Over 1,500 lots of ancient coins were illegally sold, generating a total turnover of approximately half a million euros . This was discovered by the Carabinieri of the Cagliari Cultural Heritage Protection Unit at the end of a comprehensive investigation into the illicit trafficking of national cultural heritage assets . The investigation led to the application of precautionary measures against several individuals accused of receiving stolen goods and illegally exporting coins of archaeological value. The operation involved the cities of Sassari and Bologna , where the military executed a precautionary seizure order issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Sassari Court. The order affected five of the seven people under investigation. The authorities preemptively seized the bank accounts used to collect the illicit proceeds, as well as other financial transactions, to cover the value of the proceeds subject to confiscation, estimated at approximately 250,000 euros.
The investigation, called " Numisma ," was launched in June 2022 by the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Cagliari. It all began with the identification, during an auction abroad, of 36 rare gold coins from the Sardinian-Byzantine era . Some specimens were easily recognizable because they had already been studied and published in 1996 by a well-known numismatist from Sassari, a detail that immediately raised suspicions that they had been smuggled out of Italy.
The investigations soon took on an international dimension: the coins were being sold in various countries around the world . Seizures were also carried out in Spain and Austria at specialized auction houses, which were found to be uninvolved in the events and unaware of the illicit provenance of the artifacts. According to investigators' reconstruction, between 2022 and 2024, the group placed over 1,500 lots of ancient coins on the Italian and international markets. Most, dating from the Punic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, were of archaeological interest and lacked provenance documentation. The total turnover is estimated at approximately half a million euros.
The illicit activity was allegedly carried out by several Sardinian collectors with the mediation of a numismatic expert. A former numismatic and philatelic dealer from Sassari was also involved, allegedly unlawfully placing ancient coins from illicit activities on the national and international market. The operation resulted in the recovery and return to the Italian state of approximately 4,000 ancient coins , including several gold coins . Among the recovered artifacts is a rare marble sculpture , attributable to a pagan cult from the Roman era and considered of particular cultural interest.
The investigation allowed the reintegration into the national heritage of objects held in public and private collections, whose owners were unaware of their illicit provenance, and also paved the way for new lines of investigation in Italy and abroad. This achievement was possible thanks to the collaboration between Italian and foreign judiciary, the Carabinieri, foreign police forces, and international cooperation organizations, as well as ongoing dialogue with archaeologists and numismatists from the island's Superintendencies. The use of the IT tools of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage was also crucial, including the Database of Illegally Removed Cultural Goods, the SWOADS database, and the Export Office's information system.
(Unioneonline)