For Numismatic enthusiast like me, when we saw a title infront of today (12.12.2013) Star Newspaper "The Lost Treasure of Johor", it will make us want to read the article further.
The article is about artefacts and treasures from Johor that are sold at lucrative prices in a thriving black market trade. The trade, which has been going on secretly for the past 40 years, has been attracting private antique collectors and antique shop owners from both Malaysia and foreign countries, including from Singapore.
Here are little excerpt of the article, you can read the rest of it in Star Newspaper:
"A sad story of history being sold
KOTA TINGGI: Artefacts and rare coins originating from the old Johor Sultanate are being openly sold on eBay and through runners hired by private antique collectors.
Checks by The Star revealed that rare animal-shaped currencies including those resembling crocodiles, tortoises, roosters, fish, frogs, crabs and others were being sold illegally.
The bids for these types of animal currency on eBay start from between US$59.90 (RM190.36) and US$1,374.99 (RM4,369.72) depending on the condition and age of the pieces themselves.
There are at least two main sellers auctioning off the items via eBay which include pieces found in the Kota Tinggi river here."
Source: The Star.
What I don't understand is what the reporter mean by all the rare animal-shaped currencies were being sold illegally? Does he mean we can sell the item legally or do traders need to obtain some permit for selling animal-shaped currencies?
As far as I know and understand, any treasure that we found in Malaysia is a national treasure unless you already inform the authority and they said your item is not a treasure. Any object discovered after Malaysia National Heritage Act has been announced in 2005 shall be the absolute property of the Federal Government provided that where the object is discovered on an alienated land, compensation may be paid to the owner of the land.
According to Malaysia National Heritage Act 2005, "treasure trove" means any money, coin, gold, silver, plate, bullion, jewellery, precious stone or any object or article of value found hidden in, or in anything affixed to, the soil or the bed of a river or lake or of the sea, the owner of which is unknown or cannot be found, but does not include any tangible cultural heritage.
According to section 81 of the act, any person who, being the finder of any treasure trove, fails to report the same or to deliver up the treasure trove or to state the circumstances of the discovery or the origin of the same, or wilfully makes a false report of such circumstances or such origin commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both.
That Act sound like a very good act to protect our national treasure but I do think many of us (collectors) never heard any news about people who are being prosecuted under the act relating to any animal-shaped currencies yet.
Our National treasures has been sold openly for a very long time because there is no action by the authority. They're many foreign treasure hunters who came in Malaysia as a tourist and bring back our national treasure without being detected. When you go to oversea next time, you can try bring an antique vase with you and let see what happen. The authority at the entry point might be asking you about it but when you answer that it is a gift to a friend, they will let your antique vase go.
Singaporean are the main suspect in "the Lost Treasure of Johor" since their country is just few kilometers away from Johor but do the authority put their enforcement team at Johor entry point?
The main problem in this case is that they're lack of enforcement for our National treasure custody. The authority don't even have a list/pictures of animal-shaped currencies or any old Malaysia coins that are protected under the law. The list should be gazette and declared as a national treasure to protect them from being sold out from this country. The authority should have an enforcement team that are specialize in National treasure. Anyone who want to trade anything under the list should have some kind of permit and they must have a record of what they have for trade. Any online traders who are not registered should be bring to justice.
I don't think that kind of thing will be happening in Malaysia.
