Elephants, Ivory and Razors

[ks6c]

First, let me say that I stand behind the protection of Endangered Species. Period.

But…Gillette and other manufacturers, DEs and Straights, were making Ivory pieces 100+ years ago, long before there were such protections on animals.

I’ve been looking up the rules to see exactly what current rules might be, and two stand out – Ivory weight less than 200 grams (7 oz - I haven’t found any that are more) and 50% more in Ivory value. That second one is very subjective.

Ebay won’t touch ivory at all, so it’s hard to buy or sell. B&B’s Buy-Sell-Trade, perhaps?

“The sale of African elephant ivory items across state lines (interstate commerce) is prohibited, except for items that qualify as ESA antiques and certain manufactured or handcrafted items that contain a small (de minimis) amount of ivory and meet specific criteria.

-------

To qualify for the de minimis exception, manufactured or handcrafted items must meet (i) or (ii) and (iii)-(vii) of the following criteria:

• If the item is located within the US prior to January 18, 1990, or was imported into the US under a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora pre-Convention certificate with no limitation on its commercial use;
• If the item is located outside the US, the ivory was removed from the wild prior to February 26, 1976;
• The ivory is a fixed or integral component or components of a larger manufactured or handcrafted item and is not in its current form the primary source of the value of the item, that is, the ivory does not account for more than 50% of the value of the item;
• The ivory is not raw;
• The manufactured or handcrafted item is not made wholly or primarily of ivory, that is, the ivory component or components do not account for more than 50% of the item by volume;
• The total weight of the ivory component or components is less than 200 grams; and
• The item was manufactured or handcrafted before July 6, 2016.

For items made of African elephant ivory that qualify as an ESA antique or meet the de minimis criteria, you do not need a permit…”

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Ebay won’t touch ivory at all, so it’s hard to buy or sell. B&B’s Buy-Sell-Trade, perhaps?

I mean, technically that's true but 6 of the 7 ivory scaled straight razors I own came from ebay. The key is not to use the "i" word in the listing.

2 of those razors are definitely over 100 years old, but all of them would qualify under the de minimis exception, in the US.

 

[Eshebert]

I never understood why they used ivory and not something more sustainable, like Rhino horn.

 

[huck1680]

I never understood why they used ivory and not something more sustainable, like Rhino horn.

By more sustainable you mean what? Dehorning wild rhinos? Zoo rhinos? I mean why use anything other than manmade materials?
From livescience.com
"Granted, dehorning doesn't always work, as sometimes poachers still go after the leftover horn stump. And, once hornless, rhinos can't use it for everyday activities, such as defending their territories, guiding calves and digging for water. But it's still a useful deterrent that could save rhino lives. After a rhino at Thoiry Zoo in France was illegally killed for its horn, a Czech zoo decided to beat poachers to the punch in 2017, dehorning its own rhino herd. The whole process, which took about an hour for the first rhino patient, was painless to the animal, said Jiří Hrubý, the zoo's rhino curator".

 

[Eshebert]

I was a joke,

 

[huck1680]

I was a joke,

I was hoping so.

 

[DesertIguana]

Well US Fish & Wildlife and some State Game Wardens can be real hard nosed on ivory.

Know of Pool Cue builder who got jammed up with Feds over trying to send Cues with Ivory inlays to Asia.

Would not be fun in big house explaining to inmates your bust was for Ivory smuggling, selling, or interstate trafficking.

 

[Old Navy_1]

I have Elephant Ivory one-piece grips on my Doug Turnbull "Cowboy Classic" series SAA. These were done by Jim Alaimo of Nutmeg Arms. Jim is the former Manager of the Colt Custom Shop. Totally legal, pre-ban documented Ivory.

b/r

ON_1

 

[ks6c]

I mean, technically that's true but 6 of the 7 ivory scaled straight razors I own came from ebay. The key is not to use the "i" word in the listing.

2 of those razors are definitely over 100 years old, but all of them would qualify under the de minimis exception, in the US.

Ivory Straights are sooo much easier to come by on ebay, but I've only seen 2 Gillette sets on ebay in ~10 years, or so...

Well US Fish & Wildlife and some State Game Wardens can be real hard nosed on ivory.
...
Would not be fun in big house explaining to inmates your bust was for Ivory smuggling, selling, or interstate trafficking.

This is an excerpt from the US Fish and Wildlife Service regs concerning small (de minimis) amounts...