A contractor I work with who knows I make knives offered me some elephant ivory yesterday. Apparently, his grandfather was a gunsmith and used it for grips, etc. Grandpa died in 1974 as a fairly old man and left the gunsmithing tools and supplies to the contractor's father, who recently gave it to the contractor. The contractor believes that Grandpa probably bought the ivory in the 1950's and 1960's. The contractor is willing to give me written documentation attesting to the source of the ivory, and believes that his father will also attest to the source.
My questions are: is this ivory legal to own or am I putting myself at risk; what is the value of good quality, legal ivory; what kind of proof is required to sell ivory?
I have shied away from ivory because I have never worked it, and because of the expense and legal issues. However, this may be a good opportunity for expanding my horizons and obtaining some high quality material.
All comments welcome.
My questions are: is this ivory legal to own or am I putting myself at risk; what is the value of good quality, legal ivory; what kind of proof is required to sell ivory?
I have shied away from ivory because I have never worked it, and because of the expense and legal issues. However, this may be a good opportunity for expanding my horizons and obtaining some high quality material.
All comments welcome.
