My first thought in looking at the coloration of the handle is that it's bone, but upon more research it could just as easily be fossilized ivory (not a substance I've come accross in person before). It's a gorgeous carving - really highly detailed, and I would agree that the shape lends itself to a can handle. It's difficult to value the piece on the basis of fossilized ivory as there really aren't that many examples of previous sale results. Dating is another difficult task as the difference between the date of the carving versus the substance can be quite "off". From looking into the bone-carved standpoint, it would have a slightly larger buying audience, and should sell for $750-$800. If ivory, (again the audience would be a bit less), it should sell to a discerning buyer for $900-$1,200 at the least.

Posted by Nate Cox about February 14 - report