Anyone know anything about Cribbage Boards or Ivory??

[theElench]

This board belonged to my Grandparents and my mum remembered it from her childhood in the 30s / 40s. I've read that these vintage boards are collectable and as no-one in the family plays cards any more wanted to list it.

Does anyone know anything about its age / maker / value. There is one quite similar already listed but with different feet and peg store. Not knowing anything about them I'm reluctant to claim mine is the same, just because it looks the same. The feet look like Brass.

Another concern is the pegs (which my mother remembers playing with as a child). Could they be Ivory? Although old they may not be the originals. My grandfather was in the RN and spent some of the 20s /30s in the Far East. He sent quite a lot of souvenirs back and could have picked them up anywhere in Asia. I don't want to break any laws about selling Ivory.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[HerMajesty]

No idea, but the set is lovely!

[rocks2dust]

You can look at the pegs under magnification for ivory's characteristic cross-hatched Schreger lines. See this link and this link for photos and descriptions. The lines only occur on the direction of the cross-section cut through the tusk or tooth, so you need to examine the pegs from various angles. Ivory and some types of bone are among the materials prohibited to be sold internationally and if exempted due to age, must be accompanied by certificates and documentation. This may also be the case for all sales in some jurisdictions. If you do not or cannot positively verify the antiquity and/or identify the species, the item is treated as though it is the most protected species.

[theElench]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply with such detailed links.

With my lens I can see lines, mostly at the cut edges, so could be from sawing? or whittling? The surfaces are so tiny and so polished by handling by card players it's difficult for me to be sure enough to come to any conclusion.

I think the best thing for me to do is wait for the next time an Antiques Roadshow type event comes to town and show it to someone with "hands-on" experience of this sort of thing. Thinking again about the images of old boards I saw previously, very few had old pegs. A couple that did specified that they were Bakelite or plastic most that included pegs had modern steel ones. Perhaps because the pegs were commonly made from Ivory or other now banned animal parts and those with that knowledge know that they should not be sold.

Probably best to err on the side of caution.

[rocks2dust]

It can be difficult to see the lines, depending upon the direction at which the slab of ivory, bone, etc. was cut, and your pieces are very small. Do you have a family member or friend who does wood carving or lapidary work? If so, you might ask whether, as a favor or at low cost, they'd consider making a set of simple replacement pegs out of some other material appropriate to the age of the piece (scraps of soapstone, tagua nut, mother of pearl, etc.)? If you have some files, a knife and some sandpaper, you may be able to craft a set yourself.

[theElench]

I probably could craft something simple and appropriate, I'd probably quite enjoy doing it as well. Somewhere I've still got a set of small saws, chisels and files with different profiles from when I did some marquetry work.

Sadly, from that I know just how long miniature craft-work can take. Perhaps something else to go on my list of things-to-do when I retire and have loads of time on my hands (hollow laugh).

[astral276]

A site I used to find useful is sadly no more. It is available on the Web Archive though. I have not followed every link so cannot guarantee that all will work.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150629...m/refivory.htm