Is it legal to sell ivory piano keys?

Buying and selling ivory is illegal. Real ivory may not be sold, bought, given away, transported over state lines, or shipped out of the country. This applies to all ivory items — sculptures, embellishments, keytops, and even entire pianos with ivory keys.

Are ivory keys illegal?

Selling and trading ivory is illegal. Trying to sell thin, small ivory key-tops, while also being a waste of time, is against the law. Ebay, for example, will immediately pull any listing that mentions ivory.

What is the current price of ivory?

The price currently paid for raw ivory in Asia, according to an investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission, is currently between $597/kg and $689/kg, in U.S. dollars. Ivory sourced in Africa and sold in Asia has additional costs such as transportation, taxes and broker commissions.

Do they still make pianos with ivory keys?

Pianos built over 300 years ago, had keys made from wood entirely, but then ivory became a preferred material due to its excellent quality and durability. Ivory typically comes from rhinos and elephants. Pianos with ivory keys are no longer manufactured, but many older pianos with ivory keys still exist and are in use.

How can I tell if my piano keys are real ivory?

Ivory keys are made in three pieces–key, stem and front, where as plastic keytops only have two pieces–the top and front. If you look closely at the keys, you can see the fine line that is the joint between the keytop and the stem. If this line is present, your keys are indeed ivory.

Is ivory worth money?

The prices paid for raw ivory in Africa have decreased correspondingly from $208/kg to $92/kg in 2020. Those numbers pale in comparison to a living elephant. A 2014 study found that live elephants are each worth an estimated $1.6 million in ecotourism opportunities.

How can I tell if I have real ivory?

Though authentic ivory is made from elephant tusks, people imitate with bone or even plastic, which can be weighted to feel like ivory. You can usually tell if the piece is a fake made of bone by observing the tunnels in the bones – authentic ivory will have no striations.

How do you clean ivory piano keys?

When cleaning your ivory piano keys, there is a mild solution of just warm water with a little bit of dish soap that will be sufficient and effective. Be sure that whatever cloth you decide to use, it is best if it is white in color so that no other colors bleed onto the white keys.

Can you still buy pianos with real ivory keys?

The short answer to this question is no , you can’t buy new pianos with ivory keys anymore. They have been outlawed on new pianos since the 1970s in the United States although some European manufacturers continued to offer ivory keys on select pianos into the 1980’s.

Are my piano keys made of Ivory?

One indicator of whether or not your piano keys are possibly ivory is when the piano was produced. If a piano was made after 1972, chances are you don’t have ivory keys because the ivory trade was made illegal around that time. However, pianos were produced with ivory or plastic for many years prior to 1972.

Are the keys on a piano made out of Ivory?

No pianos have ivory keys . The keys of all pianos are made out of wood. It is only the thin top of the white keys which are made of ivory or plastic. The black keys are made of ebony. However, most Asian production pianos have plastic black keys.

Why are piano keys made of Ivory?

Piano keys were originally made of ivory, not only because of its value and because of aesthetic quality, but also because its properties allow it to absorb perspiration. Thus, keys made of ivory, unlike those of plastic, would reduce the chances of the pianist’s fingers slipping.