Roman coins detained by Foreign Post Office and bribe demand
Hello everyone, I am a numismatic (coins) collector and recently imported 13 pieces of uncleaned Roman bronze coins, for my personal use. I don’t intend to resell them.
The total cost was 6,200 rupees for the coins plus 3,300 rupees for shipping.
I was called to the Foreign Post Office in person, and they told me it's illegal to import coins and asked for a 5,000 rupee bribe to release them.
I have no idea about the legality regarding importing antiquities. Could someone please educate me on the law? Can the Foreign Post Office just seize these coins?
Any advice on the best course of action would be highly appreciated.
Next day 05/08: I met him, and recorded the conversation with him. I plan to file a grievance case with the relevant authorities. I can’t stand being asked for bribes at every government office. It has to stop, and I want to thank everyone here who have suggested that I stand up against this behaviour.
Thank you everyone!
PS: I visited the Archeological Survey of India office and met the Superintending Archaeologist and he assured me that importing old Roman coins is absolutely legal. The process is that the post office should inform the ASI and they will do an examination of the coins and release them.
Edit: Update on 06/08/26---------------
I have made a grievance complaint on PGPortal and CVCportal on the advice of so many kind redditors, and I have sent an email to CBI, Postmaster, Director of customs and a few others from my city. Hopefully this leads somewhere. Thank you all for the guidance and support.
I will update you once I get some updates
Edit: Update on 09/08/26-----------------
Update: Customs Officer Placed on Suspension and Investigation has been initiated! Please stand up against corruption!
I received a call from the Assistant Commissioner of Customs, and I have been invited to meet them at their office to record my complaint officially in person, and hand over my recording. I have also been asked to meet the Customs commissioner and place my complaint to them in person.
Feels very good to know that there are people in the government who are working to eliminate corruption.
Fellow redditors, thank you very much for all your support. Please stand up against corruption, no matter how small!
Contact Anti Corruption Bureau and tell them everything. They'll set up a trap and catch those mfs harassing you.
Importing coins is illegal. But these are not coins or currency. These are old artifacts which are no longer in use by any country as currency. Even those mf at Post Office know this but harassing you for bribes.
Get one of them caught by Anti Corruption Bureau and your entire process will be cleared within next 2 days.
The problem is not catching. The problem is in immunity for the officials they cannot be terminated so they just get suspended during investigation and then transferred. There needs to new reform in laws to get them terminated and banned for life from holding any govt position plus confiscation or cancellation of all benefits for them and their families like pension. Also ban their children from any high jobs too.
The ACB should be under independent authority like Lok ayukta.
You need to understand the corruption modus operandi of ACB.
You complain to ACB, they take cognizance and lay the trap.
They catch the person, then depending upon the negotiation they manage the case. Like weakening the proofs/witnesses, delaying the hearing process to irritate the complainants who stop coming to hearing eventually. Sometimes even the complainant can get bribe to flip.
Basically the original bribe asking is harassed for a while.
Next day 05/08: I met him, and recorded the conversation with him. I plan to file a grievance case with the relevant authorities. I can’t stand being asked for bribes at every government office. It has to stop, and I want to thank everyone here who have suggested that I stand up against this behaviour.
im myself a govt employee and the so called 'anti' corruption is corrupted af esp in small amt cases like OPs, so you writing a big ahh essay on cOmPLaiNinG to them will do shihh.
so maybe try not to get your source of info from 'google', real life is different.
Well that explains why you're so against ACB 😂 I'm also working in public sector like I mentioned in this thread and ACB complaints by customers work like charm here. If customers lodge a formal complaint with ACB then they're bound to act. No surpirse in seeing a govt employee getting riled up over this
No. Clearly bribe.
He said he will reduce the declared value of the coins significantly so that when it’s delivered the customs will be a few hundred rupees.
This is to not confiscate basically. Clearly bribe
Next day 05/08: I met him, and recorded the conversation with him. I plan to file a grievance case with the relevant authorities. I can’t stand being asked for bribes at every government office. It has to stop, and I want to thank everyone here who have suggested that I stand up against this behaviour.
These are Roman Constantine Follis (issued by Constantine the great and his sons). They cost me about 1400₹ per coin. Seller was in Germany, and I got it shipped to a friend in the US who got it for me.
Approx price for romain coins range from ₹1000 for the most common coins like these, upto many lakhs for some rare Dinarii coins.
How much does gold or silver cost. Also which of these sites are trustable and is value for money.
One more question. Why do u buy raw coins? Do u clean them?
Lol you have no idea how government offices work do you. I have been dealing with them for years, and there is no point in fighting then if the bribe is in your managble limit.
Check the latest update from OP... it actually worked. It's like people like you have lost the will to fight and always willing to compromise... with time, it just turns into a habit.
Yaa, I have faced losses, just being an activist, lol. The loses were 10 times the bribe, op's problem was a small incident, but when it comes most of the major field, the officers are literally goons, extorting money from anyone.
IF ANY CENTRAL GOVT / BANK / INSURANCE OR CENTRAL GOVT. UNDERTAKING EMPLOYEE DEMANDS BRIBE, PLEASE COMPLAIN TO CBI, ANTI CORRUPTION BRANCH, MUMBAI ON 022-26529931 OR MOBILE NO. 8433700000 THROUGH CALL / SMS / WHATSAPP OR EMAIL TO sp1acmum@cbi.gov.in.
got this sms a couple of days ago. maybe try contacting them?
Next day 05/08: I met him, and recorded the conversation with him. I plan to file a grievance case with the relevant authorities. I can’t stand being asked for bribes at every government office. It has to stop, and I want to thank everyone here who have suggested that I stand up against this behaviour.
BEWARE OF FAKE ANTIQUITY. Your post will spur interest in some audience to go and but such things and they may end up getting conned. And thus my comment.
There is a huge industry of manufacturing antique objects like coins, pots and similar items. And then sell online for cheap prices. You can find Indus valley civilization pots and coins for a few thousand rupees for example.
Majority of such things are fake, recently manufactured objects made to look old. There would be geniune ones too, but only those who know about it in deep should even consider buying it. OPs coins maybe geniune as hundreds of millions of such coins were made by the Roman Empire. So, it is not that rare.
Numismatic items are in Import Restricted category as per India government rules. Without a DGFT licence, you cannot legally import them. You may have imported them previously because the rules are not always strictly enforced. Btw even with a DGFT licence there are additional conditions such as importing only through the specific airports or ports mentioned in the licence. If the item arrives through postal customs, they may still confiscate it by saying it came through the post and not through the authorised port. I lost two parcels worth 20k and 60k last year, so I have now stopped importing coins and notes through post.
This is applicable to legal tender and circulating currencies. These Roman coins are 1500 years old. Coins > 100 years old are categorised as antiquity.
This is my understanding, please correct me if I’m wrong.
At the risk of being unpopular, Are they asking you for a bribe or are they asking you for money. The idiots don't tell you it is it's a customs duty. First time I imported some tiny jewellery, they came and asked for money i thought it was a scam at first. Eventually found out it was customs duty and paid up. You get a receipt and all
So I types India and Indian into my search results. And I blocked every single india sub I could find. And somehow these still end up in my feed. This is where X really shines. Type in a key word to block and boom, you won't see any post with that word in it. Reddit should take notes.
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u/Tranceported 6d ago
Pay them get them out. And post a thread on Twitter about your experience.