Ivory legal questions

[Steve Grattan]

John McKone wrote:
> 
> Hi Gang.
> 
> Does anyone out there want to have a go at some of the legal issues
> surrounding ivory?
> 
> Specifically:
> 
> 1. Is it legal to sell old ivory keytops
> 
> 2. Is it legal to buy old ivory keytops
> 
> 3. Would it be legal to buy an old tusk found at an estate sale and cut new
> keys from it?
>      Would there need to be some certification that this was indeed old ivory?
>      (I have a source that has offered to do this for me,  but want to
> avoid both legal
>       AND ethical concerns.)
> 
> 4. What if I took an old ivory keytop to use as inlay on a guitar.  Is this
> illegal?  Does it mean I could never take the guitar out of the country.
> 
> 5.  Is it possibly illegal just to have the stuff lying around the shop?
> 
> Thought it might be nice if someone could clear this up for all of us.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> John McKone, RPT
> St. louis Park, Minnesota
> (612) 280-8375
> mckonejw@skypoint.com


John,  

To the best of my knowledge, the answers to your questions are...

1.  Yes

2.  Yes

3.  Yes  and not sure

4.  NOT ILLEGAL.  You probably would have trouble taking it to Canada. 
They will not even let us transport broken down pianos with ivory
keytops to Canada without filling out all kinds of forms and an impound
period.  (It isn't worth it)  If I sell/give an old upright piano to one
of our members in Sarnia that has ivory - we must remove all of it
before crossing the border.

5.  No.  I believe that they are only trying to stem the flow of
illegal, poached ivory to this country (and others).  Old, used ivory
is of no concern to the government in this country.  There are also
legal sources of NEW ivory in the US - at some pretty hefty prices
however.

Steve Grattan
lostchordclinic@ameritech.net