MADAM – A friend in the trade asked me over a year ago, ‘what will you do if antiques containing ivory are made illegal?’. Since then I’ve given it serious thought. What can any of us do?
Despite the best efforts of the trade, I fear a law that bans the sale of most antique ivory will soon be with us. We must make a record, or the best record that we can, of the destruction this new bill will cause.
I would like to ask all the members of the antiques trade – auctioneers, dealers, restorers and, in particular, bullion traders who deal with scrap silver and gold – for their help in three key areas: