Where did this come from? Hippo tooth

C.Edmondson

C.Edmondson

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Jan 22, 2009
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I came across this at a estate sale along time ago and recently found it again. Its a hippo tooth, I think and it has some beautiful engraving around it. I know alot of you guys make handle material out of some of this stuff and wondered if anyone might be able to tell me anything about it. I bought a box in a attic, hoping it was dynamite blasting caps, turned out this was in the bottom of the box, Thanks for your help,Charlie
 

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Something suspicious.......what does the squared end look like..?
 
Heres a pic of it, you think its real? I have never had a piece this big.
 

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I'd guess it's a plastic reproduction.

The base appears to have been sanded on a disc sander.

The color seems off...

The small end is shaped as though used as a tool, but
seems worn on the wrong side to have been used
that way. If it were worn that way as a tusk, it would likely
be worn on the outside, or inside of the curve....not on the
side.

I've seen similar repros of walrus and elephant tusk, and
whale's tooth. Close examination sometimes reveals
where casting seams were smoothed over.
 
I appreciate it guys, I have showed this thing off over the years to a bunch of people and always thought it was real, guess I got some apologizing to do, it sure fooled me! Which my wife says aint to hard to do,LOL Thank yall very much tho. Where it came from was a estate action from a guy that was known to be a outlaw knda person, I can see him selling this to someone as a real one if you know what I mean,LOL Thanks a bunch!!
 
C.Edmondson said:
I appreciate it guys, I have showed this thing off over the years to a bunch of people and always thought it was real, guess I got some apologizing to do, it sure fooled me! Which my wife says aint to hard to do,LOL Thank yall very much tho. Where it came from was a estate action from a guy that was known to be a outlaw knda person, I can see him selling this to someone as a real one if you know what I mean,LOL Thanks a bunch!!
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Yeah, we get what you mean. He's a sc*mbag.
 
That looks more like scrimshaw than what one would call engraving, though that's a moot point. It looks to be the lower tooth off a hippo; they are much straighter than the upper teeth. I have a bunch of them and chipping is not uncommon, so that could account for the deformation at the tip. The ridges in the base are accurate.
I would definitely do the hot-needle test IG mentioned inside the base. If it's actually real, it is a fine artifact on it's own, and I would think would be better kept whole than cut up for any knife handle. It would also be from one big-assed hippo.
 
John Andrews said:
What? you told me when you walked it, it was uphill both ways, just like school was.
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You Ole Redskin, I just told you about the school, not the museum.:jerkit::jerkit: The school was called Two Hill School and like you it went both ways. HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!
 
The nerve ending on a hippo tooth is fairly large, leaving the the edges very thin. It probabably WAS sanded on a disc sander to get rid of some of this thin area. The butt end sure looks pretty accurate to me, but I've only personally handled a couple and thankfully they were good and bloody!;) FWIW I've been told that it makes a fairly poor handle material anyhow. Very brittle. Never used it myself, just what I've heard. Real or fake it's still COOL!
Matt
 
Definately test it. For every fakeshaw out there, there's the original that it was copied from initially. It'd be kinda cool if you had the original... that said it's very unlikely... but possible.
 
Rat its almost exactly like that one, the bottom scrimshaw and even the flag, Its definitely fake! Sure is a good fake tho,LOL
 
FWIW, testing by a hot pin is only good on cheaper plastic reproductions. The modern stuff is a composite of resins and solids, and does not melt. Grinding it will not smell like real ivory, though.
I would be willing to bet a good sword that is a fake.
Stacy
 
When Charlie said, "A long time ago," I failed consider how that might not be the same to me by a long stretch. Everything's relative! :)
That Daniel Christian must have been one popular guy to end up on so many hippo teeth!

Just for grins, I went into the shop and tried "scratching" on a hippo tooth ala scrimshaw. The enamel on hippo tooth is some of the hardest known. It pretty much laughed at my attempts.
 
Yea along time to me is about 10 years ago, Man I have thought for so long this thing was real, kinda bummed out. The wife came in today from school and it was laying on the counter she asked about it and I told her it was fake, of course she knew it all along,LOL. This fellow had a bunch of antiques tho, 4 boxes of dynamite too. The guy holding the auction took it away after it was found to be the real thing. They called the sheriffs dept down to remove it. Still kinda bummed out tho, man I would have bet my life it was real, but its fake as fake can be.
 
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