30 November, 2008

Crown Jewels


Selling the Crown Jewels on eBay. This woman tells a story that she could not have made up.



“I acquired this medallion in 1995. It came from accountant David Stevens of Rutland, VT. He got it from a diving expedition off the coast Anguilla. The claim had not even been filed yet, he did provide us the name of the ship and Captain. El Buen Consejo “70 guns”, headed by Julis de Urcullo. It sunk in 1772.


My boyfriend at the time, Scott Young, was working in construction, did a job for David and was rewarded for a job well done with 4 of these medallions. Scott gave one to me. I put mine in my banks safe deposit box, and it has been there ever since.


The link to El Buen Consejo: http://www.spanishgalleon.ai/


I believe the saint pictured to be St. Camillus de Lellis: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=265


I have found reproductions of this medallion for sale from 80-600 dollars.”


Does anyone in Anguilla remember the terms on which David Stevens and Bull Webster and their friends were permitted to excavate the ruins of Anguilla’s most famous shipwreck?


Does anyone even care that Anguilla’s crown jewels are being sold on eBay?


8 comments:

  1. The seller is correct - replicas of the medallions were made and sold legally, but all of the original 18th Century ones are the property of the people of Anguilla. Government has never sold any, so any old ones on the market are stolen property.

    The seller can't be expected to know that. But Dave Stevens certainly does.

    Can people intentionally deal in stolen property in Vermont and continue to be licensed by the State as CPAs?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Govt should investigate this cliam and if substantiated attempt to recover them for they belong to the people of Anguilla.Bull and Stevens should be proseuted if they were taken without premissino or undr the terms of the rules governing found treasures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Let's ask the Vermont Board of Public Accountancy. They say:

    For questions, e-mail or call:
    Patty Skinner 802 828-2837
    pskinner@sec.state.vt.us

    ReplyDelete
  4. I understand that Michel Faligant a Frenchman (owner of 'Cote Mer' restaurant in Island Harbour, former owner of Shoal Bay Scuba) was David Stephens business partner at the time and was heavily involved in the removal of these medallions. He lives on Anguilla, can he not be prosecuted?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michel Faligant can only be prosecuted if he committed a crime in Anguilla. I know of nothing he's done wrong here, other than his unfortunate choice of partners in the diving business.

    That company no longer exists, and has been struck off the register of companies.

    The present Shoal Bay Scuba is not the same people.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bull's last name is Bryan, not Webster. I believe he's first cousin to one of our elected Ministers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my, our poor Anguilla. Why do the rude ones continue to disrespect our beautiful and wonderful home and people? I've been living away since 1996, but oh how I love our Island. Why is it always the sons of the soil who rape our land? Sure the outsiders come to Anguilla and do their foul deeds, but only with the connivance of Belongers. Remember back 20, 30 40 years ago when we didn't even have running water or electricity except from an old Lister diesel? Rondy Webster has his tiny FM radio station; Another Cuthwin Webster ran a one channel TV station and held fund-raising fish fry events for generator fuel. There were good, pious and helpful outsiders who came to Anguilla then in those old days: Mr Haskins and his boys, the Cinnamon Reef Folks, Radioman and his wife The Colonel, Keith and Iris Lewis, The Postoffice Gentleman (who died right there in the new post office lobby and in the Fullness of his 80+ years doing what he loved best, making Anguilla's post stamps a money maker), Louis Bardfield and his wife and their ham radio bed&breakfast, Dear Aliceia Ballin and her late husband,and so, so many and others who loved the land and wanted nothing more than to be equal and family to Belongers. Oh yes, Hurricane Luis was a terrible thing, but remember how so many of the folks whom we cursed as being intruding white foreigners did everything they could with sweat, money and their own property to help out the rest of us. NOW LOOK AT US TODAY: Dying, abused dolphins swimming in their own waste, gang-banging evil rude boys with pistols, killing and raping; crooked elected officials whose sliming and conniving is destroying our previous pristine reputation as being "The Tourist Heaven". Shame on ALL of US and may Our Dear Lord have precious mercy upon our poor Anguilla.

    ReplyDelete
  8. For the latest developments see:

    FBI

    http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel09/anguilla_060209.htm


    Artinfo

    http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/31627/fbi-returns-medallions-plundered-from-18th-century-shipwreck/

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.