Bulgaria’s new law on cultural heritage is about to face one of its first tests in the prosecution of Dimitar Draganov, a professor in numismatics from the town of Rousse on the Danube.

On October 23, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said that prosecutors had accused Draganov of participation in an organised crime group specialising in illegal treasure hunting, intending to profit from selling archaeological findings.     

The case is notable because it is the first time that a professor esteemed as an expert in numismatics has been accused of such a crime. The news came two weeks after the new law’s deadline expired for all holders of archaeological findings to register them in court.

Draganov is a familiar face in numismatics circles in Bulgaria and abroad. Besides his work for the Archaeological Museum in Rousse, he has written a number of publications on the issue and, according to BNT, he is a member of the UK’s Royal Numismatics Society.

He is also manager of the Bobokovi Foundation of two Rousse-based business people, the brothers Plamen and and Atanas Bobokovi, who share a collection of coins, the reason for the accusations against Draganov.

The case started in 2008 when Draganov was among 19 people arrested in Rousse on allegations of illegal treasure hunting. Police found about 400 ancient coins, worth 370 000 leva, in Draganov’s home.

According to police, the coins were about to be sold abroad, with Draganov hired to record them as an expert. Draganov’s version of the story is different. He said that the coins were part of a collection owned by the Bobokovi Foundation and his job was indeed to register them as archaeological artefacts so that a catalogue could be compiled and a book written about them.  

"The whole thing started in the summer of 2007 when we registered the collection of Bobokovi brothers at the local museum, and had a major exhibition which was opened by President Georgi Purvanov."

"From that moment, speculation started about how we had come across the collection, where we got it from, and so on. Now I am glad that the case has reached the court phase, so that things can be settled once and for all," Draganov told BNT. According to him, the accusations were absurd.

"The collection which police confiscated from my desk, I received from the Bobokovi brothers with a protocol so that I can do research on it. I did so, and it won me the sole prize awarded at the 14th International Numismatic Congress held in Glasgow this past September," he said.

"This goes to show how our work with the Bobokovi brothers is viewed abroad," Draganov said. He confirmed that the collection was registered and declared at the museum in Rousse as well as with the Ministry of Culture.  

Prosecutors want to see the papers used by Bobokovi and Draganov to register the collection. According to BNT, the prosecutors’ case was that these papers could easily have been manipulated.

The schemes by which such things happen were described by Deputy Minister of Culture Todor Chobanov, who appeared on BNT on October 8.
He said that there were about 30 organised treasure hunting groups in Bulgaria which specialised in digging for archaeological artefacts which are then smuggled outside the country to be sold at auctions.

That way, when a Bulgarian decides to buy such artefacts at an auction abroad, he gets a document from the auction house certifying where he got the artefacts from. This made the import of such artefacts legal, Chobanov said.

However, according to a September 29 ruling by the Constitutional Court, holders of collections can use any possible documents (including those issued by auction houses abroad) to prove the origins of their collections.

The outcome of the case will beyond doubt serve as a precedent for a number of private collection holders who have used the same scheme to prove the authenticity of their collections. At this point, Draganov could be safe, as he could also use the provision of the five-year statute of limitations which would give him or the Bobokovi brothers the right to own their collection.    

Boom
As if to prove the importance of the issue, archeology in Bulgaria had one of its most successful seasons of discoveries this summer.  
On July 7, archaeologists found a well-preserved grave near the town of Sliven with valuable jewels dating back to the second century BCE.

A few days later, a Thracian sword, together with coins and other artefacts, was found in a stone grave near Bourgas when on July 16 professor Nikolai Ovcharov and his team struck gold in Veliko Turnovo, the last capital of the Bulgarian kingdom before it was conquered by the Ottomans. Ovcharov found the remains of what is believed to have been a patriarch’s monastery within the fortress.

Among the findings were a French royal ring with lilies on it and women’s jewellery from the 13th century. The ring was made in France, and together with other French-made artefacts found by Ovcharov, was proof of the French influence at the Bulgarian court as a result of the Crusades.  

August was a good month for Bulgaria’s numismatists after archaeologists discovered coins with the image of Byzantine emperor Basil II (976-1025), also known as the Bulgar-slayer.

The unique feature is that the coins had not been put into circulation, which was why they were in perfect condition. More coins were later found during excavations near Balchik and Kaliakra where a unique coin from the time of the last ruler of the Doubroudja principality in the 14th century was found. The coin was unique because it came from a small circulation of great quality.

One of the latest discoveries was the quarry used by Tsar Simeon I, who ruled from 893-927, in building his capital Preslav.