Buying coins from France .. OK

[TomGoodheart]

Apparently it is interdite (prohibited) to send coins by post in France. As of 21 May this year.

Original decree here for anyone who wants to read it (in French): L'insertion de billets de banque, de pièces et de métaux précieux [inclusion of bank notes, money and precious metal] est interdite dans les envois postaux [in postal communications is prohibited], y compris dans les envois à valeur déclarée, les envois recommandés et les envois faisant l'objet de formalités attestant leur dépôt et leur distribution.

Which is a bit of a pain for companies like CGB.fr who deal in .. coins. Fortunately they have taken the sensible decision that rather than close down and make all their staff redundant, they will just ignore it.

"We will not apply this law which is backwards and perverse. To do so would mean the immediate closure of cgb with the loss of twenty-five jobs as over the counter transactions without mailing represent less than 1% of our turnover" (If anyone can improve upon my translations, please do!)

As for what this means for people who sell a coin to someone in France and then post it to them ... I have no idea!

Hmmm. What a mess.

Edited June 13, 2013 by TomGoodheart

[davidrj]

Apparently it is interdite (forbidden) to send coins by post in France. As of 21 May this year.

Original decree here for anyone who wants to read it (in French): L'insertion de billets de banque, de pièces et de métaux précieux [inclusion of bank notes, money and precious metal] est interdite dans les envois postaux [in postal communications is forbidden], y compris dans les envois à valeur déclarée, les envois recommandés et les envois faisant l'objet de formalités attestant leur dépôt et leur distribution.

Which is a bit of a pain for companies like CGB.fr who deal in .. coins. Fortunately they have taken the sensible decision that rather than close down and make all their staff redundant, they will just ignore it.

Démence !

[scott]

this probably completly destroys the value of my 1958 50 franc as well

but why?

Edited June 13, 2013 by scott

[TomGoodheart]

this probably completly destroys the value of my 1958 50 franc as well

but why?

The CGB blog suggests that this follows on from the French post office's decision last year to restrict carriage of 'Declared Value' items (which I presume equates to British Registered Post or insured post). Items over 750 euro in value can apparently only be collected from main post offices.

Why? The Post Office does not want to put their employees lives at risk, says Michel Prieur of CGB.

He goes on to say "This is the famous French method, stop everything and nothing bad happens! Always the same logic: let cars only go 5 mph and there will be zero deaths on the road! Stop all activity and there will be no fraud! All die and no one will be sick!"

If my and Google's translation skills are up to speed.

Edited June 13, 2013 by TomGoodheart

[scott]

so THAT is why the french are always on strike.

[TomGoodheart]

so THAT is why the french are always on strike.

I think I'd strike too if my paycheck was always in the post but never delivered!

[numismatist]

I saw a Royal Mail warning a while back saying,if you send an item worth over

£2500.00 by special delivery they threaten to sue you for putting post office

staff at risk . The large auctions and bullion dealers send out large sums by

Royal Mail and I presume insure the packets privately, but I wonder if they

know its illegal according to Royal Mail.

[Rob]

I saw a Royal Mail warning a while back saying,if you send an item worth over

£2500.00 by special delivery they threaten to sue you for putting post office

staff at risk . The large auctions and bullion dealers send out large sums by

Royal Mail and I presume insure the packets privately, but I wonder if they

know its illegal according to Royal Mail.

Sounds typically nonsensical given they keep far more than that in post offices to pay out in benefits. As this removes the uncertainty as to whether there is sufficient money to make a robbery worthwhile, why don't they close those down as well?........ Oh, they are.

Also sounds like a stereotypical public sector response. I received a reprimand for filling a van up too quickly while I was a student - this van takes 10 minutes, this one 25 etc. Very depressing if you aren't of the right mindset.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Rob

[TomGoodheart]

I saw a Royal Mail warning a while back saying,if you send an item worth over

£2500.00 by special delivery they threaten to sue you for putting post office

staff at risk . The large auctions and bullion dealers send out large sums by

Royal Mail and I presume insure the packets privately, but I wonder if they

know its illegal according to Royal Mail.

Because of course anything £2499 or less is of no interest to people who knock over grannies for their purses, steal dvd players or nick vodka from corner stores to sell for harder drugs?

Very depressing if you aren't of the right mindset.

Oh, even with a left mindset, I find it depressing Rob!