Mexico’s cultural ministry has identified 195 pre-Hispanic archaeological objects listed for sale on eBay by a user based in the US. The ministry has called on the internet auction platform to remove the listings and return the items to Mexico, arguing that their sale is illegal.
The case came to light last month in a post on X by Mexico’s secretary of culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, who said that experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) had reviewed the listings associated with the eBay seller Coins Artifacts (based in Orlando, Florida) and determined that the objects form part of Mexico’s cultural heritage.
Curiel de Icaza also shared on social media the formal letter sent to eBay, urging the company to “immediately suspend the sale and return the items to the Mexican government”. She added that the export of these items has been prohibited since 1827 and that their presence outside the country “results from illicit extraction”.
The letter also states that legal action has been initiated with the relevant authorities in relation to the sale with the aim of securing the repatriation of the artefacts through diplomatic and legal channels. It describes the objects as an “invaluable legacy of ancestral cultures and national history”.
INAH—the Mexican government agency responsible for researching, preserving and protecting the country’s heritage—confirmed to The Art Newspaper that its legal department had filed a complaint with the the office of Mexico’s Attorney General and notified its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Interpol and US authorities including Homeland Security Investigations in an effort to halt the sale. A spokesperson for INAH added that the agency “maintains a policy of confidentiality regarding certain details of the investigation so as not to hinder the legal repatriation process”.
This confidentiality extends to a key point: the nature and details of the 195 objects have not been publicly disclosed, making it difficult to determine which of the thousands of items on Coins Artifacts’ eBay storefront are under investigation or whether any remain for sale.
Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s secretary of culture Courtesy the Secretariat of Culture of the Government of Mexico
The Coins Artifacts account has sold more than 230,000 items on eBay, has around 7,800 followers and holds a 100% positive-feedback rating. Active since 2010, it is designated by the platform as a “top-rated seller”.
Contacted by The Art Newspaper, the seller gave his first name as Tom but declined to provide his surname. He said he was unaware of the case and asked for a translation of the Mexican government’s statement. In later messages, he defended the legality of the sales, stating that all items had been acquired from a private collection in Nevada, previously owned by David Harner of Arkansas in the 1950s and 60s. “It’s all legal,” he said.
“All of these items were purchased legally with full provenance from Arte Primitivo,” he added, referring to the gallery in Manhattan. “They are all legal to buy and sell in the United States. If you have not done so already, I suggest you research the laws regarding items that entered the United States before international treaties were signed. None of these treaties or agreements are retroactive.”
He also said: “The Mexican government is trying to intimidate and shame people on social media into returning items they have no legal right to repatriate.”
An eBay spokesperson told The Art Newspaper that the platform “does not allow the listing or sale of antiques and artefacts that cannot be legally sold” and that it works with government agencies to identify and remove suspicious listings. The company’s spokesperson added that it is “working with relevant authorities” to investigate the listings flagged by Mexico’s secretary of culture and that it will take action if they are found to violate its policies, including removing listings and suspending seller accounts.
However, when the seller was asked whether he had been contacted by eBay following the letter, he suggested otherwise, saying that “they get these letters all the time”.
According to eBay’s policies, listings of artefacts, fossils and antiquities must comply with all applicable laws, while “looted or stolen goods” are explicitly prohibited. Listings of antiquities are also required to include provenance information. However, the company states that it cannot independently assess the authenticity of items or the legality of their sale, placing responsibility on sellers to ensure compliance. (In what is perhaps the most famous and glaring example of stolen art trading hands on eBay, in 2023 it was discovered that a longtime curator at the British Museum had stolen thousands of objects from museum storage and sold them via the website since 2016.)
The present case is the latest in a series of efforts by the Mexican government to counter the international trade in pre-Hispanic archaeological objects. In recent months, authorities have also raised concerns about similar sales on Facebook Marketplace and have condemned an auction of Mexican artefacts planned by the French auction house Millon.
