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Ancient Greek Coin to Be Sent Back to Greece from Switzerland

coin
Source: Greek Ministry of Culture

The Greek Ministry of Culture announced on Wednesday that the Greek state will receive a 6th century BC Greek silver octadrachm coin that had been illegally smuggled into Switzerland from Greece.
The coin, according to the Culture Ministry, hails from the ancient area of Visaltia, located in the region of Serres in Northern Greece, and was issued during the reign of King Mossi. The coin is considered of great value as it is made of silver, when the coins that have been attributed to that era have been bronze.
Source: Greek Ministry of Culture
Source: Greek Ministry of Culture

Greek authorities had come across the rare coin on a Swiss auction website back in 2009. Following the discovery, the Greek Culture Ministry pushed the Swiss authorities to order the coin’s return to Greece.
“The Zurich prosecutor ruled in favor of the Greek origin of the coin, as well as that it was the object of a crime (illegal excavation, illegal trafficking- export etc.). The court ordered the return of the coin to the Greek State, without any restrictions, thus giving a positive outcome to a legal case that began six years ago. The repatriation of the ancient coin will take place within September,” the Greek Culture Ministry’s statement reads.

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