National Customs Agency

Rescued from contraband traffic 897 ancient coins and archaeological values were handed over by the Territorial Directorate Bourgas Customs to the Bourgas Regional Historical Museum. The procedure includes a tripartite protocol between representatives of TD Bourgas Customs, Ministry of Culture and Regional History Museum Bourgas.

The cultural-historical values are confiscated in favor of the state after criminal proceedings have ended and sentences have entered into force. By order of the director of the National Customs Agency, they are provided free of charge to the Ministry of Culture, according to Art. 239, para. 5 of the Customs Law. The Ministry of Culture, in turn, provides them to the Bourgas Regional Historical Museum for storage and preservation.

The ancient coins and archaeological finds were detained by the customs officers of the Kapitan Andreevo BCP in the period 2019-2021. They were found during four separate customs inspections of three trucks and one bus with passengers entering the country from Turkey. Among the cultural values saved are gold coins from Constantinople and Venice, ancient coins, rings, earrings, ancient arrows and other archaeological finds.

When handing them over to the museum, the deputy director of TD Bourgas Customs Krasimir Fuchedjiev and the director of the Regional Historical Museum Bourgas Milen Nikolov emphasized the good interaction and cooperation between the institutions and the successful joint work.

The director of the museum Milen Nikolov thanked the customs officials and pointed out that thanks to their work, Bourgas is the only city in the country with a permanent museum exhibition "Saved Treasures", which includes many cultural values and works of art saved by the customs officials. The coins and archaeological values now handed over to the museum are a new treasure, among them are some of the earliest minted coins in the world, pointed out Nikolov

The detained 897 coins and archaeological values date from different periods - from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Their authenticity was established by the experts in court cases, and their total assessment for the needs of the judicial system is about BGN 250 000, but the experts define them as movable cultural assets in the sense of the Law on Cultural Heritage with high scientific and exhibition value.