Mammoth Molar Handle Two-Blade Folding Pocket Knife, Dyed Fossil Tooth Scales

拍品描述

North America, United States, ca. 1900–2026 CE. A two-blade folding pocket knife whose handle scales are cut from the molar of a woolly mammoth. Each scale is sawn across the tooth, so its stacked enamel plates and the cementum between them show as alternating stripes across the grip. The tooth has been dyed in shades of russet and coral, and the stripes now run from glacial blue-white to dark red-brown. Polished steel bolsters cap both ends, and the rear bolster curves into a rounded pommel. The mirror-finished clip-point main blade and the smaller secondary blade each have a long, decoratively milled nail nick for opening by hand. Notched filework runs along the blade spines and the backspring, giving a modern working tool a grip made from Ice Age tooth. Size folded: 3.75" L x 1" W x 0.5" D (9.5 cm L x 2.5 cm W x 1.3 cm D); blade only: 3" L x 0.65" W (7.6 cm L x 1.7 cm W). Mammoth molars grind food with a stack of enamel ridges (lamellae) held together by softer cementum. A woolly mammoth's tooth could hold more than twenty of these ridges, so a lengthwise cut gives the regular banding that knifemakers prize. Most of the raw material comes from Pleistocene deposits in the Arctic permafrost and from river gravels. The tooth is stabilized with resin and often dyed before it can be shaped into durable handle scales. SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item #205094

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