FAKE SCRIMSHAW
PART II: Manufacturers and Distributors
Bette L. Bemis CBCS 01/2001
In Part I, a review of
both fake and real scrimshawed
objects was done, with the emphasis placed on the various types of fake
scrimshaw that have been produced. They included museum reproductions and fake
scrimshaw, better known by collectors of ivory as “Fakeshaw”1. I
failed to include contemporary products in the first article, but these boards
do need to be included in order to complete the listing. In short, contemporary
pieces are simply polymer scrimshawed cribbage boards that have no historical
meaning attached to them.
The known manufacturers or
distributors of the various kinds of scrimshaw, and the cribbage boards that
they have manufactured or distributed, are listed here, along with the source of
the information. All catalogs are from my archives.
FAKE
SCRIMSHAW (FAKESHAW)
Grooveport, Ltd.: Cirencester, Gloucestershire England
(Stuart M. Frank)
SJ40:
Baroque building, compass rose, fruit, flowers, palm trees. 13".
Initials "JHTA" on underside. Two very similar boards are reported, with
photos included. This board is .5" longer than the other, and it has a
small ‘fence’ scrimshawed at the end. The manufacturer of the other
board is not known.
Historycraft: Cirencester Gloucestershire, England
(2000
catalog)
Established in the early 1970s to make replica historic pieces for
museums and churches. The base used is polyester resin mixed with stone
powder. It is not clear if this manufacturer, which is in business at
the present time, is the current name for Grooveport They are both
identified with the same town.
SC23:
Ship portrait at each end. Inscribed "Ship Beatrice - 1797". 14" SC231:
Cribbage and Card Box: The cover slides off. 8.5"
Juratone,
Ltd.: London England
(Stuart M. Frank)
518:
Tusk, no description. 13"
109MTW:
Inscribed "The Ship Nolan". Dated 1832-1836. Underside inscribed "Taken
in the Arctic Ocean/ July 22nd 1832" "P. Aixle". 19"
Manufacturer Unidentified:
(Could be Grooveport SJ40)
Plantation Scene: Plantation manor house, floral and geometric scenes,
compass rose with fleur de lis. Initials "JHTA" on underside.
No `fence' at end. 12.5"
Manufacturer Unidentified:
Pan
Bone: "Whaler Topaz off Marquesas Island Jan 1840"
MUSEUM REPRODUCTIONS
Artek,
Inc.: Antrim, NH
(1988 catalog)
Artek
was established in the early 1970s, and to my knowledge, remains in
business at the present time. They have been considered the leading
manufacturer of scrimshawed reproductions of ivory and bone pieces found
in maritime museums. The complete line is known as the "Save the Whale
Collection".
MUSEUM REPRODUCTIONS
(contd)
Artek,
Inc.: Antrim, NH
(1988 catalog)
Polymer blanks are first molded by hand, and then hand finished. All
museum reproductions are identified with the imprint of the museum where
the original can be viewed. For instance, reproductions which are copied
from originals located at the Peabody Museum, Salem, MA, are stamped on
the underside with "pms".
M532:
Small
Fish Cribbage Board with Tail
(3
dimensional).
8" X 1"
M534:
Large
fish Cribbage Board
(3
dimensional).
14" X 1.5" X 2.5"H
M538:
Walrus Cribbage Board
(3
dimensional).
11" X 1.5" X 1.5"H
M540:
Whale
shaped Cribbage Board on hardwood base (flat board).
12" X 4"
M540A:
Whale
shaped Cribbage Board w/o hardwood base (flat board).
11.5" X 3.5"
M542:
Tusk
Cribbage Board
(3
dimensional). (Scrim. Fish, walrus, bug).
10" X 1.25"
The
Boone Trading Co., Inc.: Brinnon, WA
(2000
catalog)
In
business for nearly 25 years, this company originally specialized in
natural products of nature, such as the various ivories, bone, antlers
and horns. Today, their focus is on cast cultured ivory reproductions of
museum pieces.
SR08:
Scrimshawed walrus tusk created by Yupik Eskimo Judy Pelowook, who is
considered the finest scrimmer living today. Polar bear„ seal, walrus,
sperm whale, bowhead whale, killer whale, narwhal, ribbon seal, harpoon.
18" X 2"
House
of Global Art: Moorestown, NJ
(1987 catalog)
This
company distributed reproduction scrimshaw that was handcrafted in
England, possibly by one of the companies listed under Fake Scrimshaw.
Their 1987 catalog listed no cribbage boards, but did list walrus tusk
`reproductions' that could have eventually been used to make them. Their
products were cast from polymer, then engraved and antiqued by hand.
CONTEMPORARY
History Art
USA: Orleans,
MA
(1999
catalog)
Originally
called Nye Overseas Trading Enterprise, this company was founded in the early
1980s. Although I bought cribbage boards from the original company in the 1980s,
the history of their probable involvement at that time as distributor of
Juratone products, the British manufacturer of 'Fakeshaw', is no longer
available.
At the
present time, History Art USA specializes in reproduction scrimshaw made from a
resin composite. All work is first hand engraved, then
CONTEMPORARY
(contd)
History Art
USA: Orleans,
MA
(1999
catalog)
reproduced, using a cold
casting technique. Their catalog includes several styles of cribbage boards,including one model which is
probably a reproduction of an early authentic scrimshawed piece.
G-02: Flat Sperm Whale with
scrimshawed Steamboat. ± 12" G-03: Golf course G-05: Flat
Whale with the Sailing Ship "The Constitution" scrimshawed. ± 12" G-06: Hand cut
Wooden Box w/ G-05 Inlay G-07: Portland
Head lighthouse. 11" X 3.25" G-08: Map of
Massachusetts scrimshawed on oblong polymer board G. H. Cook
Company: Arlington, WA
(1989 catalog)
Founded by Gordon H. Cook in the
early 1980s, the company is internationally known for their detailed scrimshaw,
which is created on "cultured ivory". The manufacture of cribbage boards ceased
in 1993. Identical in shape, the cribbage board featured a once around track,
three starter holes each player, and one peg-out hole. Signed `Cook' in lower
right corner. 12" X 3.5".
GC1-0150: Sailing Ships
GC1-0250: Humpback Whales
GC1-0350: Walruses
GC 1-0450: Eagle with Salmon
GC 1-0550: Killer Whales GC 1-0650:
Moose
GC 1-0750: Grizzly Bear with Cubs
GC 1-0850: Alaskan
North Coast
Trading Company: Seattle, WA
(1992 catalog)
Founded in 1976 by Pete Lange and
two friends. Many North Coast Trading cribbage boards are marked with the
initials `NCT' within the scrimshawed area. The company creates contemporary
pieces as well as reproduction pieces from cultured marble and simulated ivory.
The materials are a combination of cararra marble powder and manmade materials.
F201: Reproduction walrus tusk,
with two carved-in-relief walruses at one end which are encircled by a geometric
design. 10"
501- 549 Series: rounded
rectangular board, scrimshawed with various designs of wildlife, ships, and
other scenes. 7" X 3.5"
OCB 301- 322 Series: Oval cribbage
board: white engraved marble top of various scenes, with faux coral or black
marble bottom. 7" X 5"
SUMMARY: This concludes an overview of the known manufacturers/distributors of fake scrimshaw. Although there is still much not known about this elusive subject, the information which was printed in Part I, along with the identification of many boards which are included in Part II, should enable the collector to make a more qualified evaluation of the authenticity of so-called `ivory' boards. Unless a dealer is willing to provide a money-back guarantee on a board which is advertised as being authentic, the buyer should `BEWARE"? A reputable dealer isn't going to jeopardize his reputation for the sake of one sale gone wrong.
Should you have information on boards that you don't see listed in these articles, I would appreciate hearing about them.
Bette
1Attributed to Stuart M. Frank, Author of "Fakeshaw: A checklist of Plastic "Scrimshaw"
