Endangered species: ivory

I have just entered an early 19th century portrait miniature painted on ivory into my local auction and have been informed that, in order to enter it, I have to pay a £20 fee for it to be accepted for sale.

Referring to the UK’s near-total ban on selling antique ivory objects, would the beautiful Vizagatapam, India, c.1830-50, ivory chess set in the collection of Mr Holger Langer (Collector Interview, ATG No 2550) be classed as museum quality?

A suite of solid ivory and gilt furniture sold by Christie’s on July 7 appears to be the first auction lot to benefit from the exemption to the Ivory Act allowing the sale of items of ‘outstandingly high artistic, cultural and historical value’.

The Ivory Act, a near-total ban on the sale of antique ivory, comes into force in the UK on June 6.

Portrait miniature on ivory are among the exemptions provided in the new Ivory Act [coming into force on June 6 – see front page of this issue].

Decisions on act exemptions inevitably run the risk of subjective assessments

The ivory regulations of New York State will be reviewed by New York court judges following an appeal brought by two US antique dealer associations.

Max Rutherston is right to take exception (ATG No 2533) to the letter from Pete Matthews (ATG No 2532), who saucily tells the trade to stop moaning about the Ivory Act.

The digital registration service for exempted items containing ivory is now live and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is urging those wishing to sell items that qualify for one of these narrow exemptions to familiarise themselves with the new system.

I must take exception to the letter from Pete Matthews (ATG No 2532) in which he tells the trade to stop moaning about the Ivory Act.

The Antiques Rescue Centre (ARC), an initiative started by Michael Baggott, has attracted support from a number of auction houses and members of the trade.

Regarding your article in ATG No 2531, ‘Four months’ before ivory ban becomes law’, I fail to see why the trade is ‘frustrated’ and describe the process as chaotic.

The ATG understands the trade will have until June before the terms of the Ivory Act 2018 come into force.

The near-total ban on the trade in antique ivory in the UK promised three years ago is just a matter of weeks away from enforcement.

As reported on the front page of this week’s ATG, it appears the Ivory Act will, after much delay, soon be brought into force. This does not mean the fight for antiques is over; it means it has just begun.