Ivory...?

viral

viral

Joined
Jan 20, 2013
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783
A friend of mine's father has some ivory that was his grandpas. It doesn't have any paperwork. Is there anyway that I can use it or get papers for it? Is it just trash? I live in Missouri.
 
What you want to do is get a paper from your friend. The paper should state that the ivory has been in the family since the 1950's ( or whenever) and was property from the estate of "John Smith" (his grandfather's name). A photo of the ivory piece should be attached or printed on the paper. He should sign the letter, and get it notarized. This is called a letter of provenance, and is good enough for ownership and later sales of any items made from the ivory. In states where the ivory has been made illegal, no paperwork will be good. MO is a pretty laid back place, and you will have no problems. Give a copy of the letter with any item you make from the ivory. Add to the bottom of the letter of provenance, "This ivory was made into a knife by "John D. Knifeguy" in 2016 and sold/given to "Fred D'new Owner" on 2/14/2016. Sign below that, and attach a photo of the knife.
 
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It is totally worthless. Probably illegal in Missouri.
I can use it in Minnesota. I will provide my address for shipping.
 
I know you are kidding, Karl. But you might find this interesting -

Several years ago a fellow found a walrus tusk in a basement he was cleaning out for a rental company. He was told to keep it. After some talk with folks who were anti-ivory, he was freaking out that the feds would be busting his door down any minute. He emailed me for advice on what to do. I jokingly made the same offer you did ... and he sent a response email asking for my shipping address. When it arrived, it was a large fossil tusk. The rest of the story is knife history.
 
Living in Los Angeles its a good thing I like to stick with my wood handles. If im not mistaken nothing ivory is legal here!
 
Heck, in California, you have to be careful about the word "Ivory". I bet some agent has confiscated a knife with a "pink ivory" handle. I wouldn't even risk using "ivory Micarta".
 
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Oh, haha. I thought there was an actual story rather than that just being a figure of speech. Guess I was just having a bad brain day.

Chris
 
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