Where to get ivory valued

pbarr

I have two ivory alligators about ten inches long that were given to me for a wedding present many years by an uncle that was a priest in Nigeria. I take it that they are genuine so I am wondering where could I get them valued....thanks.

Judgement Day

pbarr wrote: »

I have two ivory alligators about ten inches long that were given to me for a wedding present many years by an uncle that was a priest in Nigeria. I take it that they are genuine so I am wondering where could I get them valued....thanks.

If you're in Dublin, you could try O'Reilly's Auctioneers on Francis Street or Weldon's Auctioneers in Temple Bar. Contact details here: http://collectireland.wordpress.com/auctions-2/

chopper6

Finally at that October meeting of CITES after heated debates, the African elephant was put on Appendix One of CITES, and three months later in January 1990 when the decision was enacted, the international trade in ivory was banned

Unless Ivory is 100 years old or more it is illegal to trade it..as a result most antiques shops won't touch the stuff.

coylemj

chopper6 wrote: »

Unless Ivory is 100 years old or more it is illegal to trade it..as a result most antiques shops won't touch the stuff.

Not quite, 1947 is the cut-off. Wouldn't have known it but one of the experts mentioned it in the BBC2 'Flog it' program this evening when one of the punters turned up with an ivory walking stick he bought in a car boot sale.

Antique worked specimens of ivory acquired in their finished worked state before 3 March 1947 are covered by the antiques derogation (Article 62(3) of EC Regulation 865/2006) and may be used commercially without a certificate.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/files/cites-gn7.pdf

Wild_Dogger

...........and they must be worked items (i.e carved or engraved)

So a 19th ivory tusk in its natural untouched state would not be permissible for sale ......... as far as I know.

Technically they have no value at all under this law.

The laws may be reversed one day as there is a limit to the amount of elephants that can safely co exist in the African or Asian environment.

The human population explosion is the significant problem, it restricts the living quarters for elephants (who require expansive territory themselves)

Add to this the number of trees they mow down (bull in musth could destroy 10 trees) whilst eating up to 100lbs of vegetation daily.

When the elephant population return we could in fact see a cull and subsequent sale of modern tusk again.

coylemj

But there would be no way of telling the difference between ivory from legitimate culls and poachers so how could ivory ever be traded on an open market again?

I think wild birds' eggs fall into the same category - I could discover an abandoned nest with eggs in it where the parents had succumbed to predation, disease or starvation but the law still says that I cannot trade in the eggs or even take them home.

chopper6

coylemj wrote: »

But there would be no way of telling the difference between ivory from legitimate culls and poachers so how could ivory ever be traded on an open market again?

Without paperwork stating it's age etc it's impossible to tell and as such it shouldnt be bought.sold,imported or dealt with IMO.

Some guy on the antiques roadshow got his head taken off a while back fro bringing a couple of ivory carvings that purported to be from 18th century japan and were actually modern chinese reproductions...basically the expert said "we shouldn't be dealing with ivory AT ALL".

Wild_Dogger

coylemj wrote: »

But there would be no way of telling the difference between ivory from legitimate culls and poachers so how could ivory ever be traded on an open market again?

Unfortunately money is king .........

http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/zimbabwe-s-government-sells-stockpiled-ivory-raise-money-wildlife-conservation

They sell to the Asian markets where they get most money and the corruption in African governments is rotten to the core.

They continually apply to sell modern tusk by legal means..... and if this is not granted then you can imagine what goes on behind the scenes.