Ivory elephants

[greenacres]

Do you know more than your telling us? You seem so sure of the background of these elephants? Who has the original documentation that you are sure whether they came from Africa or Asia? Wouldn't that person have documentation of the age?

[plankton]

Alas, no, I have no more information. I know my mother bought them in the early 1960's, I see them in photos from that era (perhaps she may have had them longer), and they have just been part of the furniture ever since. She died some time ago and of course, no one else has any information. I know what they were valued at for insurance purposes back in the 1980's, but that's it.

[mart]

Any valuation for insurance would be done with documentation to support it !! Insurance companies will not accept someones word for it !! It would have had paperwork !! Have you looked through the insurance papers ??  Even if done with a group of items there would have been a list , a description, the value and name and company name of those that placed the valuation on it !!

[plankton]

Hi Mart,

I think you may have misunderstood me - I do have the old insurance papers from 1981. On these yhey were listed simply as "ivory elephants", and a value placed upon them. I also have the original valuation papers for household contents from both Sotheby's and Bonhams, in which they are also listed and which the insurance obviously used for their purposes. What i want to know now is what they might be worth, at which stage we'll make a decision on what to do. Taking them to another country, whether illegally or legally, is fraught with expense and danger.

I had hoped someone was going to tell me a little about them - whether they were indeed carved in the far east, and perhaps in which country. I have no idea how old they are either. My mother was just as likely to buy them from a tourist dealer as she was in a shop selling antiquities.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

[mart]

 Without some way of identifying these specific elephant carvings we really are at as much of a loss as you are !!  There is no way to know who made them, when they were done, or what country they are from !! You may find similar pieces from several countries !!  If it were me,, I would go with the assumption that they are African ivory and ask customs office for their recommendations !! I would always have a copy of the insurance papers with you showing they have been evaluated since there would be fewer questions asked with that documentation !!  They may tell you do do the same as you did when you brought them into the U.S if you tell them you have those papers and can sort of prove their origin !!  Its better than having nothing !!
Let me do some checking on value percentages up or down !!