| Double W | 19 Aug 2015 11:14 a.m. PST |
Just as the title promises: d20s made from mammoth tusks gathered in Siberia:
Only twenty were made and sold out in 24 hours. A single die costs you $248 USD, but it came in a pretty case. (They are taking preorders for the next run.) link There actually is a healthy trade in mammoth tusks, which is encouraged to help alleviate the demand for fresh ivory. Better dead mammoths than living elephants. Paleontologists have some concerns because, like tree rings, mammoth tusks can tell you a lot about the environment mammoths lived in, so that is potentially information lost if a tusk ends up as a decoration rather than in a lab. That said, there are so many tusks that it isn't a major concern. Roll them bones.. er, tusks. More info: link |
Frederick  | 19 Aug 2015 11:43 a.m. PST |
This just seems wrong to me Maybe I am too sensitive |
| Eclectic Wave | 19 Aug 2015 12:02 p.m. PST |
Mammoth Ivory, most of which comes out of the former Soviet Union, it actually helping to cut down on Elephant poaching. Since demand for Ivory can be met (at least for the short term) by Mammoth, the market for Elephant Ivory has lessened, to a degree. The ironic thing, is that it's only because of Global Warming, has it become feasible for people to dig the now unfrozen ground in the artic for Mammoth tusks. |
| 79thPA | 19 Aug 2015 12:13 p.m. PST |
They need to make a boxed set: For $275 USD, you get a die, a resin mammoth, and a six mammoth hunters. |
| Double W | 19 Aug 2015 1:06 p.m. PST |
Yeah, after further reading, I may have overstated the benefits of mammoth tusks. They may not cut down as much on demand for elephant ivory as hoped -- in fact is may increase it in some circumstances. And scientists still are not thrilled about all that data lost. I probably wouldn't buy the dice, even if I was willing to dish out $248 USD for a single d20. |
| Mako11 | 19 Aug 2015 2:45 p.m. PST |
Pretty neat, but I agree, $248 USD is ridiculous, and I thought the sale of ALL ivory was banned. I agree, I'd rather have the science/data than D20 dice, and I'm a big fan of D20s. |
| leidang | 19 Aug 2015 2:48 p.m. PST |
If only 20 were made how are their 22 in the picture? |
| Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 19 Aug 2015 3:03 p.m. PST |
No. Just no. This smacks of so much wrongness I don't have the words. |
| pzivh43 | 19 Aug 2015 3:55 p.m. PST |
Yes, so wrong. Especially since we can make all the dice we want from environmentally friendly plastic made from good old oil. Oh…wait. Never mind… |
| Double W | 19 Aug 2015 4:27 p.m. PST |
"If only 20 were made how are their 22 in the picture?" My bad. The website says two dozen were made. So there are actually two missing. "Yes, so wrong. Especially since we can make all the dice we want from environmentally friendly plastic made from good old oil. Oh…wait. Never mind…" I'd say plastic is the lesser of two evils if you want to make that argument. No, it's not environmentally friendly, but oil is much more plentiful than mammoth or elephant ivory. There are always tradeoffs – it's just a matter of choosing the one with the least impact. |
| bsrlee | 20 Aug 2015 6:51 a.m. PST |
Alaskan Mastodon ivory was available in fairly large amounts in the US some years ago, it was being dredged up in some glacial rivers. As can be seen on the dice above, the ivory is pretty degraded with ice splits throughout which get worse the longer it has been exposed on the surface. |
| nazrat | 20 Aug 2015 7:28 a.m. PST |
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| DsGilbert | 20 Aug 2015 9:00 a.m. PST |
I have no issue with it. Better put to good use than just to sit in the ground rotting or in some box in a university warehouse. I'm not going to fall for the "every item found needs to go to a scientist" malarkey. Now, will I buy some. No. $248.00 USD for a die is a bit rich for my blood, and I wonder about the balance of an organic die. |
| Zargon | 20 Aug 2015 9:08 a.m. PST |
Seeing as it comes from a extinct source I'm happy I'd go one step further and if people want to roll dem bones how about the biggest source of bone us peoples bones should make some pretty good craps dice :) |
 Editor in Chief Bill   | 20 Aug 2015 2:34 p.m. PST |
I will put this on my Wish List for Christmas.  |
| Dave Crowell | 23 Aug 2015 2:12 p.m. PST |
I have a few pieces of mamoth ivory for scrimshaw and have seen some very nice scales for knife handles made from it. If I were to purchase mammoth ivory dice it would be a pair of d6s, but really that is not the first (or even close) use that comes to my mind. |
| hindsTMP | 31 Aug 2015 7:31 p.m. PST |
I like the "peoples bones" idea. Perhaps we can start with DsGilbert's ancestors… MH |
| Rawdon | 02 Sep 2015 12:37 p.m. PST |
I'm not going to get into arguing about ivory, oil, morality, etc. All off-topic as far as I'm concerned – wrong forum. But I concur with DsGilbert on one important point: I very much doubt, in part from their appearance in the photo, that they are accurately balanced and I also wonder how they would hold up. I say "wonder" – I have no data whatever – but my wonder is based on the obvious cracks, also the potential of chipping at the "corners". |
