This thread seems to be coming ever more reactionary so I checked some
facts!  The rules affect sales, not possession.  They permit musical
instruments pre-1976 to be sold accompanied by a free self-certified
form, and non-commercial movement of privately-held property.  See
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/ivoryfaqs.pdf  for the facts.

Can player pianos being sold prove pre-1976 origin, though?  The
form requires "Historical documentation establishing provenance and
showing the manufacture of the instrument before 1975".  Of the
listed documentation the only one likely to apply to player pianos
is "documentation that unequivocally establishes provenance, age of
the article or horn, date of manufacture, or species" - so, what will
be "acceptable evidence"?  Clarification will apparently be provided:
hobby groups could be lobbying for this to be practical, to protect
their members' interests.

The sad fact is that there is a lot of illegal new ivory being
sold, and the vast majority is fraudulently mis-described ("ox bone",
"mammoth ivory", "faux ivory").  Whether these new rules will improve
matters seems questionable.

Julian Dyer