CITES and you, or "How not to lose your stuff"

[Mark]

I have for a long time promised to write a primer on CITES, and how it works & affects us as collectors. This is not what I consider a proper legal note on the issue, but I think it is more important to get the basic information to you sooner rather than later.

I have written this in two parts. The first is an overview of CITES, what it covers, what is exempted, and how it works. The second is a practical explanation of how to go about getting a permit (at least in the United States) under a CITES exemption. Be sure to read my lawyerly caveats at the end of the second post, which apply to both of these parts.