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Lot 28
10 Walrus & Mammoth Ivory Tusk Fragments & Baculum Bone
Description:

Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Ice Age to Beringian / Old Bering Sea / Thule Culture, ca. 200,000 BCE to 1000 CE. A collection of 10 ancient and prehistoric ivory fragments and bones from walrus and mammoths. The large, rounded piece is a mammoth (possibly mastodon) tusk fragment, the cross section shows off the characteristic cross hatching known as Schreger lines that Proboscidea tusks exhibit. The longest item is a baculum bone - from the penis of male animals- and possibly fossilized. Many marine mammals have baculums, such as seals, walrus, and polar bears. Baculum bones, also known as an oosik, are traditionally used by Inuit cultures for carvings and as tools. The rest of the pieces are walrus ivory, some pieces may have been simply well preserved and washed up on shore and others may have been worked by human hands into tools. Size of mammoth tusk: 5" L x 2.25" W (12.7 cm x 5.7 cm)

This is a pre-Act piece of ivory under the MMPA and cannot be sold internationally or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. We guarantee that the piece was made prior to 1972.

Please note this item falls under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.

Provenance: private Litchfield, Ohio, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

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#187117

  • Condition: Most of the walrus ivory is highly polished in modern times. Old losses and abrasions are smooth with age / polishing. The baculum bone and a slender walrus tusk tip are not polished and pitted with age. The mammoth tusk fragment has natural, stable fissures and losses, but well preserved!

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July 26, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000