Advice on selling ivory-inlayed cue.

Q

Qslave

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello all. I'm considering placing an ad for the last cue in my collection.
It has quite a few ivory inlays and 2 ivory ferrules.

When I bought the cue twenty years ago, it was legal to make and sell ivory inlays as long as
the ivory was not imported (ie from estate sales....etc) At least that was my understanding.

I am unsure of current laws? Have they changed? Would I run into trouble selling my cue? Does
it matter if I sell in-state vs across state lines?

I'm also out of touch with current cue prices and how much ivory would affect the price.
Back in the day, it was expensive but within reason. I expect the price has gone up?

Anyway, I'd really appreciate any advice ya'll can provide.
 
here is a start
click on the title
Billiardbills

Thread '***STICKY? "The Final Rule" Ivory***'

Can someone make a "sticky" or pinned post at the top regarding "The Final Rule" about Ivory?

I'm getting a lot of calls and messages regarding it and I'm sure it would help others sell legally here on AZBilliards. ***I am not a lawyer so please take the time to read the link yourself***

From what I and a few others have taken from the documentation not a whole lot changes IF the cue was made before 7/7/16. THIS IS ONLY IF NOT SELLING/SHIPPING TO CA WA NJ NY. Ivory can't be sold and or shipped to and from those states or even within those 4 states if I read it all correctly.

If made...
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Qslave said:
Hello all. I'm considering placing an ad for the last cue in my collection.
It has quite a few ivory inlays and 2 ivory ferrules.

When I bought the cue twenty years ago, it was legal to make and sell ivory inlays as long as
the ivory was not imported (ie from estate sales....etc) At least that was my understanding.

I am unsure of current laws? Have they changed? Would I run into trouble selling my cue? Does
it matter if I sell in-state vs across state lines?

I'm also out of touch with current cue prices and how much ivory would affect the price.
Back in the day, it was expensive but within reason. I expect the price has gone up?

Anyway, I'd really appreciate any advice ya'll can provide.
Click to expand...
Don't Post About It On The World Wide Web...
Too late
 
What state do you live in? Ivory cues can be purchased and sold as long as the amount of ivory contained in the cue satisfies the de minimis requirement stipulated in the regulation. Just confirm you reside in a state that hasn’t enacted any ivory ban and you only sell to a purchaser that resides in a state that also has not passed any ivory restrictions. If you comply with the aforementioned, then selling your cue is totally legal. If you decide to break the law, well, just hope & pray you aren’t caught.
 

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there are a couple people that live near you in melborne area that may be interested.
selling within florida may be legal or not. but person to person with a cue stick made years back may be fine.

selling to another state brings interstate federal laws into question.
 
There are more than 4 states that restrict the sale of any ivory whatsoever and there are no deminimis exemptions for
those states. And there are additional requirements about Interstate Commerce transactions between states that have
not enacted any legislation restricting ivory sales within its geographical boundaries. Just go to U.S. Fish & Wildlife and learn firsthand. Don’t listen to me, despite knowing what I talk about, or anyone else on Az about ivory sales.

When you follow free advice and it’s wrong, you are the only party suffering any consequences, legal or monetary. The most you’d ever get from the person offering wrong advice is maybe….”Sorry, I didn’t know that could happen to you?”

Don’t be lazy……go confirm everything yourself…….I did before bought the cues I have……I can sell them but no reason to.
I collected them because I wanted them. Now my kids and grandkids will inherit even more precious cues than I initially thought my cues might ever become, especially my Tim Scruggs flat ivory radial pin cue. From what I’ve learned, he didn’t make that many. So that cue will go to my 1st grandson who is only 4 yrs old. Imagine how many cues like my Scruggs will still be around 20 years from now? And if you found one, what condition will it be in? Mine is going to remain pristine, at least until I die. I’d much rather own a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 rifle than a brand new Winchester. I feel the same about owning cues made by talented cue makers. Some things become more precious when they are considered unique.
 
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maha said:
there are a couple people that live near you in melborne area that may be interested.
selling within florida may be legal or not. but person to person with a cue stick made years back may be fine.

selling to another state brings interstate federal laws into
Click to expand...
Behave like a smart carpenter and always measure twice before cutting the wood once…….do your own research.
 
Another way is to post pics of your cue to a group on Facebook. It’s best if that group is dedicated to the maker of your cue instead of a generic cue group. Do not say it’s ivory, you can say it’s natural bone or whatever.

If the cue is desirable members of the group will contact and ask if it’s for sale. Use messenger and start negotiating.

If it’s possible meet the buyer in person to conclude the transaction, this way there is just about zero chance of getting screwed.

It’s a good idea to vet the person every way you can think of which is what I did.

This is what I did when I was in the same situation as the OP.
My cue is now in a large collection in the Tampa area. It was a super smooth transaction with zero problems.
 
If I can't sell the cue legally, then I won't sell it.
Thank you all for good advice.
I'm going to attempt to sell within Florida first and then go from there.

Any advice on value? Just general trends say value 20 years ago vs today for
an (otherwise) $4000 cue with alot of ivory inlays?
Are we talking marginal or significant increases?

I'll probably just have to start high and lower the price over time.
 
You can sell it anywhere. Even if someone in a lockdown state purchased it, it would be on them. Same with selling out of a lock down state, you take your chances and you may win a prize. I would not risk trying to ship out of the country, that is illegal. As far as the value increase, depends on the maker, and the cue. If you have a 4k cue for 20 years and if it has an "S" in the butt cap being you are from Melbourne, maybe you bought a lottery ticket. :)

JV
 
classiccues said:
You can sell it anywhere. Even if someone in a lockdown state purchased it, it would be on them. Same with selling out of a lock down state, you take your chances and you may win a prize. I would not risk trying to ship out of the country, that is illegal. As far as the value increase, depends on the maker, and the cue. If you have a 4k cue for 20 years and if it has an "S" in the butt cap being you are from Melbourne, maybe you bought a lottery ticket. :)

JV
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I most definitely will not be selling it internationally:)
 
If you knowingly violate another state’s laws, you might not ultimately be judged guilty at a trial should it ever come to
that but I was told by USFW you can still be charged for a crime in another state if you were to ever visit it. It becomes
like an outstanding bench warrant on a traffic violation with failure to appear. If you were stopped by police, it could
become a problem. Just be smart and not foolhardy but fer crying out loud, there is so much information on this topic
easily acquired. This is just a sample that took a few minutes. The answer to any question about ivory is easily learned.
Recollection Cues put together a terrific explanation on their website several years ago. It was a scholarly written.
 

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Qslave said:
If I can't sell the cue legally, then I won't sell it.
Thank you all for good advice.
I'm going to attempt to sell within Florida first and then go from there.

Any advice on value? Just general trends say value 20 years ago vs today for
an (otherwise) $4000 cue with alot of ivory inlays?
Are we talking marginal or significant increases?

I'll probably just have to start high and lower the price over time.
Click to expand...
Just price shit to move.....and it sells.

Listing at ridiculous prices means people don't even be interested.

The amount of people interested in tying up money on the cues of old diminishes by the second as the generations pass. Kinda like musical chairs, you don't want to be the guy without a seat and leave your family stuck with something that is not even practical.
 
Qslave said:
If I can't sell the cue legally, then I won't sell it.
Thank you all for good advice.
I'm going to attempt to sell within Florida first and then go from there.

Any advice on value? Just general trends say value 20 years ago vs today for
an (otherwise) $4000 cue with alot of ivory inlays?
Are we talking marginal or significant increases?

I'll probably just have to start high and lower the price over time.
Click to expand...
It's impossible for anyone here to give you good value for your cue without knowing more about it. Having said that, if it's the Dishaw or Dayton you've mentioned in your other posts, you're extremely unlikely to get your $4k back out of it in any reasonable amount of time. They're both great cue makers. But the cue market it a lot like art. There are certain pieces that are much much more popular and expensive based solely on the name/reputation of its maker. And Dan's and Paul's cues haven't made it into the Searing, Gina, Boar, etc. levels of value.
 
Even if you follow the law there is a risk.

Extreme caution is advisable even within the law. If authorities just suspect the cue or transaction is afoul of the law, the situation can blow up. On a mere suspicion you can lose the cue and/or it can be destroyed...and worse.

Innocent until proven guilty is an ideal rarely achieved.

Don't trust LEO. That is not a political position.

I am very frustrated with the legal situation regarding ivory and cues.
 
Chop is correct. Plus do not believe everything you read on the internet. I have noticed that in forums where ivory laws are detrimental, that the wording is skewed to make it sound like there are times when ivory is OK to use. The actual PDF law on the final rule states very clearly you can not work ivory in a new manufactured item. There is another PDF that had to do with the creation of the rule, and some exceptions and discussions that were considered during the creation of the rule. This is not the rule but pieces of it have been interpreted as the rule. It is a 32 page pdf available online that is often misquoted and misapplied.
JV
 
classiccues said:
Chop is correct. Plus do not believe everything you read on the internet. I have noticed that in forums where ivory laws are detrimental, that the wording is skewed to make it sound like there are times when ivory is OK to use. The actual PDF law on the final rule states very clearly you can not work ivory in a new manufactured item. There is another PDF that had to do with the creation of the rule, and some exceptions and discussions that were considered during the creation of the rule. This is not the rule but pieces of it have been interpreted as the rule. It is a 32 page pdf available online that is often misquoted and misapplied.
JV
Click to expand...
Can you give me a link. I thought we could still use Ivory in our own state any way we wanted, but not ship it out of state on new cues.
 
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