Mammoth or Mastadon Ivory?

DJD

DJD

Joined
Jun 4, 2006
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Can anyone tell if this is mammoth or mastadon ivory?
I've read that mastadon is more yellow in color than mammoth, but don't know if that is fact or not. I have also read that mammoth is much more common, so I know the odds are against it being mastadon. I was told this piece was found in Alaska.
Thanks, DD

ivory1.jpg


ivory2.jpg
 
Good Lord thats a beautifull piece! :thumbup: However there is now way to tell the difference unless the you have a picture of the skull it came out of. Just about everything else can be differentiated between the 2 animals. Even the molar teeth are different between a mammoth and a mastodon. But just a small piece of tusk (small by comparison to the entire tusk, that is one NICE piece of ivory you have there) isnt going to give much indication unfortunatly. I'd say more than likely it's mammoth becuase thats the most commonly found ivory.
 
Thanks J.S. That was sort of what I suspected was the case. I did a long search on the net and was unable to find any info on identification. I appreciate your thoughts on it.
Yes, it's a nice piece. About 20 years ago I bought a small box of the stuff for a few dollars. This was the biggest piece.
DD
 
It is mammoth. There were very few mastodons in the north. The mastodon ivory found in the lower 48 is not preserved like your piece. I have bought and sold tens of thousands of pounds of ivory and have only had two pieces of mastodon. It had very thin bark that twisted around the tusk.
 
Man, what a shame that it has that big crack and is useless....Send it to me and I'll dispose of it properly so no more knifemakers get taken on an inferior product :D

-d
 
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