Featured Bear carving....

Recent estate sale purchase. Is the material horn, or what would I call this? There are a few splits in it which probably isn't good, but piece in general feels intact. Any other info appreciated as well. Do you think vintage? Thank you for taking a look.

 

Possibly a whale's tooth.

 

Excellent maximized use of available material; the bear's rump is the (worn) end of the tooth as found. Very little waste in the work.

A magnificent find! I agree that it's marine mammal ivory.

 

It does look like a sperm whale tooth. The style of the carving looks fairly modern. Unfortunately, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 restricts the legal sale of such pieces.

 

Yes, it does. Public sale...
But a very great deal of ancient and modern non-pachyderm ivory is privately traded, bartered & sold. There are lots of collectors of such...tho the MMPA has driven the prices down considerably.

 

"There are a few splits in it which probably isn't good..."

Those 'splits' are pretty common, and are quite stable. Not to worry.

 

I seem to be buying things for resale that I can't sell on Ebay. First the Aunt Jemima doll, now this. So what do I do with it? Could I trade it with someone for something? Any thoughts on just ballpark value for trade? $75??

I can't even find anything remotely similar online, maybe because of the ban?

If anyone can find anything similar please link, or if anyone has an idea of a ballpark value, please chime in.

Thanks for the info so far.

 

Some antique stores are still buying in this area, but the sale prices have dropped. Naturally.

 

Thanks friends. This is so out of my wheelhouse... would this be Eskimo made possibly?

 

Stylistically speaking, it doesn't look like what I'd expect from native work.

 

It’s lovely.

 

If you could legally sell it on the bay as what it is I bet you’d get at least 200-300. You could send it to a local auction house. That might be your best bet. If it doesn’t cross state lines it can be sold legally in some states. Whales teeth do very well when I see them in auctions. Carved, scrimshawed, or raw. You could also list it as bovine horn online and just hope some bidders recognize what it really is. Obv there’s some risk in this and your personal ethics come into play but it’s not unheard of. I too find myself with things like this, wwii German, and black Americana items I’m kind of stuck with. Local online marketplaces another option if you title them carefully. Good luck! It’s a nice carving.

 

I don't see it as Marine ivory..