---
kind: "section"
citation: "19 C.F.R. § 10.53"
title: "19"
number: "10.53"
heading: "Antiques."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/19/10.53"
---

# §10.53. Antiques.

- (a) Articles accompanying a passenger and entitled to entry under the passenger's declaration and entry, or articles entered under an informal entry which are claimed to be free of duty under subheading 9706.00.00, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), may be admitted free of duty upon the execution of a declaration on the face of the entry, or its electronic equivalent, provided that the passenger or person filing the informal entry is the owner of the articles and that they are for his personal use and not for sale or other commercial use and provided the Customs officer concerned is satisfied that the articles are of the requisite age.
- (b) Antiques of the age prescribed by subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS, or admitted under the provisions of [paragraph (e)](#e) of this section, shall be admitted free of duty though repaired or renovated. If, however, an antique has been repaired with a substantial amount of additional material, without changing the original form or shape, the original and added portions shall be appraised and reported as separate entities and the basis for such report shall be plainly indicated on the invoice by the appraiser. In such cases duty shall be assessed on the portion added. If the repairs consist of an addition to an article of a feature which changes it substantially from the article originally produced, or if the antique portion has otherwise been so changed as to lose its identity as the article which was in existence prior to the time prescribed in subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS, the entire article shall be excluded from free entry under subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS.
- (c) Except for furniture admitted under the provisions of [paragraph (e)](#e) of this section, furniture claimed to be free of duty under subheading 9706.00.00, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) may be entered for consumption at any port of entry within the customs territory of the United States. Furniture as used in this section of the regulations is defined as ‘movable articles of convenience or decoration for use in furnishing a house, apartment, place of business or accommodation’. This definition embraces most articles claimed to be free of duty as antiques.
- (d) A claim for the free entry of an article under subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS on the basis of antiquity may be made on the entry, or filed after entry at any time prior to liquidation of the entry, provided the article has not been released from Customs custody or it has been found upon examination before such release to be described in subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS.
- (e) Antique articles otherwise prohibited entry by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ([16 U.S.C. 1521](/usc/16/1521.md), et seq.) may be entered if:
  - (1) The article is composed in whole or in part of any endangered or threatened species listed in 50 CFR [17.11](/cfr/50/17.11.md) or [17.12](/cfr/50/17.12.md),
  - (2) The article is not less than 100 years of age,
  - (3) The article has not been repaired or modified with any part of any such endangered or threatened species, on or after December 28, 1973,
  - (4) The article is entered at a port designated in [§ 12.26](/cfr/19/12.26.md) of this chapter,
  - (5) A Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife (USFWS Form 3-177, or its electronic equivalent) is filed at the time of entry with the port director who will forward the form to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
  - (6) **The importer meets the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.**
- (f) The additional duty imposed by additional U.S. Note 2, Chapter 97, HTSUS, shall apply to any article which is imported for sale and claimed, either at the time of entry or at a later date, to be free of duty under subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS, if such article is later found to be unauthentic in respect of the antiquity claimed as a basis for such free entry, unless the claim under subheading 9706.00.00, HTSUS, is withdrawn in writing before the examination of the article for the purpose of appraisement or classification has begun.
- (g) The additional duty provided for in additional U.S. Note 2, Chapter 97, HTSUS shall not be assessed if the importer established by evidence satisfactory to the Center director that the article was not imported for sale. In the case of any article imported in a passenger's baggage or entered under an informal entry, the Customs officer concerned may accept the statement of the owner that the article was not imported for sale if he is satisfied of the truth of such statement.

## Notes

### Amendments

[28 FR 14663, Dec. 31, 1963]

### Authority

Authority: 19 U.S.C. 66, 1202 (General Note 3(i), Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)), 1321, 1481, 1484, 1498, 1508, 1623, 1624, 4513. Section 10.17 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1401a, 1402; Sections 10.25 and 10.26 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3592; Sections 10.41, 10.41a, 10.107 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1322; Section 10.41b also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (Chapter 98, Subchapter III, U.S. Note 3, HTSUS); Section 10.53 also issued under 16 U.S.C. 1521, et seq.; Section 10.59 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1309, 1317; Sections 10.61, 10.62, 10.63, 10.64, 10.64a also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1309; Sections 10.62a, 10.65 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1309, 1317, 1555, 1556, 1557, 1646a; § 10.62b also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1557; Sections 10.70, 10.71 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1486; Sections 10.80, 10.81, 10.82, 10.83 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1313 (e) and (i); Section 10.91 also issued under Pub. L. 106-476 (114 Stat. 2101), sections 1434, 1435; Section 10.121 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2501. Sections 10.171 through 10.178a also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.; Section 10.183 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 6, HTSUS); Sections 10.191 through 10.199 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.; Sections 10.201 through 10.207 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3203; Sections 10.211 through 10.217 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3721; Sections 10.221 through 10.228 and §§ 10.231 through 10.237 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq. Sections 10.241 through 10.248 and §§ 10.251 through 10.257 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 3203. Sections 10.401 through 10.490 also issued under Pub. L. 108-77, 117 Stat. 909 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.501 through 10.570 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 25, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 108-78, 117 Stat. 948 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.581 through 10.625 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 29, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 109-53, 119 Stat. 462 (19 U.S.C. 4001 note). Section 10.699 also issued under Pub. L. 109-53, 119 Stat. 462. Sections 10.701 through 10.712 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 18, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 107-43, 115 Stat. 243 (19 U.S.C. 2112 note). Sections 10.721 through 10.748 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 28, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 108-286, 118 Stat. 919 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.761 through 10.789 also issued under Pub. L. 108-302, 118 Stat. 1103 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.801 through 10.829 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 30, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 109-169, 119 Stat. 3581 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.841 through 10.850 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 2703A. Sections 10.861 through 10.890 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 31, HTSUS) and Pub. L. 109-283, 120 Stat. 1191 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.901 through 10.934 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 32, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 110-138, 121 Stat. 1455 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.1001 through 10.1034 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 33, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 112-41, 125 Stat. 428 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.2001 through 10.2034 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 35, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 112-43, 125 Stat. 497 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note). Sections 10.3001 through 10.3034 also issued under 19 U.S.C. 1202 (General Note 34, HTSUS), 19 U.S.C. 1520(d), and Pub. L. 112-42, 125 Stat. 462 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note).

### Source

Source: 28 FR 14663, Dec. 31, 1963, unless otherwise noted.

### Amendments

[28 FR 14663, Dec. 31, 1963]
