Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ian · 14th July 2018, 07:23 PM

Jens:

Thank you for the kind words and condolences. I am losing parts of my collection that I put together over a period of 30+ years. I have explored many avenues legally, and came up empty. There is a real need for low cost CITES certificate programs to facilitate legitimate trade in antique ivory items. That is extremely unlikely to happen in today's marketplace.

I had considered donating my pieces to a museum, but there are few in my state and none were in interested in acquiring them for nothing. Another possibility was to remove the ivory and replace it with wood. In doing so, I would have destroyed the original antique craftsmanship and created something that was not consistent with the culture.

My preference is for them to find a new and appreciative home among collectors in my state. As for being upset about the situation in the U.S., I'm beyond feeling angry and am resigned to the fact that I must move them on. I hope that I can find a good home for each one and recover my initial investment. I'm not trying to sell them for what might be current market value because there may soon be no market at all for ivory-containing items and it would be unfair to the buyer to charge him a premium price. I would like them to be appreciated for the fine cultural items they are.

On the brighter side, these are a small part of my collection and I have many more dha, etc. that do not have any ivory and can be fussed over and appreciated. True happiness comes from wanting what I have not from having what I want.

Ian.

14th July 2018, 07:23 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,031	Jens: Thank you for the kind words and condolences. I am losing parts of my collection that I put together over a period of 30+ years. I have explored many avenues legally, and came up empty. There is a real need for low cost CITES certificate programs to facilitate legitimate trade in antique ivory items. That is extremely unlikely to happen in today's marketplace. I had considered donating my pieces to a museum, but there are few in my state and none were in interested in acquiring them for nothing. Another possibility was to remove the ivory and replace it with wood. In doing so, I would have destroyed the original antique craftsmanship and created something that was not consistent with the culture. My preference is for them to find a new and appreciative home among collectors in my state. As for being upset about the situation in the U.S., I'm beyond feeling angry and am resigned to the fact that I must move them on. I hope that I can find a good home for each one and recover my initial investment. I'm not trying to sell them for what might be current market value because there may soon be no market at all for ivory-containing items and it would be unfair to the buyer to charge him a premium price. I would like them to be appreciated for the fine cultural items they are. On the brighter side, these are a small part of my collection and I have many more dha, etc. that do not have any ivory and can be fussed over and appreciated. True happiness comes from wanting what I have not from having what I want. Ian.