New York State has crushed antique as well as new ivory again. On August 3, they crushed almost two tons of jewelry, statues, trinkets, and other ivory pieces. Pictures show many pieces that look like antique figurines. The laws are different in each state, so in some places, it’s legal to sell ivory but not to send it across the state line. In others, it can be taken out of a booth at an antiques show without any regard for age. In at least one African country, the right to kill a live elephant is sold to hunters. There is almost worldwide agreement that endangered live elephants should be protected by destroying their ivory so no one makes money selling it. But many in the art world feel museum examples that are over 100 years old should be spared.
Photo: Xinhuanet.com
I will NEVER understand the thinking of people at times. There has been outrageous slaughter of precious elephants which should have NEVER happened. But it did happen. Now SOME sort of good should result from the crime. So a government agency destroy works of art to prove a point it should not have happened. Therefore, instead of carved ivory being placed in museums, anything for good of humanity, it is COMPLETELY and UTTERLY destroyed. 100% WASTED. Now the life of the elephants were for NOTHING. Their lives meant NOTHING. The same had they never lived and died. It is the same as confiscating thousands of pounds of meat from criminals. Instead of giving the meat or food taken from thieves and using for good to feed elderly, sick, children. Idiots from governments burn 100% and COMPLETELY wasting precious food. So NO GOOD came from it. Criminals should NEVER profit from crime, but to cause the crime twice, those administrating so-called “justice” commit an even bigger crime.
Anyone who reads knows that the U.S. has accounted for a very very small percentage of ivory purchases, whether legal or otherwise. Our crushing of existing ivory objects amounts to empty symbolism, just to make ourselves feel virtuous.
Protecting elephants requires the cooperation of the Far East. Good luck with that.
What many of you might not know is that culling of elephants (killing them because there are too many) has been going on in Africa for a very long time. Sad but true. Google ‘culling of elephants’ on the web and you will read much about it. I found out because I have been to Africa and have been on safari. So, knowing that they cull (kill) elephants because there are too many, destroying old art made of elephant ivory just doesn’t make sense. But, of course, poachers killing elephants for their tusks makes no sense either. Such a sad state of affairs.
Not all ivory is made from elephant tusks. I inherited some pieces made from walrus tusks. I believe it’s called scrimshaw.
I think these crazy people are just out to cause unrest, and the vocal few will get their way if the majority don’t speak up. Antiques — be they jewelry, statues, or ornaments — should be left to be admired by the world when all art and reason have been beaten down. I have a century-old piano(1912), and it has ivory keys. I’m sure the ivory police would destroy the piano.
I have a pocket watch holder shaped like a grandfather clock. It is stained dark and has a small white keyhole shaped inlay in it. That could be a small piece of ivory. Could they seize it?
The ivory piece from years gone by are a part of history. I feel destroying them is much like the present craze of destroying Confederate statues because you take offense to a time in history when it was routine to have slaves. What happened 150 yrs, again, is history and should be preserved. Regardless of your feelings, this is a wonderful opportunity for teaching the present generation about their forefathers.
I know this will upset many on here but I believe all ivory should be done away with, antique or not. It is irrelevant to me whether someone carved it hundreds of years ago or just last month. Either way, it most likely came about due to the needless death of an elephant for our entertainment and appreciation of carving techniques that turn a piece into “art”. In many areas around the world it’s legal to sell “antique” ivory however, how does one tell if it’s truly antique or not? Just another loop hole that poachers and the black market uses to further slaughter elephants, fill their pockets and get away with it.
I love animals and I am all for protecting elephants from nasty poachers, but to destroy these beautiful, irreplaceable antiquities that were created years before our enlightenment is a crime and going overboard! This is almost like the Muslim groups that destroyed so much art and antiquities in the Middle East. Will we someday live in a dystopian world where all leather will be destroyed because the vegetarian ruling class doesn’t like it? How about the cruelty of mining gold, is that next? It’s almost mob mentality.
I abhor killing anything for the sake of its fur, teeth , claws or whatever. That being said, to destroy priceless antiquities or jewelry from the past is actually without fathom. Its like destroying art because it depicts something that is abhorrent. Laws should be so very harsh about killing elephants that NO ONE would want to do so; but, to destroy works of art because someone once killed a elephant in our past history is ridiculous.
I am all for protecting animal species that are being endangered, like elephants, but it has just gone to far to the other side of lunacy when we destroy antique & pre 1965 Ivory. These are the same people who want to protect some stupid fish here in Northern California with no water to the crops putting farmers out of business and raising the cost of produce! INSANE how we the people have let the minority take over and speak for the rest of us. Just sit on your Antique Ivory, the prices will continue to soar upward in price! Every time Government intervenes it drives the black market!
I collected antique ivories starting 35 years ago, mainly Japanese and Chinese. These are magnificent pieces of artwork. Although I am sympathetic to the current plight of elephants and support conservation, I cannot understand or condone the destruction of art from years past, when it does nothing to help the current environmental cause.
It seems a bit reminiscent of recent acts against antiquity that have nothing to do with the present or any respect for art or history. As many species of tigers are threatened or extinct, it might be an idea to burn all rugs, coats or other remains of tigers in order to prevent their hunting and extinction.
I simply don’t get the logic, except as it pertains to the modern aspects of hunting, smuggling and creating new items.
Among the inventory of a business my father bought after the war, established pre 1900 by an Indian merchant, there were many antique Indian ivory and ebony carved items . Prior to disposing of it, much was given to us as children to play with, ebony and ivory animals, some of which I still have albeit not perfectly sound. One item Father luckily did not dispose of, giving it to Mother, is an astoundingly beautiful, heavily embroidered pure silk kimono, a real treasure.
On one hand, installing tracking devices in the horns and tusks of endangered species doesn’t happen as often as would be useful because of the cost. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of antique ivory is being destroyed in this type of mass destruction every so often. I really do think we could come up with a better plan.
Crushing, burning, and otherwise destroying any ivory just increases the demand and value for killing more elephants. This is mindless, senseless and misguided.
So this means they literally crushed the Ivory? I apologize for my ignorance. I’m new to the antique scene.
What happens to it after it’s crushed? Is there a list somewhere that shows which states allow it to be sold?
i totally agree that ivory and the hunting and killing of elephants should be outlawed. more money needs to go towards stopping hunters and poachers, but a lot of the old ivory was taken from elephant grave yards, and destroying it , that is destroying history and art. money could have been raised to go after poachers and push for no more elephant hunting. this doesn’t seem like the most effective thing to have done.
You cannot change either the world nor history by destruction of art and beauty Ban the sale of new ivory, make elephant poaching a death penalty crime carried out in the field by law enforcers but do not destroy ancient art
What a shame to destroy antique beauties. We support current regs, no killing of elephants or other mammals with “ivory”. But, the laws should be changed to allow sale of antique ivory of at least 100 years of age!
I wholly support New York Action.
Man and all others living animals are interwoven with each other on this ONE EARTH.
If one of these species becomes dominant and destroys all other species for SELFISH GREED then the dominant specie becomes extinct
Where has one got the right to kill another animal as trophy or make trinkets etc. out of the animal
Guess this kind of madness will never end. New ivory for sure should be destroyed but old, old stuff? Get a grip .
they need to crush the people that are killing these precious souls to take their tusks to sell to evil, ignorant and self important monsters! this makes me so angry and sick to my stomach. may they rot in hell!
Whether it is legal or not, the destruction of antique art and jewelry is criminal. The elephants who died deserve to at least be remembered for the sacrifice they made. Destroying their ivory is disrespectful.
I agree completely that ivory items over 100 years old should be spared from being crushed, but not only that ivory. It is barbaric not to make a distinction between those items that are incredible works of art and stopping the poaching that motivates the current trade, or to recognize that there are desperate economic conditions in many African nations and that motivates some to poach animals. Also, since there are African nations that sell permits to hunt elephants, IMO the ivory from those elephants should be marked and legal to trade. Though each represents the life of an elephant, just lumping all ivory into the same basket and crushing those that are antique works of art is as repugnant as the indiscriminate poaching and slaughter of elephants for their tusks. Better to preserve the ivory as a memorial to those majestic animals and the craftsmanship of the person who carved it than to destroy it and render the elephant’s sacrifice invisible, their life taken in vain.
Destroying Ivory is just going to raise the value of it to the point more poachers would be willing to take the risk.
Coming up with a resin that was impossible to tell from real ivory may ruin the demand and value of at least new ivory. In reality that’s the only thing you can control to save the elephants now.
I know a lot collectors who quit collecting cast iron because they got ripped off on repos.
Awful!
I think it is really sad. I agree that Ivory should only be sold if antique or old. But to just toss away the works of art, and take this part of history and discard it is appalling. Even if all of it went into a museum for the pubic to learn by. But is it not bad enough that the poor animal was killed for the Ivory then to see it just tossed out like trash. I think it is really a sad statement. it is going to far. I sold a Steinway Grand from 1898. It has Ivory keys. The person who bought it now has to take the keys off and replace them with plastic to sell the refurbished piano. Seems crazy and wasteful to me. It is like a book burning. We will see how it reflects in the future.
Don’t they realize by crushing ivory they only make it rarer thereby Increasing Demand? Sometimes a little common sense can go a long way.
The destruction of antique and ancient ivory pieces ranks right up there with ISIS demolishing ancient sites and statues. Ancient ivory artifacts are not hurting modern elephants. Killing elephants is wrong. What needs to be done is stop the poaching and killing of today. Anyone with precious ancient and antique ivory or family pieces must carefully guard and hide them away from the do-gooders who would destroy your precious artifacts.
It defies logic to destroy 100 year old items for political correctness. The antique ivory should have been donated to museums for display. With the stipulation they it can never be sold.
Of course Antique Ivory should be allowed to be sold! This is quite ridiculous – if I was able, I would make a politically-orientated comment about it being in New York…
So is it official? Do we live in a communist country now? The feds took all of the Kachina dolls out of our store in the 1970’s to see if they were adorned with illegal bird feathers. They were NOT but when we got SOME of the dolls back they were broken and rendered useless. We were out thousands of dollars because no one in the federal government knew what a chicken looked like!
I would like more information on ivory. I have a set of ivory elephant figurines, still in the box. I also have a set of ivory, carved beads.My uncle was a businessman in Saudi Arabia in the late 40s and 50s and bought them as a gift to my mother. Of course I can’t say that they were the product of killing an elephant or the product of tusks from a dead one. I’m completely against the killing of these beautiful creatures, but also appreciate the beauty of the hand carvings. I currently live in Colorado.
I have an ivory necklace consisting of very small elephants carved around WWII that a cousin gave to my Mother when he came home from the war. What should I do with it?
Thank you, Lora Lee
This is absolutely insane. A toxic combination of truly ignorant do gooders and politicians who cater to the mob. Elephants are CITES protected, and the limited hunting of over-populated areas and control animals generates much need money for their protection from poachers – their actual enemy. All this does is further limit the number of hunter conservationists willing to put their hard earned money to use for the betterment of the species. An investment not one of these people has or ever will make. Ridiculous.
A few more elephants may have to die to replace these two tons of ivory.