“On February 11, President Barack , except for “bona fide antiques.” He said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) would implement a nearly complete ban on commercial trade in elephant ivory.
“I’m opposed to the ban because it will be ineffective in deterring poaching and the slaughter of elephants and rhinoceros in Africa and Asia,” said New York City auctioneer and Oriental art consultant Lark Mason, a frequent guest on the Antiques Roadshow. “There are more effective ways to use our resources that will both protect these threatened species and allow for the commercial activity in the United States.”
This is from an article written in the Maine Antique Digest.
{ The bold evidence tags, which still remain on the items, look straight out of a crime scene, so Robin created her own paper screens to cover the merchandise stating: “Please do not disturb. Nothing in here is for sale.”
Wertz Brothers Antique Market in Santa Monica was infiltrated on Friday, March 30th right after opening. Manager Robin Messick remembered thinking it was peculiar that a woman in uniform had come into the mall at 10:10 a.m.
She veered to the left after entering the mall and dodged the front counter so Robin wasn’t able to see the patch on her arm that clarified her affiliation. The female officer was accompanied by a man and women dressed in plain clothes. One had a backpack, which Robin asked him to check in, as is customary at the mall. Robin was helping a customer, when she noticed that there were a few taxidermy ducks on the counter.
“there will be more”
A second cashier asked if the trio were done shopping after bringing up the ducks, and they replied, “No, there will be more.” And there was.
Ann Slater recounted the incident in a cautionary email she sent to two show promoters: “What they were looking for was ivory (regardless of age), tortoiseshell, stuffed birds ie. ducks, geese, sea turtles, stuffed animal heads, etc.” There was also a black-crowned night heron that was confiscated, a zebra head, hides and pillows made of zebra hides, a sea turtle shell and two purses made of sea turtle skin, a prong horn antelope mount, and two mule deer heads.
According to Robin, it was around an hour before any of the agents flashed their badges and announced their true intentions.
As the day progressed, more agents seemed to surface until there were between 8 and 11, some in uniform and some undercover. They were a blend of Federal and state agents looking for violations of a number of wildlife codes and acts, she explained. The Federal agents focused on the birds, since 800 species are listed on the Migratory bird act (including just about every fowl other than chickens), and the state agents focused on California animals and ivory.
detailed receipts
They left very detailed receipts for each item that they seized, which named the specific item, price, booth number, dealer name, the name and address of Wertz Brothers, as well as the name of the Fish & Game officer and his or her badge number.
Not everything was taken off of the premises. They left behind all of the ivory and a box of tortoiseshell hair combs.
left in the cases
“They were all in locked cases and since they tend to be small, delicate and expensive, the agents opted to leave them there with evidence tags,” said Robin.
“There is apparently some confusion over the ivory because they did not confiscate the items that they found,” wrote Slater in her email to Michael Grimes and Nancy Johnson. “They tagged them, left them in the cases and were told that they could not be removed or sold until the store was notified.”
The bold evidence tags, which still remain on the items, look straight out of a crime scene, so Robin created her own paper screens to cover the merchandise stating: “Please do not disturb. Nothing in here is for sale.”
Robin said around 15 dealers were affected by the raid, which lasted almost four hours.
She had to provide their names and addresses so that the dealers could be sent their $250 citations. One state agent, when approached by a concerned dealer, explained that after he pays her citation, she can approach the judge on the day of his hearing and ask that his items be released from evidence. They will be able to reclaim their property, but will be unable to sell it.
“cheat sheets”
Robin noticed that the officers carried what she called “cheat sheets” with drawings of some of the animals, ie. antler forms, to help them determine which were illegal to sell or not. For example, only the California deer could be targeted so they had to determine which ones were native.
She also noticed that several of them made calls, perhaps to superiors, inquiring about whether certain animals were subject to confiscation.
It is also just as educational to note which animals the Fish & Wildlife Departments did not take. They specifically passed up a mounted boar’s head, and they did not seize anything made from alligator or crocodile skin or parts. After doing some considerable research, Robin believes they left behind these reptiles because the portion restricting the sale of alligator and crocodile skins and parts does not go into effect until January 2015.
If the professionals needed help in determining which animals to confiscate, it is easy to see why dealers might be confused as to what they can legally sell. Robin asked two of the officers if they would create some sort of document explaining what the rules and regulations are so that she can include it in a newsletter to all of her dealers, and add it into Wertz’s new dealer packets. They promised to do so, but nothing yet.
Antique dealers who think of agents from the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) as officious bureaucrats toting clipboards, need to revise that image, or they may not take the looming threat seriously enough.
If the situation facing the antique industry were a movie, these agents wouldn’t be played by Don Knotts in the character of befuddled Deputy Fife issuing a parking warning to the town librarian.
Instead of stammering Barney think of Clint Eastwood. Imagine scowling Dirty Harry prowling the streets of San Francisco searching for the maniacal Scorpion, or better yet, John Wayne as Colonel Mike Kirby leading a Green Beret assault against the Viet Cong in the Mekong Delta.
These DFG agents are serious about their new mission, and in the words of someone who had a surprise meeting with a bunch of them, “armed to the teeth.” Their newest battlegrounds are the auctions galleries, antique malls, and the flea markets where you buy your antique furniture, jewelry and vintage clothing.
Certainly for one northern California auctioneer, his image of the DFG, after one spine- tingling encounter, has been forever changed.
Bob Slawinski used to think of the DFG as another government agency to check in with to make sure he was in compliance with their regulations. Now he doesn’t, nor do the young women who witnessed the frightening episode.
On the evening of February 19th a squad of heavily-armed agents exploded from their black van and stormed into the Slawinski Auction’s preview. As if it were the climatic scene from “Raid on Entebbe,” in the style of Israeli commandos, the agents seized 40 lots of antique ivory worth about $150,000. When it was over, Bob was left with a receipt and scattered nerves. The girls were stunned and confused. This was nothing like watching Park Ranger Smith helping Boo-Boo Bear out of a trashcan.
DFG’s top media gun minimizes the dimensions of the raid
Countering this scintillating portrait of agency zealotry is “Mr. Ahh Shucks,” Patrick Foy, the telegenic and affable spokesman for the DFG that mothers love and fathers would trust with their virginal daughters. With boyish charm, he good-naturedly disputes the magnitude and ferocity of the raid. He’d probably prefer not to call it a raid—he is more likely to characterize it as a “rendezvous.” Using his “protector of Yogi the Bear” drawl, he says, “I doubt we’re able to get 25 uniformed and armed officers together in this state at one time. That’s a little over the top.”
DFG charm offensive
Foy is a media pro. He looks like a cross between a young Kevin Costner from “Dances with Wolves” and a mature Alvin the Chipmunk from the upcoming “The Geezermunk who stole Christmas.” He’s the kind of guy one could have easily imagined on the Johnny Carson Show trying to get the uneasy host to pet a cranky koala bear with fidgety black eyes. He’s media’s go to guy when it comes to encounters with man and beast. Without a moment’s hesitation, he can explain the subtle differences between a mountain lion, cougar and puma (it’s actually different names for the same cat), and could easily be the grand champion on “Animal Jeopardy.” When challenged by reporters, it almost sounds like he’s answering their questions by saying “I’ll take kangaroo rats for $200, Alex.”
Although this raid on the auction house wasn’t the goose-stepping Blitzkrieg that the auctioneer sees in his imagination, to borrow the title from the 1958 Titanic movie, it was definitely “A Night to Remember,” but more accurately, it was a night he’d like to forget. Unfortunately, this was just the opening act of the DFG’s multi-million dollar production of “Seize every vestige of ivory on the market.” Or in the vernacular of Mr. Ahh Shucks, “liberate.”
Infiltration
Right now the DFG covert operatives, pretending to be shoppers, are trolling antique malls, shows and auctions in search of more targets of liberation.
Fortunately, before the DFG could run too many surprise operations against dealers unaware of the dramatic change in the law, a whistle blower helped mitigate some of the damage by igniting a Rebel Alliance.
The beginning of the Rebel Alliance
This antiquer version of Luke Skywalker is Rosie DeStories, co-owner of Fairfield Auction in Monroe, Connecticut, and she is the sister of the auctioneer who “rendezvoused” with the DFG.
On February 20th, she launched the Insurgency by sending out this email blast to a list of colleagues.
“The state of California Department of Fish & Game is actively raiding auction houses and antique shows, confiscating ivory. It is now illegal to sell or have any intent to sell ANY IVORY within the state of California or to sell to any bidders within the state of California regardless of the age of the ivory. The fine is a minimum if $1,000 per violation and a maximum up to $5,000 per violation.”
Although Rosie DeStories put effort into deciphering this latest permutation of the law, it’s tough mining through the arcane catacombs of the DFG website. It’s confusing and the DFG is slower than a Galapagos Giant Tortoise in returning emails or phone calls.
It was thought that 100 year old ivory was okay
Whether is was true or not, the common belief was that it was safe to sell ivory that was documented to be at least 100 years old.
Silent Warning
If DFG had publicly made that earthshaking announcement about the radical changes, it was as quiet as an ocelot’s purr and never roused the attention of the Southern California antique network.
Clarification and amplification came from a most unlikely source.
Crazy Wall
In the movie, “A Beautiful Mind” starring Russell Crowe playing mathematician John Nash, there was a mind bending scene where suddenly we got a startling look at a wall covered in newspaper clippings, a collage of scrawled notes, all strung together in a chaotic web. In an instant, we discovered that the genius is actually a delusional schizophrenic.
A similar scene was played out in La Verne, CA, at Collector’s worldwide headquarters at Starbucks. Except in this case, confusion led to clarity. A slightly senile Yoda used Facebook to fight the Dark Side by encouraging new members of the resistance to post comments and links on what had become a “crazy wall.”
More clarification
In the midst of this mélange of confusion, a clear but sobering message was posted by a reliable source: Jack DeStories, Rosie’s husband. Not only did he accept the friend request, but he posted a further clarification of his wife’s clarion call: “In California, all earlier Federal statutes have been overridden by a recent statute banning the sale of all elephant parts—period and regardless of age. That includes old pianos with ivory keys, many pool cues, violins and portrait miniatures painted on ivory. It also means selling an 18th century chest of drawers with ivory escutcheons is now illegal.” According to Jack, outside of California there is a distinction between Asian and African elephant ivory. Asian must be 100 years old, and African must pre-date the CITES law, which was established in 1987. But, in California it looks like all ivory is treated the same, and just about all wildlife parts—period.”
Stunning, but clear
The absoluteness of the announcement was stunning, but at least the industry is better prepared to defend itself against the Empire.
As this unsettling news started to sink in, something else started to happen. It was a subtle transformation in self-identification.
Wide implications
At first, many dealers dismissed the significance of the news, thinking, “that doesn’t affect me. I’m not an ivory or wildlife dealer!” However, as they started to look around their shops, they started to realize they were not exempt from the problem.
The law is not just about obvious uses of ivory, like a four-foot elephant tusk carved into a bridge. It’s all illegal to sell, even a tiny sliver of the substance on a piece of sterling silver flatware, made to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. Many brass, percussion and stringed musical instruments are now contraband. The most obvious example is the piano with its 88 ivory keys, but several other instruments, including trumpets, oboes, and bassoons may have some discrete bits here and there. Many violins use ivory pegs and tailpieces. Owners of Fender and Martin guitars may get a little jittery when they discover that their bridge pins and strap buttons are probably made from ivory.
Jewelry dealers shouldn’t rest easy, either. Although there’s a long list of the substance in necklaces, bracelets and brooches, the one that DFG agents will spot first are cameos.
Major showpromoters join the cause
Out of state, the Rebel Alliance was further fortified by Hans Solo, and Princess Leah, also known as Michael “Raccoonman” Grimes, producer of the Calendar Shows and Nancy “Wonder Woman” Johnson, manager of Hillsborough.
The two show promoters received a joint communiqué from tole tray dealer, Anne Slater, apprising them of what was going on. Nancy had already gotten wind of it and alerted her dealers in their news blast.
Literary Blast
Grimes alerted his dealers by email and urged fine arts dealer, Robert Sommers a ferocious blogger with a wicked sense of style, to jump on the story using his popular Blue Heron Blast. Showing the subtle, but pernicious aspects of the law, Sommers wryly commented, “My 1905 Washburn guitar has ivory inlays in the fretboard. Is it now contraband?”
Victory at Del Mar
It all worked nearly perfectly: by the time the Del Mar Show was in operation on Friday, April 13, the ivory ban was a hot topic. Initial reports were that it was an entirely an ivory free zone. Unfortunately, according to a post on the Crazy Wall by ephemera dealer Richard Strell, one dealer, knowing full well that it was not allowed, defied the ban by bringing a pair of ivory binoculars. Even with the minor failure, it is a credit to the industry that it could respond so well to this level of adversity. The State of California is a powerful foe, but at least the antique industry won this latest battle. The war goes on.
The story behind the story
Although Facebook has the reputation as a superficial digital romp of silly photos of kitties playing with balls of yarn and teenage keg parties, in this case the platform served as a powerful research tool and efficient mechanism for spreading the word.
Although most of the drama did play out on Facebook, the saga started with an old fashioned call received on a faux alligator backed iPhone. This warning that something insidious was brewing came from one Frank!’s first Facebook friends, Oceanside jewelry dealer, T.C. Leary. She has 2,218 friends.
But it was certified appraiser, ANA member, Barbara Pickett who was the first to take it public by posting on Frank!’s wall. The urgency of taking action was further escalated when Shauna Novotny, owner of Novotny’s on Colorado in Pasadena, asked Frank! to pursue the story after she heard about the Wertz Antique Mart raid. The Appraisers National Association (ANA) was alerted, so that they could get the word out through their influential membership. One of their members, Bill Belisle, Chairman of the Fine Arts Department at the College for Appraisers, found several websites to flesh out the story.
The information contained in these pages is overwhelming in its scope and verbiage. Eventually, Collector magazine plans to find individuals who can translate the information so that it is easy to understand and relevant to the practical needs of the industry.
This article was prepared in an attempt to alert the industry about the problem it faces. The publisher takes no responsibility for possible inaccuracies when making references to the law. This is very complicated stuff. Collector has tried its best to tell you what it has heard and where it heard it. The rest is up to you.
F!
Twenty armed agents emerged from their discreet black van and descended on the target.
It must have been weeks, if not months in the planning. They closed in quietly and made their move. It was not a special ops team parachuting into Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, but a bunch of heavily-armed, intimidating officers from the California Department of Fish & Game storming into the Slawinski Auction Company Preview on February 19th. They seized 40 lots of antique ivory worth about $150,000 and left everybody shaken and confused. “That night they showed up, they covered the parking lot,” said Bob Slawinski, who runs the company with his son, Rob. “We probably had 20 agents here. There was no need for that level of intimidation. They were uniformed and armed to the teeth. I have some young girls working here, and those kids were just shaking.” The Department of Fish & Game denied that it was so extreme, and spokesman Patrick Foy even laughed at the notion that they could even get that many guys together. “I doubt we’re able to get 25 uniformed and armed officers together in this state at one time. That’s a little over the top.” Whether it was a SWAT team of 20 or 25 that actually descended on the auction house, it was certainly alarming, and it was not isolated. What happened to the Slawinskis has been happening all over California. In fact, it appears that the Department of Fish & Games has been staking out antique malls, shows and auctions by sending out undercover officers in advance, and then unexpectedly descending and seizing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ivory and other wildlife-related items, and on top of that, issuing fines.
Rosie Destories (Modern day Paul Revere)
It was the sister of Rob Slawinski, Rosie DeStories that acted as the Paul Revere of the antique world, alerting important players that the ivory rules had changed and no one was safe from being investigated and ultimately raided. On February 20th, Rosie, co-owner of Fairfield Auction in Monroe, Connecticut, sent out an email warning. DeStories wrote: “The state of California Department of Fish & Game is actively raiding auction houses and antique shows, confiscating ivory. It is now illegal to sell or have any intent to sell ANY IVORY within the state of California or to sell to any bidders within the state of California regardless of the age of the ivory. The fine is a minimum if $1,000 per violation and a maximum up to $5,000 per violation.” Upon further research it seems that one can also face “imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months, or both that fine and imprisonment for each violation.” While Rosie DeStories has put considerable time and effort in scrutinizing this new law, it is no easy feat. Going to the Fish & Game website is confusing and they are slower than an endangered tortoise to return emails or phone calls. Most in the antique industry believed that as long as the ivory was over 100 years old, and there was documentation to prove its age, then it could be owned, bought and sold in the state.
Jack DeStories Posted the law on Frank!'s Facebook page
According to Rosie’s husband, Jack DeStories, the laws have recently changed and if there was any announcement, it was as quiet as an ocelot’s purr. He addressed concerned antique dealers on Frank’s Facebook wall: “In California, all earlier Federal statutes have been overridden by a recent statute banning the sale of all elephant parts—period and regardless of age. That includes old pianos with ivory keys, many pool cues, violins and portrait miniatures painted on ivory. It also means selling an 18th century chest of drawers with ivory escutcheons is now illegal.” There may be people all along who have been against the use of ivory in big ways, like a huge carved elephant tusk. But now it seems that any use of ivory, from a tiny sliver on a piece of sterling silver flatware, to the keys on a piano, can place almost anybody in danger of violating this new law. According to Jack, outside of California there is a distinction between Asian and African elephant ivory. Asian must be 100 years old, and African must pre-date the CITES law, which was established in 1989. But, in California it looks like all ivory is treated the same, and just about all wildlife parts—period. Facebook and other social media has been a great tool in spreading the word about these recent search and seizures. T.C. Leary, an Oceanside jewelry dealer who is a regular on Facebook was the first to call Frank! about the ivory raids, but it was certified appraiser Barbara Pickett that was the first to comment about it on Facebook. She researched the penal codes as well the Federal Registry of the Secretary of the Interior to find out exactly what was banned and when. Shauna Novotny, owner of Novotny’s on Colorado in Pasadena, asked Frank! to pursue the story after she heard fragments of horror stories about the raids. Frank! immediately alerted the Appraisers National Association (ANA) so that they could get the word out through their members. Robert Sommers has made the lead story on his blog, Blue Heron Blast, about the ivory raids and its dangerous implications. Jo Addie, an Illinois dealer in Art Nouveau jewelry and accessories, spends part of the year setting up at antique shows in California. Her next trip was prepped for November and she is not certain about how this will affect her trip out west. She forwarded an email she received from dealer Anne Slater, a specialist in tole painted trays who is a regular at most of the high end antique shows, including the Bustamante and Calendar Shows. Slater sent a joint email to Michael Grimes of Calendar Shows, and Nancy Johnson of Hillsborough, to alert them of several raids at local venues. At one prominent Southern California mall, it became clear that these undercover agents were not just shopping for ivory but for almost anything wildlife related. Slater wrote: “What they were looking for was ivory (regardless of age), tortoiseshell, stuffed birds ie. ducks, geese, sea turtles, stuffed animal heads, etc. Having finally announced who they were, they confiscated what they found. They got the names and addresses of the dealers who owned the items and they will be fined $250 each. Apparently having these items for sale is a felony and there could be jail time (not verified). On February 5th, agents from the California Department of Fish & Game came into the Alameda Point Antiques Faire and confiscated ivory pieces from two of the show’s vendors. They were issued misdemeanor citations and were told to appear in court on April 12th to face charges. A mounted deer head was also seized. The portion of the law identifying the species lists more than just elephants. Whales, dolphins, porpoises and polar bears are also included. The following is the first full paragraph of the relevant criminal code: California Penal Code Section 653o (a) It is unlawful to import into this state for commercial purposes, to possess with intent to sell, or to sell within the state, the dead body, ore any part or product thereof, of any polar bear, leopard, ocelot, tiger, cheetah, jaguar, sable antelope, wolf (Canibus Lupus), zebra, whale, cobra, python, sea turtle, colobus monkey, kangaroo, vicuna, sea otter, free-roaming ferel horse, dolphin or porpoise, Spanish lynx, or elephant. Crocodiles, alligators, and seals are covered in subsequent paragraphs. The next section, Penal Code Section 653p, repeats some of 653o, makes possession illegal, and identifies the root source of the law: It is unlawful to possess with the intent to sell, or to sell, within the state, the dead body, or any part or product thereof, of any species or subspecies of any fish, bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile, mollusk, invertebrate, or plant, the importation of which is illegal under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and subsequent amendments, or under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, or which is listed in the Federal Register by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the above acts. There are thousands of objects that contain ivory from the teeth of endangered species. All whales, including beluga, blue, bowhead, finback, humpback, killer, North Atlantic right, sei, and sperm are listed as endangered in the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Similarly, all elephants are listed on the endangered species list. Since almost all ivory found on antique objects comes from elephants or whales, anything containing ivory is illegal to sell in California. It seems that the portion regarding the “intent to sell” became operative on January 1, 2011, but little fuss was made of the major change until the beginning of 2012. Ebay is handling the new ban by finding a loophole. According to Diana Sanders Cinamon, sellers on the auction site now refer to it as “ox bone.” While is it is now illegal to sell ivory in California, it is legal to possess it, which harkens back to the days of Prohibition. It was illegal to manufacture, transport or sell booze, but the 18th amendment did not mention the actual drinking of liquor. Since Prohibition went into effect a full year after the 18th Amendment’s ratification, many people bought cases of then-legal alcohol and stored them for personal use. This new law seems to target the antique industry and suggests that it actually supports the slaughter of elephants. The business has always treaded lightly in the area of ivory and is self-regulating. Collectors of antique ivory want just that—antique pieces, and will not buy or handle new ivory that has been recently acquired. It is customers that have been holding dealers to high standards. Since this new law targets all ivory, it makes it seem that something nefarious has been going on in the world of antique ivory. Many dealers wonder what this new law will mean regarding the price of ivory. With a certain number of seizures the supply has been cut down a bit, but since it is now illegal to sell ivory in California, there is no longer a local market. Will this force the prices up or down? What will become of all these seized items is question on the minds of many that have already been affected, and those that fear they may be affected. “There is apparently some confusion over the ivory because they did not confiscate the items that they found,” said Slater regarding the raid at a Southern California antique mall. “They tagged them, left them in the cases and were told that they could not be removed or sold until the store was notified.” Slater mentioned that the Department of Fish & Game may be on a mission since they also raided Alameda Point and Little Paris, a large Los Angeles area antique mall. The Solvang Antique Center was also hit. Dealers everywhere are taking action. A veteran Collector’s Conference attendee at a Northern San Diego County Mall was advised to remove everything that might be associated with ivory from her booth as quickly as possible, in case they were invaded next. Although the Department of Fish & Game have been strong in enforcement, they were lax in alerting those affected that such critical changes in the law had been made, leaving one to wonder if this was just a way for the state to raise money and not so much to protect the poor elephants.
California recently began to strictly enforce a much-amended state law, and it has already caused dealers and auctioneers much grief.
On Sunday, February 5, a dealer couple in their 60’s set up at an outdoor flea market. A visitor to their booth picked up an item and asked, “What’s this made of?” “It’s ivory,” the man answered.
Wrong answer. The customer flashed his badge and identified himself as an agent with the California Department of Fish and Game. He then proceeded to seize all eight of the pieces in the booth that contained ivory. He cited the couple for committing a misdemeanor and gave them a court appearance date of April 12. The man estimated his loss at between $1500 and $2000. He told M.A.D. that another dealer had lost upward of $10,000 worth of material.
That dealer, like others who spoke with us, was afraid of publicity. He said he’d heard we were working on a report about the seizures, and that’s why he’d made the cold call to us. He refused to give his name or even the location of the seizure. The reason? “People are saying if you make a stink about it or get your name in the papers, they could sic the IRS on you or make it a federal case,” he said. “My wife is a schoolteacher. They could change the misdemeanor charge to a felony, and then she’d be out of a job.”
That couple’s loss is but a fraction compared to what the owners of Slawinski Auction Company suffered. The Scotts Valley, California, firm was raided on February 18 by agents enforcing the new law. When the agents left, they took all the ivory lots with them—ivory worth approximately $150,000.
Please be aware that at our Antique Faire on February 5, 2012, agents from The California Department of Fish & Game confiscated ivory pieces from two vendors at our show. The vendors were issued misdemeanor citations and must appear in Court on April 12th to face charges. A stuffed deer head was also seized!
“The State of California Department of Fish and Game is ACTIVELY raiding auction houses and antique shows, confiscating ivory. It is now illegal to sell or have the intent to sell ANY IVORY within the State of California or to sell it to any bidders within the State of California REGARDLESS OF THE AGE of the ivory. The fine is a minimum of $1000 per violation and a maximum up to $5000 per violation.”
The calls and letter started coming in last night. Did I know what the State of California was doing in regards to ivory and certain other animal products under the new law? Apparently the original nanny state is starting a reign of terror against antique dealers. You can’t even sell a piano with ivory keys! My 1905 Washburn guitar has ivory inlays in the fretboard. Is it now contraband?
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, except for “bona fide antiques.” He said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) would implement a nearly complete ban on commercial trade in elephant ivory.
Ivory Warning From Collector magazine 