Another example of political correctness gone mad, an eBay auction of a 5th Century Thracian coin with a swastika has been halted on the grounds that it was “hateful or discriminatory.”
The coin, being sold by one of Europe’s largest coin auction houses, was minted in the city of Apollonia Pontica, located in present-day Bulgaria.
According to an article in the Antiques Trade Gazette, eBay cancelled the auction on the grounds that the listing was “hateful or discriminatory.”
Munich-based auctioneer Numismatik Lanz listed the coin on the site earlier this month but was told it was classed among objects that “glorify or trivialize National Socialism” which eBay prohibits on its German site.
When the decision to remove the item was questioned—at which time bidding had reached €48—the auctioneer was told: “We are aware of the fact that the symbol on the article you have listed was also in use in other countries and during other periods.
“However, within the current legal framework, a swastika is considered to be an anti-constitutional icon and not allowed. We therefore had to remove your listing.”
Numismatik Lanz is a famous auction house devoted to rare coins and medals, as well as military decorations and numismatic books which has been in operation since 1947.
The banning of the coin because it has a swastika marks a new development in censorship in Germany, and sets a dangerous precedent for a vast number of ancient archaeological artifacts.
The swastika—originally a letter in the ancient Indio-European Sanskrit alphabet meaning “well-being,” can be seen in a vast array of ancient monuments, classical Greek and Roman artifacts, European and American architecture—and in pre-World War II popular culture.
Swastikas on a Sumerian bowl, 6000 B.C., and on a Greek gold disk, 8th century B.C.
A Minoan pottery piece from Crete, circa 3000 B.C., and an Artemis with swastikas. Greece, circa 700 B.C.
Swastikas on the Ara Pacis Augustae, Rome, 13 B.C.
Assorted 20th century uses of the swastika.