Barber charged with concealing ancient coins in Greece

A 70-year-old barber was arrested for stowing away 2,308 ancient coins in northern Greece.

Photo: Barber charged with concealing ancient coins in Greece

Police said the bronze coins believed to have been illegally excavated in the area were up to 2,300 years old, mainly from the Roman and Hellenistic periods. Several coins bore the heads of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian warrior king, and his father King Philip.

The man was arrested Sunday near the town of Veroia, 490 kilometers (305 miles) north of Athens. He has been charged with antiquity smuggling and taken into police custody.

Police said they searched the man's home and unexpectedly discovered the coins after he had been identified by two juvenile robbery suspects as the person who bought their stolen mobile phones and other items.

Under Greek law, all antiquities discovered in the country are state property.