Buyer Be Aware! – Boar’s Head

There are some wonderful antique boar’s head inkwells out there. But one also finds boar’s heads that are newly cast. Or recast – possibly they are using original molds. Several years ago, I purchased on eBay a boar’s head inkwell like the one pictured here. As I unpacked the item, I found a few grains of sand still in the crevices.

Bottom line: use caution. I think they may even be attaching newly cast boar’s head inkwells to old wooden bases.