France recently seized an unannounced number of third century A.D. Roman gold coins as well as an ancient gold plate allegedly with a pedigree linking the material to the Lava Treasure... first encountered about 25 years ago when three Corsicans diving for sea urchins spotted gold in the shallow waters there... the official French national police statement released Oct. 27 in which it says, "This submerged treasure, identified as a maritime cultural asset, belongs to the state." ...As Ancient Coin Collectors Guild spokesman Wayne G. Sayles commented in the October 2010 issue of The Celator magazine, "[coins are] utilitarian objects...
