How to Distinguish Authentic Whale Tooth Scrimshaw from Resin "Fakeshaw" (Part 1 of 3)

The 1970s saw the implementation of the U.S. Federal Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA), and the U.S. Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (FESA), each regulating the importation, the exportation, & the sale of marine animal products across State lines. Then, in 1975, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) went into effect, regulating international commerce of whale & walrus products, as well as other species.

About this time, several companies making plastic products, made mold-copies of scores of authentic whale teeth, walrus tusks, and panbone (whale jawbone) antique scrimshaws. The original scrimshaws copied can still be found in whaling museums and private collections. A few modern artistic scrimshaws were also copied. These plaster molds were duplicated by the hundreds, and soon, thousands of mold-poured resin reproductions were being marketed. Most of these "repros" were artificially tinted to resemble the natural age patina of the originals, and the confusion began!

Luckily, in 1988, Doctor Stuart M. Frank (now the Chief Curator of the Kendall Collection at the New Bedford Whaling Museum), published a "monogram" entitled Fakeshaw: A Checklist of Plastic "Scrimshaw". This is an alphabetical listing of more than 300 documented, machine-manufactured polymer copies. The current THIRD EDITION (below left), was published in 2001. 

This "Fakeshaw" monogram is quite helpful in identifying individual repros, but collectors should also know the differentiating characteristics between authentic scrimshaw and all fakeshaw. These differences are known as "tells". Following are descriptions and illustrations of the most obvious tells.

1.) The root cavity of most authentic whale teeth (above center) are deep & conical. As a whale ages past prime, his teeth continue to grow, but gradually narrow, and the root cavities also narrow & fill-in until practically no cavity exists in very old whales.

By comparison, the root cavity of an authentic walrus tusk (above right) is deep and flat-bottomed. Walrus tusks grow much faster than whale teeth, and this cavity is filled hair-like tendrils, which rapidly thicken and solidify. A tusk usually grows several inches each year, and can be worn-down nearly as fast.

In contrast, the base cavity of most fakeshaw (above left) is shallow & rounded. Note the discoloration of the cavity, which is from dye immersion to simulate patina on the outer surface.

2.) The "skirt" edge of a natural whale tooth is fairly sharp, thin, and can exhibit dry-out cracks due to age (center top row), while the lip of a trimmed tooth skirt (above right) is usually finished smooth, generally follow the outside shape of the tooth, and is usually unstained.

3.) The tip of an authentic whale tooth is yellowish, with a definite sharp line separating tip from the whiter ivory (below left). This characteristic is called the "golden crown". The tip may also display very sharp, thin, & short age lines, crossing from ivory to crown.

The tip of a fakeshaw tooth is the same color as the rest of the resin repro (above center), although artificial tinting may be evident to simulate age &/or crown. Any "age" lines are mold impressed, and usually wide & shallow, as compared to true age cracks on ivory.

4.) The "patina" (age color) of an authentic whale tooth is usually subtle but not uniform from tip to base, or side to side (above right). True patina will not easily scratch-off. It is also a different color than ink of the scribed image. Usually, the older the tooth, the deeper the color: but patina is a result of both age and environment. A protected tooth may show very little patina.

The artificial age-color on fakeshaw is either quite uniform, or very blotchy, and scratches very easily, revealing white plastic (above left).

Often the same ink is used to "age" fakeshaw as well as color the embossed image (above right).

The vast majority of fakeshaw will exhibit nearly all of these comparative tells. While an expert may take just a second to correctly analyze a tooth, most buyers should find several tells before a decision is made. Remember that true scrimshaw is unique (truly one-of-a-kind), while fakeshaw has virtually thousands of copies of each mold-impressed design.

Various tests for plastic have been published, such as the "hot needle" test, the "match" test, and viewing fakeshaw under black light (ultraviolet light). However, THESE TESTS USUALLY DO NOT WORK! The tests were useful when they were first published (as early as 1979), but manufacturers of fakeshaw are devious, and they are not fools. They read the test results also, and change their formulas, so that hot needles will not penetrate the newer polymers any better than they will penetrate real bone, a match won't necessarily burn it, and re-formulated resin may fluoresce under ultraviolet light to a degree that only a trained expert can distinguish it from organic matter.

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