Richard Beale is also accused of selling the Sicily Naxos silver coin worth $293,000īeale is also accused of falsifying the provenance of the Sicily Naxos silver coin, which he sold at the same auction for $293,000.īeale allegedly bought five freshly looted coins from a convicted antiquities trafficker in 2018, which he then sold with the false provenance “from a private Canadian collection” through Roma Numismatics. In addition, Beale and Italo Vecchi allegedly offered 100,000 Swiss francs to an informant to sign the false provenance documents before the auction, which the informant declined. However, he claimed it was the first and only time he had done so. In 2020, he listed the coin for sale in a Roma Numismatics auction with a provenance that said it was “from the collection of the Baron Dominique de Chambrier.”Īccording to Special Agent Brenton Easter, Richard Beale admitted to paying for the Eid Mar coin’s provenance. In 2015, Beale tried to sell the coin at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, claiming it was from an old Swiss collection. Interestingly, US customs had detained Vecchi in 1992 for smuggling ancient Greek coins into the country. Co-conspirator: Italo Vecchiīeale allegedly received the Eid Mar coin in 2014 from Italo Vecchi, his ‘co-conspirator’ in the case. “He was like a bolt of lightning,” Martin added to his statement to ARTnews. Within a year, he was selling coins worth millions of pounds, which took the industry by surprise, according to Christopher Martin, the chairman of the British Numismatic Trade Association. Read More: Moaning about Unfair Pay in the Roman Army Richard Beale, a former captain in the British Army and a Durham University graduate, founded Roma Numismatics in 2008 – despite having little previous involvement in coin dealing. If convicted, he may face up to 25 years in jail.
The charges come in addition to eight other counts since January. Read More: Found: 1,600 Year Old Sword That Belonged to a Roman SoldierĪs a result, authorities charged him with Grand Larceny in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree. The document made it appear more valuable and allowed him to sell it for a higher price. Richard Beale, 38, allegedly falsified the Eid Mar gold coin’s ‘provenance’ or ownership history documents. With falsified documents, Beale was able to sell the coins for a huge sum. Reportedly, he falsified ownership history document records (also known as ‘provenance’) of the two ancient coins he sold. Richard Beale, the owner of the London-based auction house Roma Numismatics could face up to 25 years in jail.īeale, the owner of Roma Numismatics, is now facing multiple charges.
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