"Feeling Guilty"?--Yes--answer

[Mr. Checkers]

The other day we purchased a very beautiful set of checkers for a more than reasonable price (this is not the general rule of the way things go). So we were very happy about that. Upon receiving this nice purchase we should have been elated and to some degree we were, but at the same time we felt a bit quilty in knowing that what we had purchased was not what it was advertised to be. I felt that we should return it, so I contacted the seller to explained what the situation was concerning this lovely checker set, which had been past down from his grandfather to his father and then to him. I told him that they had very good taste checkers and I offered to return them if he so desired. He understood what I was saying and asked me to feel blessed with them. He was happy that they were going to have a good home. "Checker Trivia" questions of the Day"? This beautiful checker set that he sold us was very expensive and rare. What material was it made of and how could he have known? "Inky" (cont. but when I do not know)

[chipschap]

Real catalin checkers, not plastic or something called catalin but really something different? They go for quite a high price. Real catalin is semi-translucent, but as it darkens with age this becomes harder to use as a test. Here are some test methods I found elsewhere. These tests don't distinguish Bakelite from Catalin, however Bakelite has a filler mixed in with it and won't have the color characteristics of Catalin.

Method #1:

1. Dip a cotton swab in 409 household cleaner and touch a small area of the piece, such as a back that won't be visible.
2. If the piece is vintage Bakelite or Catalin, the accumulated patina will show up as a yellow stain on the cotton swab.
3. Rinse the cleaner off the tested spot right away.

Method #2
Rub the Catalin/Bakelite with your finger until it gets warm. Then you should smell a sulfer/formalehyde scent on the finger if it's Catalin or Bakelite.

Method #3:
Some recommend placing the Catalin or Bakelite in hot water, then remove and sniff. Warmed it smells like camphor.

[Bob Murr]

ivory? I have seen some beautiful sets sell quite high.

[Mr. Checkers]

Bob your "Ivory" answer is 100% correct, but how could he have known that it was "Ivory"? Also a set of "Catalin" checkers sold yesterday for $152.50 and there was nothing fancy about them. Many jewelers buy them to make jewelry I am told. "Inky" (cont. but I don't know when)

[Bob Murr]

As to the 2nd part of the question, Ivory has growth rings like the rings of a tree, if you look closely, you can see the rings and know it is ivory.

[Mr. Checkers]

Now I was thinking that if your doorbell rang and you opened the door to find an elephant standing there with only one tusk and a mean glare in his eyes that perhaps his missing tusk ended up becoming your checker set. But your answer Bob is certainly a more reasonable one; plus far less dangerous. "Inky" (cont. but when I do not know)

[EdTrice]

Well if you're feeling super-guilty, you can always pay about $5000 and get a set made out of Wooly Mammoth Ivory. They won't come ring your doorbell, and since they are certainly extinct, it is not illegal to have this kind of ivory.