Ivory has recently become contraband due to the high numbers of smuggled shipments from places like Africa into the New York and New Jersey ports.

One of the side effects has been the lack of ivory antiques appearing at the international antiques fair in New York, Bloomberg reported.

Scott Defrin, of European Decorative Arts, told Bloomberg at the fair that the ivory antiques section was in critical condition because of the ban.

Authorities could not tell the difference between old and new, added with the smuggled shipments -- and elephants that were dying as a result -- so all of it was banned.

New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo in August passed the ban, while in New Jersey Assemblyman Raj Mukherjee and Sen. Ray Lesniak stood behind the bill.

The law in New York banned the sale of any item comprised of more than 20 percent ivory.

But a caveat was made for some ivory dealers, who were grandfathered in until they renew their licenses next year.

An additional side effect of the ban is in the trade, pricing has become uncertain, since its value is being affected by the forced drop in supply.

The price has had to, as a result, spike significantly, and it may deter buyers.

"The more uncertainty there is, the harder it is for someone to know what an object is worth," Mark Schaffer, the president of the National Art and Antiques Dealers Association, told Bloomberg. "It might mean that wonderful, historic items become difficult or impossible to sell. We're talking chunks of important art history."

Similar bills were passed in New Jersey, but similar reports of the effects have not been seen. The wildlife trafficking industry sees a $19 billion profit worldwide, according to The Dodo.

Elephant poaching is reaching crisis levels in Africa, and New York is the number one buyer of ivory in the U.S.