A large auction lot of ivory hilted Moro kris and gunong

[Ian]

This lot of 11 ivory-hilted kris and gunong was offered recently online by a Philippines auction site. Ten of the items appear to be 20th C pieces, while there is one kris in the center of the upper row that seems to have an earlier blade. The dress of these weapons is consistent with 20th C Maranao work, with silver and gold-washed mounts. I think the style of hilts and most of the scabbards is from the early 20th C, say 1920s-1930s.

An interesting collection of Moro weapons from a particular period. The seller of this lot was asking a high price for the collection. It did not sell. The price and ivory content may have discouraged overseas' bidders.
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[Rick]

Did anyone bid on these Ian?

[Ian]

No Rick. The lot was passed without a bid. I will PM the listing to you.

[milandro]

in most countries Ivory is now a no go to buy and officially import , even if form before 1947

I have posted before on the subject

https://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showt...ivory+milandro

in the EU the only entities which can purchase ivory for a public sourced are museums

there is a very good chance that even transporting agencies would refuse handling ivory items

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by milandro

in most countries Ivory is now a no go to buy and officially import , even if form before 1947

I have posted before on the subject

https://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showt...ivory+milandro

in the EU the only entities which can purchase ivory for a public sourced are museums

there is a very good chance that even transporting agencies would refuse handling ivory items

It's not so difficult to receive ivory, from a Filipino POV (importation, incoming). However, it's very difficult- or probably even impossible- to export ivory (PH to other countries).

[milandro]

not in Europe

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pres.../qanda_21_6888

most couriers would simply refuse to transport too

Selling Ivory is only permitted for sale to museums in Europe so a private collector, these days , can only keep the stuff he has

Frankly speaking a lot of people I know avoid Ivory and the results of the sale show it too

a Cites certificate is NOT sufficient anymore

"...Import of ivory is prohibited, except for very narrow exemptions. It is only permitted under strict conditions for pre-1975 musical instruments, and for antiques (artefacts from before 1947) if sold to a museum..."


So, In EUROPE the only people who can import and sell any Ivory can ONLY do so if selling to a MUSEUM that is if they want to do it LEGALLY


This makes buying Ivory practically valueless for an European buyer

[Ian]

Originally Posted by xasterix

It's not so difficult to receive ivory, from a Filipino POV (importation, incoming). However, it's very difficult- or probably even impossible- to export ivory (PH to other countries).

Hi Xas,

There is a significant risk importing any ivory-containing item into Australia. Like the U.S. and Europe, we have enforcement of CITES regulations and confiscation/destruction of ivory-containing items without the required certification, which is expensive and difficult to obtain. Thus, this lot would have been of little interest to (law-abiding) collectors in countries that enforce the CITES requirements.

Regards, Ian

P.S. Did you happen to know the collector who put this lot up for auction?

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Xas,

There is a significant risk importing any ivory-containing item into Australia. Like the U.S. and Europe, we have enforcement of CITES regulations and confiscation/destruction of ivory-containing items without the required certification, which is expensive and difficult to obtain. Thus, this lot would have been of little interest to (law-abiding) collectors in countries that enforce the CITES requirements.

Regards, Ian

P.S. Did you happen to know the collector who put this lot up for auction?

PH is also a CITES partner, but laws aren't enforced as much... 3rd world country nuances lol. I know the source collection of those blades, but not exactly who commissioned it (may have been an intermediary)

[Ian]

Thanks Xas. Would you care to comment on the age and dress of these items?

[Pertinax]

Are milk tusks also banned?

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by Ian

Thanks Xas. Would you care to comment on the age and dress of these items?

The blade on the middle has potential to be old, but i can't tell for sure because the gangya is obstructed. The leftmost and rightmost, I'm guessing are pre-WW2 at least. The dresses could have been made from 1920s-1970s.

Here's another kris from that collection, sorry i can't show the whole thing in deference to the owner. But you'll notice the dress is virtually the same- except this kris has a molar ivory pommel.

The ex-collector collected a massive number of pieces in Davao in the 1970s.