Scrimshaw Knives

Scrimshaw knives feature pieces of bone, tooth, or tusk from whales or walrus sculpted into shaped and, usually, carved with designs of varying intricacy. The grooves of the carving are filled in with a pigment or other dark substance to make the picture more visible. Scrimshaw knives and knife handles are hunted by collectors who appreciate not only the creativity and skill that went into the sculpting and carving, but also the fact that the piece is also a decorative (yet practical) tool.

The best scrimshaw knives have a design that complements the shape of the handle, and have been well-preserved with oil and/or wax treatment. Antique scrimshaw knives, particularly, need care since the porousness of tooth and bone cause many pieces to dry and crumble apart after a few years.

Collectors often don't actually use scrimshaw knives for their intended purpose — indeed, many are created by craftspeople in the first place purely for decorative reasons. The right knife, displayed in a glass case or on a shelf, or perhaps opened and mounted on a board, can be a great decorative conversation piece. On the other hand, many are well-made enough to be used as knives, and the unique nature of each one means that nobody will have one like yours.

Our current scrimshaw knives and knife handles for sale are below. Bookmark the page and check back as we constantly update these listings as pieces get sold and new ones enter the marketplace.

Scrimshaw knives for sale

We search the web for vendors who sell scrimshaw knives, select the most relevant ones and sort them into specific categories so you can see a larger selection of offers.

Articles (nautical antiques)

Mystery or misery on the high seas? Crew eschews GPS to sail by sextant

In 1854, a wooden ship called Mystery completed a successful voyage from England to Australia. And in 2008, a crew pulled up the anchor on that vessel's spiritual descendant, Spirit of Mystery, to make the same voyage with the same technology. Namely, Captain Pete Goss and his three-man crew (son, brother, brother-in-law) are using the sextant and the stars...

eBay emerges as an unexpected hotbed of high-priced antique diving helmet sales

Although eBay would seem to be a less efficient place to buy something as bulky and obscure as an antique diving helmet, in fact there are some exquisite, unique examples changing hands for large amounts. Looking at recently completed auctions in the Antique Diving Helmets category, a surprising seven helmets sold for over $1000 (ranging from $2,280 for a...

New 11-part series about exploring shipwrecks to air on Discovery Channel

The Discovery Channel, long known for its interesting but artificially melodramatic series about the natural world and history, has recently announced that it will be producing eleven episodes of a series that follows a company searching and collecting treasure from shipwrecks around the world. The exploration company is Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc., which...

Historic Civil War shipwreck faces uneasy future in its Marine Sanctuary home

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, sixteen miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC, is home to America's first such designated shipwreck: the USS Monitor, an iron ship that went down during the Civil War. The designation was given in 1975. Although the ship is still in reasonable shape, with several sections of it having been removed and put on display...

Stash of first-ever US gold coins (worth $100K each) found in Gulf of Mexico shipwreck

Divers exploring wrecks in shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico have located the remains of a 19th-century paddle wheeler that had, among other exciting treasures, a bunch of coins that are the first gold coins ever minted in the United States. The coins were minted in New Orleans; in Charlotte, NC; and in Dahlonega, Ga. The Civil War stopped the minting for a...

Scrimshaw knives