Scrimshaw

This summer The Whistling Oyster has expanded our scrimshaw collection.

Scrimshaw, historically came from sailors on whaling ships in order to pass time during long and dangerous voyages. The term originally referred to the making of these tools, only later referring to works of art created by whalers in their spare time. Whale bone is ideally suited for the task, as it is easy to work and was very plentiful.


Modern day scrimshaw can be created from fossils of walrus, hippos, mammoths, and other tusked animals.


We have a local artist we work with and have in stock many different types of scrimshaw including cribbage boards, money clips, earrings, and artistic pieces.
Come check out our collection or call us for pricing, we would be happy to ship any piece if you can't visit us in person.