pre ban IVORY Mini Mahjong Tiles 220 pcs/Wood Box

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These Elephant Ivory tiles were legally imported into the USA in 1961 by Aetna Creations Inc. They can be legally sold on Ebay and shipped within the United States.We can not ship this item internationally. It is no longer legal to import or export Ivory into or out of the USA. ASIAN SPECIES OF ELEPHANT (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS MAXIMUS) Vintage Miniature Elephant Ivory Mahjong Set THIS TILES IN THIS AUCTION COME IN THE FANCY WOOD BOX SHOWN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE AUCTION. DIRECTION BOOK IS INCLUDED. BOX AND BOOK LOOK OLD BUT I DON'T THINK IS. Rare & Beautiful Miniature Elephant Ivory Mahjong Set Enclosed in beautiful carved wood box are 220 miniature elephant ivory tiles. These charming tiles are hand carved and hand painted Elephant IVORY, not bone or tusk. Set includes all Dots, Cracks, Bams, Flowers and Winds as featured in a regular set. Plus some unusual Beautiful Woman, Exercising Men, Chinese Musical Instruments, Flute, chess, book, Painting, Four Seasons, Dragon, Phoenix, bird, Elephant and Snake. We do not know why this set comes with additional tiles, but each one is truly a work of art! These sets were imported by us in 1961. In 1975 the U.S. banned the importation of ivory products. They came 100 sets per wooden crate, with each set packed in a cardboard box. We sold them, not as complete sets but as individual charms, framed in 14K gold or sterling silver. You can see some of the other items we manufacture by requesting information Click on a thumbnail for large photo or scroll down. Carved wood box to hold your IVORY tiles. 220 IVORY Tiles in Box Special Tiles 220 Tiles Miniature Tiles Original Label not Included Scroll down for the following views or click on link. Click for special tiles included in your set . Click for view of complete set. Click for important information We had run out of these tiles about ten years ago. The empty heavy wooden crates had been stacked underneath a table to support some production machinery. Last year we received some new equipment and in rearranging our shop discovered one of the crates had never been opened. We are now offering them as originally imported. 220 piece complete IVORY mahjong sets. The cardboard boxes the sets came in have fallen apart, so we found new hand crafted boxes imported from India to hold the sets. On Ebay the word Ivory seems to be used more as a descriptive term rather than a statement of fact. We guarantee these tiles are Ivory. All our other crates are empty and once we run out of these sets they will never be available again. Ivory is becoming rare. It can no longer be imported into the U.S. These sets are beautiful collectors treasures and are certain to appreciate in value! Some collectors feel that t are very few, if any true ivory Mahjong sets in this country. Ivory has a visual depth not seen in bone. A visual inspection of ivory under strong light will usually reveal some of the tusk structure. The most definitive pattern is described as looking like stacked chevrons or a cross-hatch pattern somew in the tile ( often at the edges), barely seen as the tile is turned in strong light. Other patterns are wavy ( indicating the layers of the tusk ). Less desirable "bone" often has pockmarks of organic tissue which show up as black spots and detract form the beauty of the tiles. All tiles are in good condition and measure approximately:3/4" x 1/2" x 1/8"18 mm x 11.5 mm x 4 mmManufactured by Kwong Gat Chung Ivory Wares and Mahjong Factory,located at 92A Island Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong.Imported to the U.S. in 1961. Our set is featured on the home page of the Mahjong Museum. Request link from Our set is also listed under "The Unique Sets" section, item # 260. Please note the following Original box made of cardboard not available Original label shown not available Both label & box have long since fallen apart Real miniature ivory tiles imported from Hong Kong Questions call Mel at or em... read more

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