<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Philip,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>You wrote:</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>  <<Most countries allow importation of ivory = products made before the CITES <BR>Convention was signed (1974, I think). The = U.S. is the exception to this. It <BR>is legal, however, to buy and sell ivory = within the borders of the U.S. so <BR>long as it is not new.>><BR><BR>Dumb question:  Is it merely the *import*, and not the *export*, that is = problematic?  In other words, is it possible, for argument's sake, = to take a pre-1974 (but not century-old) ivory key-topped piano and ship it = from the US to another country, so long as the authorities in that = country are willing?  That is, would the US officials care one way or the other?  I have an acquaintance who may be relocating to = another country with a not-quite-century-old square grand.  I can't = imagine a beautiful square with plastic keytops!  Ick!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Peace,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sarah</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>... Perhaps if ivory came from donkeys = instead of elephants...  THEN the US government could care less.  <grin></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial = size=2><BR><BR> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>