Tusks


Front of some of Large Named Tusks
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No, not the great album or the most excellent song by Fleetwood Mac. What we’re talking here are real ivory tusks – the kind that pigs grow and used for fighting and digging. Real tusks from real pastured pigs including our really big boars like Big’Un and Spot who both died naturally on our farm as well as various pigs that have gone to market such as the younger boars Basa and Longson. Tusks from pigs that died naturally on the farm are so noted below.

Each tusk is individual, unique and comes with a photo of the pig. The large mature boar and sow tusks are rare since most farms cut or break off the tusks and do not keep mature pigs for many years so the tusks never get a chance to get very large. For the budget conscious there are smaller tusks from younger boars, gilts and sows as well as the incisor tusks. All are genuine pastured pig teeth.


Back of same Large Named Tusks
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Large Named Tusks:
The named big tusks shown above and designated by the letters are priced as per the table below which gives the tusk letter identification, price, type of tusk (U=upper or L=lower jaw), pig sex (B=Boar or S=Sow) and name, approximate outside of arc length and plus notes about natural death or not. Additional smaller tusks are available as noted below. These are similar but from younger pigs and thus smaller than the scarce prime tusks. Lower Jaw tusks are the longer curving tusks. Upper jaw tusks are shorter and thicker opposition tusks. Boars sharpen their long lower tusks against the upper tusks.

Letter Price Type Sex Name Arc Notes
A $100 L S? Anna? 5.75″ Slaughter
B $100 L S? Anna? 6″ Slaughter
C $150 L B Longson 6.25″ Slaughter
D $455 L B Spot 8.5″ Natural
ESold $500 L B Big’Un 11.5″ Natural
F $475 L B Big’Un 10.5″ Natural
G $455 L B Spot 8.25″ Natural
H $250 U B Spot 4.5″ Natural
I $250 U B Big’Un 3.5″ Natural
J $250 U B Big’Un 3″ Natural
KSold

$250 U B Spot 10″ Natural

L=Lower jaw tusk, U=Upper jaw tusk, S=Sow, B=Boar. I am not 100% sure of the origins of tusks A and B – I strongly suspect that these tusks came from Anna, one of our large mature sows but perhaps they are from Petra. In any case, they are very fine tusks but due to the uncertainty the price is lower. Measures are approximate. K not shown. Note that virtually all tusks have some small cracks and breaks, especially at the base – these are natural objects and heavily used by their original owners. Notes: Slaughter means the tusks were retrieved after slaughter. Natural means the tusks were retrieved from a pig who died of natural causes in our pastures.
Updated 2013-03-14

Smaller Tusks: Similar to mature boar and sow tusks above but much smaller and not as much arc as mature pigs as well as not being from a specific named pig. Tusk you receive will probably not be one pictures. The pictures are to give you an idea of what the smaller tusks look like. If you want a specific tusk then order from the named tusks.

Miscellaneous Large Lower Tusks: Typically from younger to middle aged sows so not as large as the above named tusks but still of good size.
Lower: $50
Upper: $15


Miscellaneous Small Upper


Miscellaneous Small Lower

Miscellaneous Small Lower Tusks: These are from smaller boars and young sows or gilts.
Lower: $30
Upper: $10

Miscellaneous Cracked or Broken Seconds

Seconds: Cracked or broken – Nobody is perfect, some are less perfect than others in the words of some pig. Great for experimenting and such.
Lower: $10 for three pack
Upper: $10 for five pack

Incisor TeethGreat for pairing with tusks or alone on bead necklaces.
Incisors: $10 for ten pack

Pig SkullsBeautiful bones. Cleaned and ready for your wall or desk. Will have tusks if noted, otherwise tusks and some or all other teeth may be missing. Teeth often come out during the cleaning process.
Skull with tusks and lower jaw:
  Small: $300
  Medium: $500
  Large: $1,000

Skull – no lower jaw:
  Small: $50
  Medium: $75
  Large: $100

Half Skull – no lower jaw:
  Small: $20
  Medium: $30
  Large: $40

Shipping per package to USA and Canada insured: $10
For outside the USA please email us with your destination for a shipping quote.

Subject to availability – very limited number of big tusks. Other than those pictured, actual tusks will vary. These are real tusks, grown on real pigs so they are not consistent. I do not offer lab tests, burning, etching or grinding of tusk. Tusks are sold as is with basic cleaning as shown. Click on the photos to see higher resolution and more detail.

24 Responses to Tusks

  1. Amber Hill says:

    Hi there,

    I am interested in a tusk to make into a bangle so the circul would have to be more 3/4 moon than half as I want to add some thing either side as in a bit of metal. Do you have something like this for sale and how much is it?

    Regards amber

  2. hunter says:

    I have a few tusks my self and I wonder how wud I import it to you wud I have to bring them to the shop or can I send them and you send the money or to my bank account asap I have many and many tusks I need to get rid of these hogs die by my village all the time and I need to get them out I sell them to the foriners who come they pay top dollar for them if you cud lev your number I will get back to you also ill show you pictures if you are interred

  3. jocelyn murray says:

    hi, i would just like to know how did u clean your tusks and did u get the crap thats inside them?

  4. garry says:

    Hi Walter

    I might mention an old method we use for cleaning out any organic material from tusks, lobster shells, bones etc is leave them on an active ant hill in the spring. When you return a few months later the material is immaculately cleaned and free of any decomposition.

    • That is much like we do for the skulls which include the tusks as well. We have what we call head piles or skull piles. We clean most of the meat off the heads and then place the heads between layers of hay in a pile about 4’x4’x4′ tall. Insects and small rodents clean the heads off outside and inside. Then we set the skulls out in the sunlight to bleach white. The piles are inside a roll of fencing to keep larger animals, notably our livestock dogs, from raiding the piles. We then give the tusks a little extra cleaning as above to get out as much pulp as possible.

  5. Nora Ky says:

    Do you still have Big’Un upper tusk look like in this picture?
    http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2010/06/25/bigun-tusks/

    I very love his tusk, because he is big and he is gentle as the story.

  6. Bryant tran says:

    Do you have any solid tusks? Meaning that tusk are not hallow inside, which came from very old boar. And how much are the price?

    • All tusks have a solid portion that is outside the gum and a hollow portion that is inside the jaw bone. That is the nature of tusks. Almost all of the tusk from Big’Un and Spot were solid with just a small area of hollow. There are three tusks from our big boar Spitz who died here on the farm that I am in the process of recovering. He was four years old. I have not removed those tusks from the skull and jaw yet so I don’t have size measurements on them. They will be in the $500 range depending in final sizes.

  7. Shawn says:

    Hi there i was just wondering if you have any boar tusk that is solid. Preferebly the bottom longer ttusk. Thanks

    • No. Boar tusks are not solid. Sow tusks are solid. If someone sells you a solid tusk the either cut off hollow end or they sold you a sow tusk. There is a myth that someone is propagating that boar tusks are solid. That is false. The tusk must be hollow so that it can be continuously growing.

  8. jayden says:

    could i sell you some pig tusks or no?

  9. eric says:

    can you smooth the outer surface of boar tusk, say with sandpaper to take away edges etc

  10. Brian says:

    This is an old page, but crossing my fingers: I’m looking for a very circular curved tusk, almost a complete circle. This would probably come from a boar without cutters.

    Let me know.

  11. Aiden says:

    Hello,
    My brother’s a knife and tool maker. I’m interested in purchasing him a boar tusk to use as knife handle. Do you have any tusks that are more long rather then curved?

    • The upper tusks are thicker and straighter but shorter than the lower tusks which curve. The largest lower tusks would make a very short knife handle. The long curved lower tusks would be too thin, in my opinion, to make a knife handle. I’ve made knives and prefer a leather handle personally although, of course, that isn’t sanitary for butcher shop type situations which is what I now deal with – just plastics and stainless steel there.

  12. Wendigo says:

    I would like to order some of the cracked lower tusks, but can’t seem to figure out how. Am I missing something?

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