EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBWhale Tooth and Live Oak Cane
About Seller
125 West Market Street
Johnson City, TN 37604
United States
Family-owned and family-run Johnson City Tennessee auction business for 25 years. Selling antiques and collectables for 38 years. Kimball M. Sterling, Inc. was founded and is owned by Kimball and Victoria Sterling, time and again, they have laid solid claim to world-wide attention and renown with an...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $10 |
| $100 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
About Auction
LiveJan 3, 2026
Masterpiece Cane auction is all from a Europeon collection. We offer items from this private collection about once a year, Kimball Sterling kimballsterling@earthlink.net
View Full Catalog (89)
- Lot Description
1850
Crafted from a single piece of sperm whale tooth, the knob features a wider, bulbous top, a waisted collar, and a longer, tapered plinth ending with a slender, raised integral collar. The proportions, shaped by the tooth's natural form and accented with subtle undercuts, are extraordinary and elevated to fine art by a smoothly paneled, octagonal surface.
The paneled sections at the top are grouped with a large, flush-set baleen round shield that adds a subtle yet strong decorative element, emphasized by the contrasting dark, nearly black color of the material.
The knob features a very unusual yet attractive live oak shaft that extends through the octagonal, paneled design of the knob over most of its tapered profile, ending in a plain, round section.
Fashioned by the fisherman himself and his unsophisticated tools, this cane is a wonderful sculptural object, and, as early American art, it has all the elements to support its dating around the middle of the 19th century.
While the material combination is not uncommon due to its availability on whaling ships, the elegance and purity of the cane’s profile make it stunning. Indeed, cherished with apparent devotion, the knob aged to a sublime, faded surface, and the shaft to a corresponding, permeated surface that reveals the timber's characterizing grain to the cane's great advantage.
H. 2 ¾” x 1 ¾”, O.L. 36”
$900-$1,200
Live oak, also known as evergreen oak, was widely used in early American shipbuilding. The remarkable resilience of live oak planking compared to its European counterpart partly made early American frigates so feared by enemy sailors. The live oak of USS Constitution deflected the shots of HMS Guerriere so effectively that one of her sailors was heard to shout, "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!" The ship was nicknamed Old Ironsides.
Live oak lumber is rarely used for furniture because it warps and twists while drying. It is used in shipbuilding and tool handles for its strength, energy absorption, and density. Dry Southern live oak lumber has a specific gravity of 0.88, the highest of any North American hardwood.
Notably, the live oak provides one of the most indelible images of the Old South. The huge branches of a live oak, festooned with Spanish moss and spreading horizontally across grassy lawns, are iconic.
- Shipping Info
-
Each auction has different shipping terms but the buyer always pays.
Canes:
After payment has been received we will contact you.
-
- Buyer's Premium
