Hello everyone! This whale's tooth has been passed down to me by my father, which was given to him by his uncle in the 1950's. My dad's uncle's father was a whaler in the late 1800's and I am wondering if anyone knows the value of the tooth. I am not looking to sell it, I would just like to know if someone may know the value of this. My guess is that it is from a sperm whale since they were very popular during the whaling era. The tooth measure 6 inches in length.
Thank you
I believe in most circumstance, it is illegal to sell a whale's tooth so please investigate this before even considering it.
You say that you do not intend to sell but I'm just stating this information so you will know for future reference.
I know for sure that you cannot list a whale's tooth on eBay or any of the main sites that most people use.
There are some things that if proven they are antiques can still be sold even if 'new' items cannot be sold but this does not appear to be the case with whale's teeth.
You can check this out with your state's US Fish and Wildlife Services or a university that has any marine/wildlife courses.
I will also mention that in some instances, it can even be illegal to own (even if you inherited it)/purchase/display so check this out before you do anything other than 'keep it for personal enjoyment'.
Value could be less than $1000 to more than $75,000. This article offers excellent advice. www.incollect.com/
