Share your favorites on Show & Tell

Found object

In Animals > Show & Tell and Folk Art > Show & Tell.
Recent activity4784 of 237900Miniature Russian Lacquer box 2.25"  St George Slaying the Dragon.  Signed by many with short quotes 1969 handmade peace flag
10
Love it
0
Like it

Drake47Drake47 loves this.
Cokeman1959Cokeman1959 loves this.
LeelaniLeelani loves this.
NewfldNewfld loves this.
vcalvcal loves this.
blunderbuss2blunderbuss2 loves this.
vetraio50vetraio50 loves this.
fortapachefortapache loves this.
dav2no1dav2no1 loves this.
Malatero2Malatero2 loves this.
See 8 more
Add to collection

    Please create an account, or Log in here

    If you don't have an account, create one here.


    Create a Show & TellReport as inappropriate


    Posted 2 years ago

    Contessa57
    (1 item)

    10”x4”
    Porous material
    Bone?

    Given to me by a neighbor who is moving from a house to small apartment. She said she acquired it in Hawaii but I haven’t had any luck with a search of Hawaiian pieces.

    Unsolved Mystery

    Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

    logo
    Animals
    See all
    1865 Antique Signed WILLIAM VAN ZANDT Oil Painting 2 Horse Drawn Spring Buggy
    1865 Antique Signed WILLIAM VAN ZAN...
    $449
    Vintage 1960s Dimitri Omersa MCM Abercrombie Fitch Leather PIG Footstool NR
    Vintage 1960s Dimitri Omersa MCM Ab...
    $361
    Insects, Lucanidae: Cyclommatus chewi 79.8mm wild from Borneo Very Very Green
    Insects, Lucanidae: Cyclommatus che...
    $340
    Vintage German Shepherd Iron on Patch
    Vintage German Shepherd Iron on Pat...
    $6
    logo
    1865 Antique Signed WILLIAM VAN ZANDT Oil Painting 2 Horse Drawn Spring Buggy
    1865 Antique Signed WILLIAM VAN ZAN...
    $449
    See all

    Comments

    1. Malatero2 Malatero2, 2 years ago
      Whale bone is extremely porus. Try whale bone Hawaii as a search
    2. CanyonRoad, 2 years ago
      It's a souvenir figure called a "Billikan," usually credited to an Anglo woman from the U.S. who "dreamed" about the figure, and sold the copyrighted idea to a company. It became widely known as a '"good luck" charm in the first half of the 1900s, which enjoyed world-wide popularity.

      Sports teams adopted the image or name; the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition of 1909 sold souvenirs carved from ivory by Alaskan natives; songs, movies, and books featured the Billikan; and it was widely copied by artisans, companies, and others...so this could have been found anywhere in the world. It has no basis in any tribal tradition, however, Hawaiian, Alaskan, Japanese, or otherwise.

      The material appears to be bone, since it is less dense than ivory and lacks the characteristic Schreger lines found on ivory. Here's a good website from the Canadian CCI, which explains how to tell the difference between bone, ivory, whale or walrus tusk, and antler: https://tinyurl.com/2p9hpfda
    3. Newfld Newfld, 2 years ago
      Keep it for good luck!

    Want to post a comment?

    Create an account or login in order to post a comment.