found inside broken bottle

[drywasher]

Found this inside a broken bottle this summer while metal detecting and digging old iron at a late 1800 home site. about 10" long 1" wide. Not sharp enought to cut with and to big for a letter opener. kinda kool tho. what is it really used for? looks like ivory. thanks for your time

 

[Mackaydon]

Sure looks like an ivory fish knife, but that may be too obvious to be real.

 

[DCMatt]

I agree that it is too big to be a letter opener. Here is a link to a similar one.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwumuseum/4841499922/in/set-72157624485478513

Not as big as yours but perhaps a clue.

DCMatt

 

[Unicorn]

I agree.........................It does look like a fish knife

 

[uglymailman]

Butter knife

 

[High Plains Digger]

Butter? Are you kidding Have you ever tried to milk a walrus??

Eskimo scrimshaw maybe, for the tourist or trade sale, maybe. The fact that the two different pieces have the same shape of blade discourages me from thinking whaling scrimshaw, and the fact that it isn't tooth. Or is it? It is a nice looking piece. Maybe look under native, eskimo, athesbascan, or what ever the people of Greeenland and No. Canada are called. Maybe even Norway. Has to be folk art. How old do you think it may be from the layer you found it? If your house was built in the late 1800s could be 1950s real easy.

 

[Gunrunner61]

Maybe look under Eskimo snow knifes, used for making igloos ( I'm guessing). nice piece either way.

 

[AGBlex]

love the knife thing looks snazzy