19th Century Scrimshaw Bodkin with Pointing Hand Jesus on cross toe nails painted too

toe nails painted too

A little pain loss around the edges of the tail and a few minor dings here and there

just inserted

and while the binding is shot and most of the pages loose

19th Century Scrimshaw Bodkin with Pointing Hand Jesus on cross toe nails painted tooAnother 19th century sailor whaler made bone bodkin with a hand at the opposite end, which I purchased from a longtime dealer of antique maritime objects. This a diminutive one, just a hair longer than 2 inches, which to me makes the carving of this pointing hand, whalebone I believe, seem all the more amazing. With nicely carved bands and stars characteristic of these, and a sharp point at the opposite end, useful for piercing fabric or pushing