IVORY POCKETKNIFE SCALES, CITES AND THE UK IVORY ACT 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:14 pm
IVORY POCKETKNIFE SCALES, CITES AND THE UK IVORY ACT 2018
I began contributions to AAPK with pressed metal scale pocketknives by Richards, Sheffield. I am reviewing the different scale material of knives in my collection and will be covering other types in due course. Here are some higher quality knives with ivory scales.
The sale of Ivory in the UK is highly regulated. In accordance with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) it was permitted to sell ivory items worked before 1947. The UK Ivory Act 2018 that came into force in 2019 tightened this considerably in order to protect wild animals, particularly elephants, from being illegally killed for their ivory. There is now an almost total ban on sales of ivory of any age and export from and import to the UK. An exemption covers some items, if there is only a small amount of ivory, less than 10% by volume of the article, and it was made before 1947. Most small knives have more than 10%.
People selling old pocketknives generally cannot tell the difference between ivory, imitation ivory and bone so sales continue as before. One should be aware, as there are severe penalties for infringements. De minimis for slivers of ivory on small pocketknives is unlikely as the spirit of the Act is one of total war on illegal ivory sales. It is not illegal to own ivory. The prohibition is on selling, import and export. Also restrictive in Scotland is the requirement for vendors of knives to have a licence issued by the local authority. Shops usually conform. Most market traders don't but in the present regulatory environment are sensible enough not to sell knives to youngsters.
Ivory pocketknives can be dated from the maker's mark; in many cases proving the knife was made before 1947. Ivory scales being on high-end knives, most are marked. Four of mine have maker's marks. A fifth marked 'Sheffield Make' on the tang, is an advertising knife yellowed with age and with an Edinburgh Edwardian retailer's name and address engraved in the ivory. Ivory tends to yellow with age and my knives have four different shades from cream to tawny.
The difference between a good and a very good knife is small details. The quality of the Bennett and Heron knife is an example. They have taken the trouble to add another manufacturing operation, stamping 'oil the joints' on the tang, wanting the performance of the knife to come up to the standard of their workmanship.
Surfing the web and examining knives in my collection with a X10 hand lens, I learned to recognise real ivory. It is not difficult but a lens is helpful. One looks for lines from its layered structure. There are various laboratory methods, the biological can determine the animal species the ivory came from.
The massacre of African and Indian elephants and creatures like walrus is a tragedy so the legislation is necessary and overdue. Given the modern materials available there is no need to use ivory for knives or any other purpose. One likes to have some historical examples of this natural material in ones collection for completeness.
The legislation is highly restrictive considering that wooly mammoth tusks from animals extinct 4,000years ago are occasionally dredged up by trawlers in the southern North Sea and are subject to it. It is considered that for the legislation to have the desired outcome it has to be tight because of the tricks smugglers employ, passing off new ivory as old.
Greedy, irresponsible and murderous people who can't behave themselves cause everyone else to have less freedom. Restriction of knife sales in Scotland has come about because of teenagers killing each other. For similar reasons I am required to have a licence to own airguns when I have owned them, with no trouble to anyone, for sixty years.
Some controls are necessary to keep weapons out of the hands of those of unsound mind but in the UK they have not been competently drafted or implemented so have failed to protect the public. In consequence we have a total prohibition on the private ownership of handguns and some other types of firearm and shotgun magazines have restricted capacity. One hopes that the rigour of the ivory controls will be more successful in contributing to the protection of elephants.
10 March 2022
I began contributions to AAPK with pressed metal scale pocketknives by Richards, Sheffield. I am reviewing the different scale material of knives in my collection and will be covering other types in due course. Here are some higher quality knives with ivory scales.
The sale of Ivory in the UK is highly regulated. In accordance with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) it was permitted to sell ivory items worked before 1947. The UK Ivory Act 2018 that came into force in 2019 tightened this considerably in order to protect wild animals, particularly elephants, from being illegally killed for their ivory. There is now an almost total ban on sales of ivory of any age and export from and import to the UK. An exemption covers some items, if there is only a small amount of ivory, less than 10% by volume of the article, and it was made before 1947. Most small knives have more than 10%.
People selling old pocketknives generally cannot tell the difference between ivory, imitation ivory and bone so sales continue as before. One should be aware, as there are severe penalties for infringements. De minimis for slivers of ivory on small pocketknives is unlikely as the spirit of the Act is one of total war on illegal ivory sales. It is not illegal to own ivory. The prohibition is on selling, import and export. Also restrictive in Scotland is the requirement for vendors of knives to have a licence issued by the local authority. Shops usually conform. Most market traders don't but in the present regulatory environment are sensible enough not to sell knives to youngsters.
Ivory pocketknives can be dated from the maker's mark; in many cases proving the knife was made before 1947. Ivory scales being on high-end knives, most are marked. Four of mine have maker's marks. A fifth marked 'Sheffield Make' on the tang, is an advertising knife yellowed with age and with an Edinburgh Edwardian retailer's name and address engraved in the ivory. Ivory tends to yellow with age and my knives have four different shades from cream to tawny.
The difference between a good and a very good knife is small details. The quality of the Bennett and Heron knife is an example. They have taken the trouble to add another manufacturing operation, stamping 'oil the joints' on the tang, wanting the performance of the knife to come up to the standard of their workmanship.
Surfing the web and examining knives in my collection with a X10 hand lens, I learned to recognise real ivory. It is not difficult but a lens is helpful. One looks for lines from its layered structure. There are various laboratory methods, the biological can determine the animal species the ivory came from.
The massacre of African and Indian elephants and creatures like walrus is a tragedy so the legislation is necessary and overdue. Given the modern materials available there is no need to use ivory for knives or any other purpose. One likes to have some historical examples of this natural material in ones collection for completeness.
The legislation is highly restrictive considering that wooly mammoth tusks from animals extinct 4,000years ago are occasionally dredged up by trawlers in the southern North Sea and are subject to it. It is considered that for the legislation to have the desired outcome it has to be tight because of the tricks smugglers employ, passing off new ivory as old.
Greedy, irresponsible and murderous people who can't behave themselves cause everyone else to have less freedom. Restriction of knife sales in Scotland has come about because of teenagers killing each other. For similar reasons I am required to have a licence to own airguns when I have owned them, with no trouble to anyone, for sixty years.
Some controls are necessary to keep weapons out of the hands of those of unsound mind but in the UK they have not been competently drafted or implemented so have failed to protect the public. In consequence we have a total prohibition on the private ownership of handguns and some other types of firearm and shotgun magazines have restricted capacity. One hopes that the rigour of the ivory controls will be more successful in contributing to the protection of elephants.
10 March 2022
