Richard Jernigan -> RE: Which rosewood is this? (Mar. 10 2021 19:49:44)
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Ten years ago I bought a set of rosewood dining room furniture, made in Denmark in the 1950s, from a dealer in Vancouver, Canada. Before I bought it I questioned him about importing it into the USA. He said that when they had a truckload to ship they loaded up their truck, took the stuff to Bremerton, Washington, USA and shipped it from there. "What about U.S. Customs?" I asked. The dealer said U.S. Customs had impounded one shipment, asserting that it contained Dabergia Nigra. The dealer hired an expert from a Canadian university, who challenged Customs to prove that it was Dalbergia Nigra. After a few months of back and forth, Customs admitted they were unable to prove it was. The dealer said they had no further trouble with U.S. Customs. Of course it would be a serious inconvenience for a guitar you bought to be impounded by the Dutch government or E.U. authorities, and they might be more determined to defend their actions than U.S. Customs was. I was aware of the exception for musical instruments cited by Echi, but did not take the time to look up the source again. I have traveled to Europe and back to the USA with a Brazilian rosewood guitar in recent years with no problem at either end. Back in the USA I have found a notice in the case that it had been opened and inspected by the Transportation Security Administration. They are not the Customs Service, but the TSA works closely with them to interdict smuggling. RNJ
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