Antique dealers’ hat designs were “spoiled” by THE GREEK POLICE.and specifically the Department of Cultural Heritage and Antiquities of the Directorate for the Protection of Property Rights, Cultural Heritage and the Environment.
He planned and executed a large-scale operation that took place in the early hours of yesterday, Thursday, in Megara, Pefki and Oinofyta, which led to the successive identification of three people who illegally possessed ancient movable monuments.
It was preceded by the use of information and a thorough investigation, during which a police officer managed to infiltrate their environment and arrest them, posing as a buyer of the valuable monuments in their possession, planning a purchase and sale meeting in a point on the Athens-Patras highway.
Against the three men, aged 54, 69 and 52, detained as part of the operation, a case was opened – depending on the case – for setting up a criminal organization, violating legislation on antiquities and weapons.
From the physical and home searches carried out on the owners of the antiquities, the following were found and confiscated:
- The rare gold coin, Staters of Ptolemy I of Egypt, from the 4th century BC. with a diameter of 18 millimeters and a weight of 8.5 grams.
THE GREEK POLICE.
- Kouros trunk measuring 50 X 34.5 centimeters
- Marble female figurine 33 cm high in two pieces
- Brass ring 7 cm in diameter
- Two rings, one with a swastika on the sling and the other with intertwined snakes engraved with the inscription “MYRTALE”
- Danaki, with one side representing an eight-pointed star and the other side inscribed “WE THE CELESTIAL GENERATION MYRTALIS”
- Icon representing Saint Onupfrios and Saint Spyridon and dated 1830
- Book entitled “Greek points and their values” and
- Barrel, hunting rifle and revolver.
The seized antiquities were shown to an archaeologist from the West Attica Ephorate of Antiquities and a numismatist in relation to the rare ancient coin, who opined that they fell within the protective provisions of the legislation for the protection of antiquities and were subsequently handed over for safekeeping and final evaluation to the Archaeological Museum of Megara and the Numismatic Museum of Athens.
The cultural, historical and artistic value of the gold coin (Statira of Ptolemy I of Egypt) is remarkable, as it is a solid and uncast coin that is extremely rare, as there are only 7 of this type in the world.
Likewise, the trunk of the kouro is a piece of ancient statuary of incalculable value. As an indication, it is mentioned that an attempt was made to sell a corresponding part of the kouro at an auction in America for an amount of 20 million dollars.
The detained people were taken to the Athens Criminal Prosecutor’s Office.