[meteorite-list] Ot ebay reporting?

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:38 2004
Message-ID: <3EEA68EB.12E9F8EF_at_bhil.com>

Hi,

    You will note that nowhere in her listing does the seller claim that she
is selling elephant ivory, only "ivory." Ivory, of course, is any mammalian
tooth that's big enough to bother with. Since these pieces are 34mm in
diameter, it could be any critter with teeth that big.

    The sale of elephant ivory is legal in the US if the ivory was imported
before the ban commenced on 01-01-1973. I recently purchased a piece of
"legal" elephant ivory on eBay, a slab 1/8" x 5/8" x 4-1/2", for $16.50. It
came with papers like a pedigree dog, xerox of the import permit (with
date), affidavits from transferring sellers, the cutter, etc., all ready for
me to wave in the face of the Feds when they bust down the door with their
no-knock warrant, searching for pachyderm teeth.

    Walrus and especially mammoth ivories, which is by definition "fossil"
ivory, are much more expensive for some reason ($40 and $100, respectively,
for a piece the size mentioned above). Whale ivory would be more expensive
if you could find it.

    My guess is that the eBay seller is pitching water buffalo ivory, which
is cheap, plentiful, not endagered as a species, and easily obtainable in
Australia.

    So, what did I buy "real" ivory for? Not for a decorative purpose nor an
embellishment. I cut a bridge saddle for a super rare high quality guitar.
(The bridge saddle is that little strip of material the six strings rest
over before they are pinned down to the bridge; it and it alone transfers
the string sound to the face of the guitar, and nothing does that job like
ivory.) I even managed to use only half of the piece of ivory, so I have
enough left over for another bridge saddle, if I ever find another guitar
good enough to deserve it.


Sterling K. Webb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Freeman wrote:

> Dear List;
> Yup, antique, and/or pre early 70's is pre embargo (think it was 73). I
> have some.
>
> I seem to remember in the news in the past month or two that certain
> African nations are again able to sell (through government outlets) new
> ivory. The logic (through the UN...the most logical entity I
> know...Not), decided if the elephants were already poached and the ivory
> (numbering in the thousands of tons) was already harvested and the
> crooks paid with their lives that it was ok for the starving country to
> sell the ivory to help them out, instead of burning the large warehoused
> collections. I want to think that some of the moneys generated were
> earmarked to go back in to protection and game preserve work.
> Now if you want ivory, get some of the Mammoth ivory, or Walrus or other
> "old" ivories that can be had rather reasonably.
>
> So, depends when it was harvested and where
> .
> Dave F. (who was really honored to carve a small piece of pre embargo
> elephant ivory.)
>
> Sharkkb8_at_aol.com wrote:
>
> >
> > knudson911_at_frontiernet.net writes:
> >
> >> Is it not illegal to sale ivory on ebay?
> >
> >
> >
> > I believe that there is a "cut-off" date of when the ivory items were
> > produced. Since ivory was (unfortunately) a highly popular and
> > commercial product for jewelry for so long, and so many exquisite
> > antiques and family heirlooms, etc, existed before international
> > efforts to ban it came along, I don't believe it is illegal to sell
> > "antique" ivory. Only stuff produced since the bans have been enacted
> > - and I'm not sure exactly when that was. (But I betcha somebody will
> > come along momentarily....;-)
> >
> > Gregory
Received on Fri 13 Jun 2003 08:14:35 PM PDT