Narwhal horn

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

Joined
Aug 6, 2007
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So what is the deal with Narwhal horn? Is it illegal, does it need to be obtained as old stuff not newly taken? Are Narwhals endangered? It is entrancing stuff, makes me think of the closest thing to unicorn horn...........
 
If you are Canadian it is good to go (for around $300/ foot starting price from what I found in the arctic). I believe it is difficult to get in the US, I remember hearing to stay far away from it a number of times.
 
Sam,
Narwhal is the most amazing ivory there is. It is a legally harvested product in Canada. In the USA, it can only be sold from pre-ban material ( Which has virtually dried up). I bought four tusks several years back. One five footer, and three that were from two to three feet, I have used or sold all but two handle pieces. I wish I had it all back, now.

Now, I am not advising you to smuggle anything across the border, but a cut up tusk fits easily in the car trunk or a suitcase. IIRC, you are only a couple hours from the border. Got any friends in Canada?
Stacy
 
In a regular car, there are thousands of places to hide your valuables. If you have a modded car, even more! If you have a ton of it, I say aim for in the dashboard or inside the seat lining.
 
Boone trading company has some that is legal preban. I saw 5 of them when I was at his shop. He wanted close to a grand a foot though.
 
narwhal, like walrus, is illegal to import into the US even though it is not listed in the "thou shalt not" category under CITES regs. The native folks on Hudson Bay harvest a number of narwhals(40-50 from what I have read) every year and sell the tusks. Mermaid Supply from Denmark had some GORGEOUS, poker straight pieces at Gembloux, but alas, it was not to be. The funny part is that most of the EU won't let you work even pre-ban elephant ivory (George Trumper, a old line mens barber and fragrance shop in London, got fined 10,000 pound for making some shaving brush handles from ivory that was over 100 years old....if you alter it in any way, it becomes illegal in the UK) , but you can trade in a lot of new stuff that isn't on the CITES list that is pretty much banned by US laws like the Marine Mammal Act.
 
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The problem started out hundreds of years ago when it was sold as unicorn horn !!
 
I think its kinda like the sperm whale teeth I have. They are well over 100 years old. Its not illegal to sell but it can't be sold across state lines. So I've just decided to hang on to it and someday make myself something special.
 
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