ATTENTION !!!! Ebay requires now, that we include certain disclaimers.

AFRICAN ELEPHANT IVORY

On the C.I.T.E.S. Endangered Species List. Importing, buying, and selling of African Elephant Ivory is not allowed internationally. It cannot be imported or exported out of the U.S. or practically any other country of the world. IT IS LEGAL TO OWN, BUY, SELL OR SHIP WITHIN THE UNITED STATES AND THERE ARE NO PERMITS OR REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. (The raw elephant ivory available is all old "estate" ivory which was legally imported years ago.)

All of our ivory is legal african elephant ivory, all obtained legally, both by our source, and by us. Even though C.I.T.E.S. plainly says it is not required to have a permit or registration, we have the Affidavit of Origin and can supply the Tusk I.D. number for Federal Government reference if necessary. We therefore have the right to own, buy, sell AND ship this ivory. And you, our valued customers have the right to buy and own it also. 

 This scrimshaw nude is listed in the Self Representing Artists, Nudes category, is tasteful in content, in order to comply with ebays rules on nudity. And there are only two pictures of the nude, which is a new ebay rule for nudity.

This is a highly customized, in all aspects, Schatt and Morgan Knife F & W Series 3. First this beauty was sent off to Michael Prater, better known as "Painted Pony" by his customers. Michael handled one side in preban elephant ivory, and the other side in Green Mammoth Tooth. The knife was then fully fileworked, including the springs, blades and liners. The Bolsters are also highly decorated and engraved.  Has the Prater Proto etching. The knife is 4 1/2" closed and the blade is 3 1/2" long.  Then.... Howard got his hands on it and scrimshawed the preban elephant side with this awesome classic beauty!   You can't get much more customized than this! This is BEAUTIFUL KNIFE!!!! And when I say the scans do not do it justice, I am not kidding!  Also you can see from the pictures, that we have the COA from Michael Prater, and that will be included in the box. Original box included!  All artwork is original and copyrighted. Email us through ebay or directly at SailorsDreamScrimshaw@msn.com for more information.

Note from Howard: I haven't won any art awards, don't have any college art degrees, in fact have never even had an art lesson in my life. I am not world famous. Everything I have learned, I have learned the hard way, in pursuit of my passion for scrimshaw, and the beauty of the female form. It has never been easy. I hope that you enjoy my efforts, even a small percentage, as much as I enjoy them myself. I hope in some small way to keep this almost lost artform alive."

Sincerely,

Howard Thomas

This is the traditional sailors art form of scrimshaw. Scrimshaw literally means "idle time" and these types of things were made of ivory scraps on the long voyages in between whale spottings and usually given to loved ones on the return home. Each piece is signed and dated by my husband, Howard Thomas. Howard uses the stipple technique for amazing detail and its almost photo like in quality.Stippling is a series of thousands of little holes pressed into the ivory, instead of the more traditional scratching method. Sometimes he uses a combination of both methods. He uses a surgical steel needle in a pin vise and it is very tedious work. Stipple is used by many famous scrimshanders and it is a hard technique to master. Howard has been doing scrimshaw for over 20 years and first picked it up while in the navy aboard the USS Independence. Don't miss out on this one! These are scanner photos and don't do justice to the detail. Due to the increase in shipping fees by the USPS ours will be increasing also. Shipping is $10.00 which includes insurance (required). We do not ship internationally. Item will be insured for full selling price. Paypal is our prefered method of payment and payment should be recieved within 48 hours of auctions end. We will accept postal money orders and they should be recieved within 7 days. PLEASE pay promptly, No exceptions.