• Archive through August 30, 2004 August 30 - 07:06 pm

The Identification guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes, by Espinoza is available free on-line as a PDF file through CITES.

http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/pub/E-Ivory-guide.pdf

If you can not open that, go to the following:
http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/publications.shtml

Then scroll down and click on the guide to open it.

Doug - I see a lot of these boats. There are very desirable ones which date to the 18th c., but most are modern workshop products, assembled from ivory, or bone or a combo. of both. There are also plastic (or 'ivorine') imitations, and usually these can be detected by melted mold marks at the edges of bigger pieces. These assembled boats are available are available on many modern mainland (China) ivory workshop websites. A wood base into which the boat may be fitted or at least upon which it can be displayed, is a welcome addition. Daphne R

http://www.ivory4u.com/ID/page4.html

This is also a good site with pictures. They do not recommend the hot tip probe which can be problematic in a number of ways. Non invasive is always better if you can achieve the same result

Identifying Different Types of Ivory
Part of the Uniclectica Antiques and Collectibles Online Series "Caring For Your Antiques and Collectibles"


What Is Ivory?
Ivory is the teeth of animals. "True" ivory comes from elephants and mammoth; however, the term is generally applied to the tusks of other mammals, and some synthetics. Chemically, ivory is similar to bone and antler, and comprises a collagen matrix with a mineral component. Unlike bone, ivory has no blood vessel system, and is therefore more dense.
The most commonly found ivories in North America come from elephant, walrus, sperm whale, and hornbill. It is possible to tell these ivories apart, as they are structurally different.


1. Elephant Ivory
This category includes ivory from both Indian and African elephants, as well as ivory from mammoths and mastodon. The tusks, or upper incisors, of these animals are used. They can have a cross section of up to 20cm (8"), and be up to 2.5m (almost 3 yards) long. They are oval in cross section, and are made up of a hard, dense tissue called dentin, which is made up of 70% inorganic material, and 30% collagen. Unlike human teeth, elephant tusks do not have an enamel coating. They do have a cementum layer, however; ivory dealers refer to this as the "bark" or the "rind". Occasionally this layer is retained on a piece of worked ivory. One-third to one-half of an elephant tusk is hollow.

Growth occurs as layer upon layer of calcified tissue is deposited on the interior of the tusk; you can see these concentric oval growth lines (called the Lines of Owen) in cross section. If you cut ivory lengthwise, these lines appear triangular. Fine and even near the hollow of the tusk (the pulp cavity), these lines become wavy and have milky areas between them as you get closer to the outside of the tusk.

Unique to elephant ivory are the Lines of Retzius. These fine intersecting lines are visible in cross section, and give an engine-turned effect (intersecting lines with a diamond shape between them).

Generally, elephant ivory has a fine, even grain and is easily carved in all directions. It can be thinly cut (i.e. for piano keys), and can be more deltcately carved than bone. This ivory is often painted or stained, dyed, and gilded. When cut, the pores of the ivory fill with an oily substance, which helps the ivory polish up nicely.

2. Hippopotamus Ivory
This is the second most commonly used ivory, after elephant ivory. Often used for flat items, such as buttons and inlays, it comes from the lower canines and incisors of hippos. The size varies, depending on the size of the animal.

The lower canine is curved, and has a triangular cross section; the incisor is straighter, and has a circular cross section. Both have two layers of dentin: an outer, primary dentin, and an inner, secondary dentin. The innermost layer has a marbled appearance which differs by species, and can even appear to have a greenish cast. The pulp cavities of these teeth are fairly small. Unlike elephant ivory, hippo ivory does have a thick enamel coating.

Hippo ivory is denser than elephant ivory, harder to carve, and has a finer grain. There is none of the "engine turned" effect in cross section, rather, hippo ivory has concentric rings in cross section. Finally, hippo ivory is less prone to decay than elephant ivory.

3. Walrus Ivory
This ivory comes from the upper canines of walrus. It is oval in cross section, and can be over 2 feet in length. It has an inner dentin layer (which has a high mineral content; it forms as the tusk grows, and leaves a marbled look on finished objects), an outer dentin layer, and a smooth, dense cementum layer. Walrus ivory is used primarily for small objects.

4. Sperm Whale Ivory
Thirty teeth of the sperm whale can be used for ivory. Each of these teeth, up to 8" long and 3" across, are hollow for the first half of their length. Sperm whale ivory is easily confused with walrus ivory, as both have two distinct layers. The inner layer of sperm whale ivory, however, is much larger. As well, in a longitudinal section, sperm whale dentin has yellow "globules" included in the marbilization.

5. Hornbill Ivory
This comes from the casque or epithema of the Helmeted Hornbill, a bird native to the East Indies. It is distinguished from the rest of its family (the Bucerotidae) by having the front of its almost vertical and slightly convex epithema made of a solid mass of horn. This "horn" or "ivory" is quite hard and closely-textured. This substance is used to make small objects such as buckles and brooches, and is highly valued by the Chinese. In cross section, you can see a bright yellow interior with a scarlet rim.

6. Vegetable Ivory
The source of vegetable ivory is the inner seed of the South American ivory palm, and is thus completely made of cellulose (rather than collagen). These seeds are the size and shape of a small hen's egg, are very hard, and are solid all the way through. Vegetable ivory is smooth, takes a good polish, easily absorbs dyes, and is relatively inexpensive. It is used for small items only, such as dice and buttons. Since about WWII, vegetable ivory has been largely replaced by plastics.

7. Synthetic Ivories
Since 1865, when it was first invented by Alexander Parkes, celluloid has been used as an excellent ivory substitute. Casein has also been used. Names for these "faux ivories" include French Ivory, Ivoride, Genuine French Ivory, Ivorine, etc. Both grain patterns and the engine turned effect are added -- in general, the patterns of these are very regular in the fakes, and more irregular in the real thing. In instances of very good imitations (i.e. using celluloid), chemical tests are required to tell real ivory and the fakes apart.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Books Dealing with the Identification of Ivory
There are a few good books dealing with the identification of ivory. I currently have available *very* limited quantities (often single copies only) of the following out of print books (click on the dealer name for ordering information):
IVORY By Geoffrey Wills. Published by AS Barnes & Co. First American Edition. Hardcover, 95 pgs. Indexed. Synopsis: covers ivory identification, care, and uses around the world. Many black and white photographs and line drawings. Condition:Very good in Good dustjacket (some scuffing). UN601 $23.00 Uniques.


The following are currently out of print, but are listed here for your information.

Is It Ivory? By Harvey Shell. Published by Ahio Publishing Co., 1983. Paperback.

Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes 2nd Edition. By E.O. Espinoza. Published by the World Wildlife Fund, 1992. Paperback.

Ivory By Geoffrey Wills. Published by AS Barnes and Co., 1969. Hardcover.

Doug: there has been a banding patterns incorporated into some early plastics so, even when you see some lines, you can be confused. The crosshatching is only visible when you have a piece of ivory that has been cut in half across the tusk. If you cut a tusk the long way all you see is straight lines.

The sacrificial way to tell ivory and bone from plastic is to take a burning tool (that you plug into the wall, not a hot needle) and put it against the item. if the fumes smell like you set your hair on fire you have bone or ivory, you will recognize plastic from its unique smell. DANGER, this method will mark your artifact, it is a sacrificial test.

Doug,
If it is elephant ivory you should be able to see a cross hatch or diamond pattern in the grain somewhere on the piece. You may need a magnifying glass to help you see it

I have a scupture of what might be ivory. It is a Chinese book or junk and it has very fine detail including people on the boat, shutters that open and close and many more very fine carvings. It is all one piece and is mounted on what looks like a black piece if wood. The whole thing is about 6 - 7 inches long. How van I tell if it is ivory or a man made material? It seems that the work is too detailed for fake ivory but I could be worng.

Thomas:
I don't know where you are located, but Victor Franco is an ISA appraiser as well as the President and Owner of Franco Furniture Repair Service, Inc. He is very knowledgable. You might give him a call at 908-813-0941. He is in Hackettstown, NJ. He is going to be one of the speakers at the 2005 ISA Conference.

Thomas:

We run into this sort of thing consistently, in my primary business, Artisian Restoration, Inc. I have been an ISA appraiser of 8 years and have owned Artisian Restoration, Inc. for 22 years. We process approximately 25-30 claims (moving company damage and Property & Casualty) claims per week.

Our forte is furniture repairs, restoration, refinishing, on site touch up, and we also provide all 3rd party services for Van Lines. We also work very heavily in the Property and Casualty field doing the same.

This is what needs to be done. You need to find a "quailty" repair/restoration shop that not only is versed in the repairs, restoration, refinishing, but one that is "experienced" in doing transit claims. The reason being, is that they can identify the all important industry term, P.E.D. ("pre existing damage").

Every piece we have seen over the 22 years we have been doing claims, has had P.E.D in one form ...or many others. This could be in the form of poor high heat shellac/lacquer fills/repairs, which are termed "burn-ins", multiple regluings done to less than restoration standards using improper glue, poorly aligned repair joints, finish repairs, refabricated portions using new woods, rather than woods of comparable age (most quality restoration shops can acquire woods of all kinds ranging from 100 years old and older!), "married" portions, improper top coats/finishes (can't tell you how many high valued pieces we have seen with polyurethane involved!)

We commonly repair these types of pieces on a regular basis, with little loss of value. Many times, if the piece is studied carefully and P.E.D is readily identified (by sharp ISA Appraisers like us..., there will be NO loss of value, due to the over riding pre-existing conditions!

A few years back, we had a very high end table that had a tortise shell finish. The cabriole leg had been broken at the knee portion. Prior to our involvement, a fellow ISA appraiser, who has been in the business for many a year, was sent out by the moving company to appraise the table in the damaged condition. The appraiser assigned a huge loss of value. When we picked up the table and brought it into the shop, we photo documented the piece, which is commonly done for reasons you will soon read about.

Amazingly enough, when we closely inspected the table, we found that the apron to the table, as well as three of the other legs had been previously repaired. The pervious repairs were very apparent; mis-aligned leg joint repairs on both, poor finish match on the poor repairs with gobbs of un removed filler on the underside portion of the legs, left as is and painted over!!

I called the adjuster and she shared the appraisal report with me. It was all of 2 lines long, with NOTHING listed as far as the P.E.D.!! I emailed the adjuster the images and she was astounded, to say the least! We repaired the new damages and when delivered, the customer complained about seeing the repairs, on "the leg" mentioning the other leg was flawless (the one we repaired, although unknown to her at this point!).

Knowing this was going to happen from many years of experience, we marked the old repairs (ones done poorly) with tape and showed the new break as it was. We then showed these images to the Shipper. She was also astounded... but did not have a leg to stand on, no pun intended! The van line saved over $3,000.00, which they would have had to pay out, based on the prior appraisal, customer was so pleased with our repairs, she had us do 5 more pieces, although she was understandably upset with the store that sold her the antique.

My point is that even experienced ISA appraisers may either get lazy or forget due diligence, just as poor repair shops! It is up to both you and the quality repair/restoration shop to identify any and all P.E.D, photo document them and have the quality repair/restoration shop per form the repairs, using the proper techniques, woods, finishes and glass.

If I can be of further assistance, give me a call (410.489.9001 - Artisian Restoration, Inc)

Good Luck,
Pete Simonetti, ISA (Artisian Restoration, Inc.)

Thanks for all your help guys.
Just one more question. On the top of this desk on the inside of the cornice is a tag that looks like ivory or ivory type. It says MADE IN ENGLAND.
Would this be stamped like this in the late 1700's? Or was this type of tag not used until the late 19th C.

To,

The English were (and still are) masters at making antiques! I once heard that there are more 17th English knife boxes in the U.S. than there were in England during the 17th century!

The McKinley Tariff of 1890 required imported items to be labeled Made in..... and the name of the country. The red flags should be going up all over the place! You need to check the piece carefully. 20th century construction techniques can mimic 18th century. Harry Rinker says "make the piece prove its age!" The "ivory" tag would be a good start. Is it really ivory or 20th century ivorine???

Still, if it is a pretty piece...and it's damaged, it should be repaired!

BC

I have recently found a stamp and coin collection of my great great grandfathers. I found this burried in the back yard in a safe. I have specific stamps and coins that appear to be in mint shape but cannot find out on-line if they are worth anything. Does anyone know of a site where I could easily type in the name and year of a stamp and/or coin to get its general value?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Jenny

Hi Jenny,

Thanks for your question on the ISA Forum. That's quite a story. Both stamps and coins are
very interesting collectibles. Much of their
value is based upon condition. So it is
extremely important not only to identfiy the
item, but also to know and grade its condition.

Stamps are commonly identifed by "Scott Number."
Scott is a company that issues catalogs/price
guides for stamps and philatelic-related
collectibles. They issue many catalogs by
country and speicialty. You can probably find
them in your local library.

There are some programs that list "prices" not
"values" (and there is a BIG difference
between the two), but do it by Scott number.
So, in any case you'll need to identfy them by
number not by name.

I've written a free "Quick Guide to Identifying and Valuing Stamps and Coins" report that you (or anyone else reading this message) are welcome to, just for the asking.

Just e-mail me your name and address and my assistant will send a copy to you right away.
Brian@NACValue.com

Good luck.

Best regards,
Brian Kathenes, ISA S-CAPP
Managing Partner
National Appraisal Consultants, LLC
Office number: (908) 459-5996

Watch for Brian on "POP NATION: America's Coolest Stuff."
The Discovery Channel's hot new show, airing in late Fall

Looking to make a whole lot more money in the appraisal business this year?
We can help.
Check out the NAC Professional Appraisers' Bootcamp at www.AppraiserSuccess.com

On-air line (877) 4-1-VALUE
Listen to Value This!! With Brian & Leon
Every Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time,
On WRNJ Oldies 1510 AM
www.ValueThisRadio.com