Sealskin sporran

[AKScott]

As an american who has driven over the border a couple times, I expect a more stern inspection from Canadian than US customs.

I would speculate your chances of crossing both borders both ways without it coming up at all is greater than 50%.

As a US citizen, the right thing for me to do would be to declare the thing (as a pre 1975 exempt item) as I was leaving the country, carry that documentation with me at all times while out of the country, and present the same form when I came back into the States. I expect the Canadain regulations would be similar, but I don't know.

I would likewise expect a US customs officer to just sign the form and hand it over, and I would expect a Canadian customs officer to ask me how I could prove the thing was made before 1975. No offense. I think there are only 22 rude people in all of Canada, but they all work on the US border as immigration agents.

[Spartan Tartan]

Unless you have clear proof of when it was made, I would NOT bring a seal skin anything into the States. The cost to replace such a rare item I suspect far surpasses the cost of a new dress sporran made from something less controversial.

Upon more thought...I wouldn't bring a seal skin sporran even if I did have the necessary paperwork. Not worth the risk.

[Chirs]

I would likewise expect a US customs officer to just sign the form and hand it over, and I would expect a Canadian customs officer to ask me how I could prove the thing was made before 1975. No offense. I think there are only 22 rude people in all of Canada, but they all work on the US border as immigration agents.

I would love to disagree with you on that but the agents I've met when crossing the boarder have taken all that fight right out of me. Although certainly not all, there are enough that it is just assumed that one behaves like a whipped dog when approaching the booth. The day I was happy with the agent (I was on vacation!!) she very nearly shot me, and the SO looked at me as if I was shoplifting; the SO already knew that you don't talk nicely to the agent!