At the Pogranichny checkpoint, Ussuriysk customs officers seized four Japanese Empire coins from the Meiji era from a 20-year-old foreign national who tried to take them to China without permits. Source: FCS Russia.
The man was travelling by coach with a tour group. During a suitcase inspection, officers found 1-sen coins dated 1874, 1877, 1881 and 1887.
He said he had bought them as souvenirs at a museum in Vladivostok and was unaware of the rules on exporting cultural property.
Expert examination confirmed the coins are more than 100 years old. The items were seized. Two administrative cases were opened under Articles 16.2(1) and 16.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences (non-declaration and breach of export restrictions); penalties include a fine and confiscation.
FCS Russia notes that individuals exporting cultural property for personal use need a permit from the Russian Ministry of Culture and a passenger customs declaration.
