Immensely popular in their day, dime novels were the forerunners of the pulp fiction magazines that gave us such hard-boiled characters as Sam Spade. That famous San Francisco detective is the hero (or anti-hero) of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon -- the novel featured in the National Endowment for the Arts "Big Read" program last month.
Scrimshawed ivory has been around for centuries. Today, some of it falls into the "illegal items" category.
In today's What's it Worth?, we'll answer readers' questions in both areas.
Q. I have about 54 of these dime novels. Passed down to me by my father, they date from 1896 to 1912. Dad bought these in the early and mid-1950s and, reading these as an adult, he recalled the days of his youth. I would appreciate any research, and would be interested their value. -- Rollin in Richland
A. The first dime novels came out in the 1860s. They immediately caught on, especially with young male readers. The titles and stories were appealing with such hero's as Young Wild West, Frank Merriwell and Nick Carter.
Smaller than modern comic books and soft bound, they had art only on the cover -- the inside pages were all the story. Some cost only a nickel, but most cost 10 cents and the dime novel name stuck.
Today, they are considered the forerunner of much popular fiction, including pulp magazines like Black Mask, men's action magazines such as Argosy and the modern comic book.
Your father's experience -- purchasing and re-reading the books of his youth -- was a phenomenon that drove dime novel prices at the middle of the 20th century. Collector prices spiked back then, came down again and have held steady now for about 50 years.
Once considered mere throwaways in the world of books, dime novels now are held in higher regard. There are serious collections at many libraries and such universities as Stanford have done significant research on the place of dime novels in American literature .
In excellent condition, most of your dime novels would each fall in the $10 to $20 value range.
Q. I have a scrimshawed ivory tusk cribbage board, bought (or won in a card game) by my grandfather in Nome, Alaska, sometime before 1896. It is 111/2 inches long and about 2 inches across. In contrast to newer ivory boards I've seen online, it has no signature. Please let me know what you think. -- Gary in Richland
A. Cribbage boards of Alaskan walrus ivory have been popular souvenirs for more than a century. Featuring scenes of hunting and everyday life in the Arctic, we see them at shops and shows regularly. They are most common here in the Northwest.
Native made, the trade in these items goes back to the early 19th century.
Sailors were trading with indigenous peoples as early as 1820.
The Alaska gold rush of 1897 brought many ivory carvings into the hands of "sourdoughs" and back to the States.
On Seattle's waterfront, the famous Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe was dealing in such pieces as soon as their doors opened in 1899.
Today, the United States has joined in international "conventions" -- agreements designed to restrict the trade in illegal ivory and reduce poaching of endangered species.
The primary agreement is the "Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species" or "CITES" dealing mainly with elephant ivory. However, it covers other animals as well. Included are polar bears, sea otters and walrus.
Basically, the rules say ivory dated before 1972 is OK. Ivory after that date may or may not be legal to own. And, some ivory is legal to own but not sell.
After 1972, handicrafts made by Alaska Natives are legal, even though the species the items come from may be protected.
It is a complicated issue. The entire criteria of what makes one piece of ivory "legal" and another "illegal" is beyond the scope and expertise of What's It Worth. The rules and regulations are complex; so much so that some dealers have simply stopped trading in all ivory items.
Older walrus ivory cribbage boards like your very good example sell regularly at major American auction houses. Most are unsigned. Auctioneers like Skinner's of Boston and the Cincinnati-based Cowan's, which holds special sales of Native American pieces, often bring them to market.
In a well-advertised auction like those, we'd expect your tusk to bring between $500 and $1,000.
* Terry Maurer, a Tri-Cities personal property appraiser and antique dealer, is a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. E-mail antiques and collectible questions to: whatsitworth@clearwire.net.
