Antique Dealers Come Face-to-Face With Ivory Ban
In the face of increasing legal restrictions on ivory sales, antique sellers' options are limited.
To reduce poaching of African elephants—some 33,000 of them are lost every year—the United States put into effect an almost complete ban on selling and trading ivory across state lines beginning July 6. That has many antique dealers struggling to figure out what to do with the items remaining on their shelves and in their storerooms. From walking sticks and small carvings to chess sets and jewelry, antique dealers are left with few options for selling or disposing of ivory items they invested in.
International commercial trading in ivory has been illegal since 1989—except for “antique,” pre-ban ivory. Research and investigations, including a 2002 report from the Humane Society of the United
