brokenhearted.

Backstory: After living in Alaska for 10 years I am about to return to the UK and would like to bring some ivory pieces that my deceased husband collected over his many years in Alaska. Since they are tangible personal property ownership goes to surviving spouse(me), and I am aware that ivory of any kind comes with some serious paperwork - these pieces are carved and scrimshawed by Alaskan natives. Anyone experiences the process of bringing Walrus ivory into UK ?

mikelincs

I suspect the only people who can give you the definitive answer would be DEFRA, and I suggest you contact them.

brokenhearted.

Thanks - will do - in fact just sent them email.....it seems i can get them out of US with a one page form - but it looks like the UK have some pretty stringent rules going into place as of April just gone - I don't think it is worth getting into that kind of bother for and if not I will have to find good homes for them. It would be a real shame but I am resigned to the possibility.

mikelincs

I think the UK is mainly concerned with Elephant Ivory, so may not be such a problem.

brokenhearted.

I hope i can bring them, they meant a lot to him and so they do to me. Mosy of them have a name and a year underneath so it should be easy to place age but no receipts or proof of purchase. One of the pieces I am pretty sure was a gift from the artist herself, she sadly passed away at a very young age of 48 around 2007 i believe. I will let you know how this proceeds - unlikely it is a common scenario but who knows, it might help someone else one day!

durham_lad

brokenhearted.

So...after emailing DEFRA they suggested I start with the US end and get the export paperwork in place - so here goes - Project for June just landed on my desk!

brokenhearted.

So....I have started via the CITES webpage for USA....and I have contacted the FWS in Washington DC with a brief outline of what I want to do - now awaiting their reply.

brokenhearted.

Everyone I have spoken to has been helpful. I have filled in the form and provided photographs to help establish exactly what I am asking for . I have had to gift the baleen boats, which breaks my heart as they are just the most beautiful things i have seen, but baleen is an absolute no no for export - handicraft or not. So...now i await for the permit - if all goes well after getting the us permit i will them be able to work on the UK end to get them into the UK.

brokenhearted.

Ok, just as an update - I am back in the UK now and after deliberations, procrastination and patient people in the department that deal with this I eventually made a decision to donate the pieces to a museum. I had a good friend hold onto the pieces until I sorted the matter and i n the end I decided that it would be fitting to donate them to a museum in a community that he personally spoke highly of and lived for a number of years. I considered what my motive was for bringing them and in the end decided that they are basically "home", lots of people will get to see them and I have been invited to send a picture that will be displayed with them, a dedication as it were. He will be remembered long after i have gone, and i think he would have been pleased given how much he loved that community and often talked about how much he missed living there. So, sadly I cannot say the process was good or bad, only that I believe, in the end I did the right thing ( at least i hope i did).