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What Is Cultural Property?

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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

 

Search Brown

 

 

Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]

The National Stolen Property Act as written in 1943, originally with the intention of preventing any stolen goods, ie cars etc. from being moved across state borders. It specifies that

"Whoever transports, transmits, or transfers in interstate or foreign commerce any goods, wares, merchandise, securities or money, of the value of $5,000 or more, knowing the same to have been stolen, converted or taken by fraud;"

is participating in criminal activity. The SPA was the first law to be used to determine whether the importation of cultural property was illegal in the US in the case of US v McClain in 1979.