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From the lens Collecting Ivory Carvings!.

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  • mark-gronemeyer-7 May 27, 2012 @ 6:05 pm | delete
    Has anyone seen a carving like this ?
  • JerryB May 27, 2012 @ 6:47 pm | delete
    Sorry Mark, but your pics are not showing up. You can send me a pic through the "contact lensmaster" button above and I can post it.
  • Mark May 27, 2012 @ 5:58 pm | delete
    Has anyone seen a carving like this ?? I think it's a sperm whale tooth but I have never seen a similar one.
  • Alice May 26, 2012 @ 7:17 pm | delete
    I have a carved ivory incense burner which I want to sell. I don't know what animal it is from or how old it is. My mother bought it almost 30 years ago. It has 2 Chinese symbols/characters on the bottom (again, not sure if it's Chinese - could maybe be Hindi, and I don't know if the symbols are words or maybe the artist's initials). Without knowing the animal, the age, or even what culture it came from, I have no idea what to even classify it as.
  • JerryB May 26, 2012 @ 7:23 pm | delete
    If you have a picture, I can post it. If it is only 30 years old, you may have problems with selling it unless you have proper paperwork. There are a lot of rules regulating ivory since the seventies. See articles above.
  • Alice May 27, 2012 @ 6:22 am | delete
    Thanks. The age is one of the problems since it does not have paperwork. Just because my mother purchased it 30 years ago doesn't mean the piece is only that old - it could have been made 200 years ago for all we know. I think I read your email on another post so I guess I'll send the pics there since I don't see an attach option on this posting screen. Thanks again!
  • Dave May 11, 2012 @ 3:09 am | delete
    I have two pieces of carved ivory, acquired in 1968, in DRC? What hoops do I need to go through in order to sell them?
  • JerryB May 11, 2012 @ 8:32 pm | delete
    You shouldn't have any problems with ivory that is that old. Last year I bought a scrimshawed tooth at a garage sale.
  • Dave May 11, 2012 @ 10:11 pm | delete
    It is my understanding that documentation may be required - I don't have any, other than my stamped passport indicating date I exited the Congo.
  • JerryB May 11, 2012 @ 11:04 pm | delete
    There are a couple of links above in the section named "Laws Governing Ivory". You can go to the Cites website and find the information that you need. I can try checking on the laws for your state if you want to let me know what state you live in.
  • dan porter May 4, 2012 @ 3:39 am | delete
    i have a bear head carvedalmost identical with pink tongue andteeth protruding out old piece with tiger eye eyes and onyx nose intrequite carved hairs probley same carver wheredid you get these tiger cups?
  • Kevin May 3, 2012 @ 2:30 am | delete
    While going through my father's estate I found what appears to be two sperm whale teeth, one polished and one raw, neither carved. I have read about a few ways of testing for authenticity, the only one I am equipped to attempt is the "hot needle" test, which I have yet to try. If they turn out to be genuine I am concerned about the legality of owning and selling them. My father served in the US Navy in the pacific from the 1940's to the '70's, he also came from a seafaring family in Massachusetts. Other than that, I don't know how I could establish provenance. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have on how to proceed.
  • JerryB May 5, 2012 @ 7:47 am | delete
    Sounds like your teeth should be ok but you might check out this link to read more about it and get links to check into it further.
    "19th and 20th century scrimshaw, scrimshaw crafted before 1989 (elephant) or before 1973 (sperm whale ivory, walrus ivory etc.) is legal. It is prohibited after that year for commercial import in the U.S. under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
  • Julie Apr 10, 2012 @ 3:40 pm | delete
    I have two ivory or bone japanese figurines of a geisha woman holding a basket of fish and a man blowing into a large shell with a rope of shells hanging around his neck. They are not plain, but have color. They stand approx. 16 inches tall and are mounted onto a wooden stand. On the bottom, it says made in Italy. Engraved on the bottom is something written in Japanese.
  • JerryB Apr 21, 2012 @ 1:20 pm | delete
    Are you looking to sell? Don't know that they would be ivory if they are marked "made in Italy". Are you certain that they are not resin?
  • Andy Mar 19, 2012 @ 3:58 am | delete
    I am a collector and have acquired about 50 kg of raw ivory tusks coming from a hunter in South Africa. The tusks are CITES registered and they were obtained in 1980's. What documents must i provide to take the tusks out of South Africa to an EU airport, so that my collection will not be confiscated? Any hints will be helpful, since google does not provide a clear answer.
  • JerryB Mar 19, 2012 @ 11:53 am | delete
    There is a link near the bottom of the above section titled "Laws Covering Ivory". If you click on it, you should be able to find the info that you need.
  • Kristi Turner Mar 8, 2012 @ 1:36 pm | delete
    I have 2 Cribbage boards made from one sperm whale tooth (I believe) cut into 2 halves with scrimshaw on them. One is Eskimos harpooning a whale from a canoe and the other is harpooning a seal on the ice from a canoe maybe from Alaska? i would like to sell these as they were given to me by my Grandmother in 1971 and she is gone now. Can you advise me who to contact for selling? I live in Yakima, Wa. and can send picutres. Kristi
  • JerryB Mar 8, 2012 @ 2:50 pm | delete
    If you would like, you can email me a couple of pictures and I can post them here to see if anyone is interested. You can use the contact button above and let me know your price.
  • Tom O'Grady Apr 23, 2012 @ 5:54 pm | delete
    Contact Tom O'Grady at O'Gallerie Auctions in Portland, Oregon. 1-888-238-0202.
  • Nazih Feb 21, 2012 @ 4:15 pm | delete
    My family owns two carved elephant ivory tusks that were given as a gift from a family member in the Congo during the 1960s. Considering the ban on ivory since 1989, what is the legal process if I want to appraise and/or sell them?
  • JerryB Feb 21, 2012 @ 6:13 pm | delete
    With there age, you should be ok with selling them in your own state, but sometimes you might run into trouble selling them interstate(from one state to another). Without knowing what state you live in, I couldn't look up information for your particular case. Each state has their own regulations but the US government would be the place to start. The best way to find out the regulations for your particular state would be to go to this link: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/text.htm. At the bottom of the page, there is a place to click to contact them. They would have the answers that you are looking for and also the information that you need to stay out of trouble. Wish I could give you a few reliable buyers but check with a few different buyers when you find them so you can get a fair price.
  • Mark Welch Feb 18, 2012 @ 8:30 am | delete
    I have a small ivory carving left to me by my father i believe it to be around 46 years old and from singapore. How do i find out its value please. Also there was no paperwork with it - any idea how i can prove its age? Many thanks Mark
  • JerryB Feb 18, 2012 @ 10:48 am | delete
    Mark, It's mostly spending some time searching the internet. If you want to email me a picture or two, I can try to help you find info on it. It might be something that he picked up while in the service, if he did any military service. Also, has it been checked by anyone? There are a lot of "ivory" pieces that are really bone, plastic or a cast resin.
    China is real good at mixing a little ground up ox-bone with resin, then calling it bone or ivory.
  • HashiM Feb 5, 2012 @ 4:28 am | delete
    selling several ivory figures from East Africa how do i go about this jerry
  • JerryB Feb 5, 2012 @ 9:25 am | delete
    Hashim,

    I don't think that you will be able to export any new ivory. It is possible to export ivory that was acquired before the seventies but there are still many laws governing both owning and selling it.

    This link might be able to get you the answers that you are looking for.

    http://www.unep-wcmc-apps.org/isdb/extra/

    Hope it helps,

    Jerry
  • pam Jan 30, 2012 @ 8:50 pm | delete
    My dad was a sailer. He collected Ivory figurines. I inherited 12 pieces 40 yrs ago.
    How can I find out the value and how to sell them?
  • JerryB Jan 31, 2012 @ 7:40 am | delete
    There are a number of questions that I need to ask before I can answer your question. Selling your ivory can be a pain because of the many laws governing the sale of ivory. Questions such as age, if you have any paperwork on these peices, are they real or repros, etc.
    Could you email me some pics at jbaguss@yahoo.com? I will get you as much info as I can.

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JerryB

I enjoy collecting! It doesn't really seem to matter what it is, if it's old I'll hang on to it. So, most of my lenses are about collecting.
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