How can one tell the difference between an antique and a recent animal?

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I would look up antique ivory sellers, and I notice that there are ivory buyers stating that they would only buy antique ivory. How can you tell the difference between the illegal and legal ones? How can you tell the difference between ivory that is recently taken from the animals, as opposed to ones that are antique?
Best answer:
Answer by tigris
I think mostly it is by documentation associated with the ivory object – if you happen to have proof that your grandfather bought a piece 50 years ago it is pre-ban. Though apparently ivory can get dated with infrared spectroscopy, though I am not sure how precise this is, probably not very, but it might get you to the right century. If an object is older than 300-400 years carbon dating would start to be an option.