soon as you do the archaeologists move in. Many interesting sites have been discovered by amateurs in this way.
Now if the government, or some wealthy philanthropist bought the whole batch of coins, keeping the collection together, and had them curated into a museum, I'd have no qualms about the deal.Progress was slow, but in 2002 the company signed an agreement with the government of the United Kingdom to explore the wreckage of the Sussex, an English warship that sank off the coast of Gibraltar in 1694. The gold onboard has been estimated to be worth hundreds of millions. Odyssey and the British government will split any proceeds.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la- ... ome-center
I see what your saying, and if it's true that the coins are well represented in government holdings, museums, etc...and if the government or private philanthropists don't wish to fund and curate the assets, then selling the pieces on e-bay, basically, might be the best deposition of the antique coins.Digit wrote:Different case Charley, that was at sea. If my memory serves correctly the vessel was British but not in British waters so technically the loot was owned by the insurers or who ever succeeded them. As the government saw it in that case, it's make a deal with the salvers and take some of the loot.
Usually in these cases the salvage has monetary value but little of archeaological interest. A case some years ago was a vessel full of early Chinese porcelain that had a high monetary value amongst collectors but was well represented in national and private collections, so the government licenced salvers to recover what they could and took a cut. The government's cut is determined by the salvage value, minus costs, so that both sides make a profit.
On land you inform the proper people and the article is valued and either retained by the nation, and the value paid to the finder, or the finder is allowed to retain it if the nation does not wish to have it.
This encourages exploration and ensures that the proper protocols are adhered too.
