# Securing ivory and CITES: the paper decides, not the age you see on it

> Secure ivory: check species protection, do not trade without papers, store what you lawfully have shock-free and dark.
> Quelle: https://tresorrari.de/artikel/elfenbein-cites-sichern · Stand: 2026-10-01 · Tresorrari Redaktion

Ivory and other material from protected species is no longer a normal collecting field. Whether an old piece has an exception is on the papers. The age you see on it is not enough. In the overview [Security for collectors](/artikel/sicherheit-fuer-sammler) this is a warning text, not a market.

## What you do

You do not buy and you do not sell without knowing the papers and the rule. You do not take it across a border because it is "only old". If you own something and you are unsure, you ask the competent authority. Until then it stays shock-free, dark, documented, the papers in the document cabinet, the piece not in the open display case as an invitation to trade.

## Netsuke and similar pieces

Small carved pieces also follow the text on [Netsuke](/artikel/netsuke-sammlung-sichern): first determine the material, then store.


## Häufige Fragen

### Old enough, so allowed?

No. The papers and the rule decide, not your impression of the age.

### Sell without papers?

No. Ask the competent authority first.

### Into the display case?

Not as an offer. Store it documented until the classification is clear.