Swiss history, organized in tabs: Karl Louis, she draws from a folder: The Zurich 4 and 6, the first postage stamps of Switzerland, printed soon after the invention of the postage stamp in England. Then the double-Geneva, and, finally, the legendary Basel Dybli. When Louis told about the importance of these brands for the development of the modern industrial society, it quickly becomes clear that he lives for the stamps and not only with them.

Louis, together with a colleague, the Zurich auction house Corinphila, the buys for 100 years, stamps and auctioned off. It is a rock solid operating, with headquarters in Seefeld, in an industry that only comes very rarely in contact with the justice system. But now it is done. Louis is with his company, a witness in a bizarre dispute with the employees of the Prosecutor’s office of Zurich and the Federal criminal court. “The case is hugely important to us,” says Louis, “he could make the foundations of our business is out of the question.”

It is – of course – stamps. It comes to a request for assistance from Romania to the Prosecutor’s office of Zurich and, ultimately, to the question of what is regarded as cultural objects worthy of protection. Only statues from Egypt, or the paintings of Titian, but also historical stamps do not belong? Yes, my Romanian prosecutors. And have asked their Swiss colleagues to help.

ordinary business

it All began in 2013. At the time, a collector from Bucharest gave the Romanian stamps from the 19th century. A century at Corinphila in Commission. The value of these stamps Corinphila-in-chief Karl Louis calculated to be in the “low five-figure amount”. He knows the Romanians as a “very reputable” experts and assessors. The stamps were clearly his property. They were later auctioned in Zurich, especially buyers from abroad to the handles, Louis. It had been a normal business.

In Bucharest, but someone apparently had the Corinphila catalogue, and the Romanian distributor for the Romanian Prosecutor’s office reported: The stamps are national treasures, the export of Switzerland, therefore, illegal.

Today, four years later, there are still no court verdict. But the investigations in the industry for anxiety. The export ban could set a precedent, in fear of the dealer. In future the method could be called judges, and the stamp trade, possibly heavy damage. Although the Collecting of stamps does not apply today, just as the coolest Hobby, this trade is still considerable.

protect the value of a cultural asset is only if it is meaningful and singular.

the President of The Swiss stamp dealers Association, Jean-Paul Bach, estimates the annual trade volume to 100 million Swiss francs. The hold over the years is pretty constant. Stamps remain popular collectors ‘ items. The number of dealers had increased lately, says Bach.

That stamps are cultural goods, the cultural protection of Unesco in its first Convention in 1970. It also decided upon in 2003, the Swiss cultural property transfer act (KTGT) is invoked.

in the World were created in such laws, because they wanted to prevent further cultural Super-GAU as in Iraq or Afghanistan. There unique artifacts from the museums disappeared during the wars in the world, and appeared on the European art markets. If not for the robbery, so the legislature wanted to prevent, at least in the trade with the cultural patrimony of the humanity. On stamps, they did not think more.

“There is no reason for this opinion even to call.” Spokesman for state’s attorney of Zurich

There was no ban on the trade in cultural goods, and stresses Benno Widmer, head of the section of museums and collections of the Swiss Federal office for culture (BAK): “It’s just the conditions have to be met.” In Switzerland, this means that the cultural property must not originate from robbery or plunder. To protect it is only if it is meaningful and singular. On stamps this is the case: The controversial Romanian brands “, there are still four, five, maybe even six-digit numbers,” says Karl Louis.

However, A state had the right to determine, in the framework of the legislation itself, whether he value of a cultural asset, consider the importance of old stamps to protect, Benno Widmer. And, since the cultural goods transfer law is in force, could be given in Switzerland, the “dual criminality”. Thus, cross-border trade would also be considered an offence in Switzerland. “You have to examine each individual case,” says Widmer.

The Prosecutor’s office of Zurich examined the legal assistance request from Romania, in fact, declined in the first attempt, and took it almost two years later. The reason is a report from Romania, but have seen neither the prosecutors nor the attorney from Corinphila or the experts of the auction house ever was. The content had been played back are Essentially looking for in the legal aid, explains the spokesman of the Prosecutor’s office of Zurich: “There is no occasion to this opinion, even to call.”

court would have to clarify

The stamp dealer was therefore an objection to the publication of its documents to the Federal criminal court in Bellinzona: What is the Romanian collectors in his home for the Last placed will be in Switzerland, no Offence. Romanian stamps are not a significant cultural heritage and cross-border trade therefore need no special permits. The Federal criminal judge rejected the objection.

Charles Louis would have liked to see a clarification. Namely, a clarification of questions: What is actually particular value of the cultural property to protect? How is it exactly defined what is allowed to be between the countries traded? The transfer of cultural goods law leave open here a lot, a court could, on the basis of the current dispute clarity.

But that didn’t happen. “And so we have arrived at a point as 15 years ago”, says the managing Director of Corinphila auctions. For the Zurich district attorney’s office the case is closed for the time being. The Ball is now back in the Prosecutor’s office of Bucharest. You received the documents required by Corinphila in Switzerland and has to decide whether it collects in Romania indictment. The request of this newspaper, the prosecutors did not answer in Bucharest.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 24.03.2019, 19:27 PM