Antique Scrimshaw Ivory Sperm Whales Tooth

PRICE BY NEGOTIATION - To highest bidder. Antique Scrimshaw Sperm-Whale Tooth “Whaling scenes are among the most desirable subjects,” says Hellman, “and when a maker is identified, the value increases...Seventy-five thousand US dollars was the amount paid at a private auction recently [2002] for a ....tooth engraved by Nantucket whaleman Frederick Myrick (1808–1862)." An example similar to this sold at auction for 308,000£ [2003], which displayed patriotic flags on the vessel. And I note: I've learned you can buy a wife and plot of land in FIJI 🇫🇯 with a whales tooth, in some parts of the country, today (2022). Sailors have long been associated with the art of storytelling. In the 1800s, during the height of American whaling, one remarkable group of sailors told their stories in whalebone and whale’s ivory teeth, engraving pictures that are truly worth a thousand words. Today, those works, collectively categorized as scrimshaw, are among the most highly collectible pieces of nautical antiques. Made as gifts, scrimshaw teeth depict the images that were most important to a sailor: whaling scenes, ships, women, patriotic motifs, idyllic homesteads. INFORMATION

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WALRUS TUSKS The price currently paid for RAW (not carved) ivory is between USD $597 per kg and USD $689 per kg. Meanwhile, a single pound of ivory can sell for $3,300 and $200 an ounce (article sourced June 2022) IMPORTANT: Legal to sell inside the country: New Zealand Only (no direct shipping to overseas address unless buyer provides paperwork at their cost). Currently there are no restrictions on domestic trade in ivory within New Zealand. This is out of step with many countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, and China which have already banned domestic trade in elephant ivory. This will soon change, as our Department of Conservation (DOC) currently has a consultation process in progress to review this option, starting June 2022.