Hi Patricia,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

This is a striking piece with a great story!

Especially in the mid-20th century, carved ivory heads were widely produced and sold as tourist items, though their origins and quality vary a lot. In parts of Central and West Africa—particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Ghana—ivory carving has a long precolonial history tied to courtly and ritual traditions. For example, the Yoruba and Edo (of the Kingdom of Benin) produced highly refined ivory works for royalty.

By the late 19th and especially the 20th century (c. 1920s–1970s), European colonial presence and travel increased demand for portable souvenirs. Workshops began producing small carved heads, busts, and figures specifically for export and tourists. These were often stylized “African heads” rather than representations tied to a specific culture or ritual use. Materials included elephant ivory, but also bone or composite substitutes in later years.

They were quite common in curio shops and export markets during the mid-century. Many surviving examples today are tourist or decorative pieces, not traditional ceremonial carvings. I strongly suspect this is what you have rather than a ceremonial piece.

With the crackdown on the poaching and smuggling of elephant ivory, it may be difficult for you to sell this (it's not illegal to own it but some states like NY, CA or NJ have banned the ivory trade outright. Other states have significantly limited the quantity that can be bought or sold, or may require a third-party appraisal to affirm the piece is an antique [100 years old or older, meaning if this was carved in the 1950s it is not an antique] or predate ivory-ban legislation).
If you're hoping to sell this, you should look up the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The US Fish & Wildlife Service also has a very good FAQ page here (https://www.fws.gov/frequently-asked-questions-about-elephant-ivory).

Because of these bans, the prices for carved ivory items has dropped in recent years and many auction houses simply won't sell it anymore. Prior to that, your carved elephant ivory tusk would have a value of $400-600 but today, sellers are unlikely to pay more than $75-100* for this.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.

~ Delia

*This appraisal does not validate the sale or attempted sale of this item, which may contain restricted species material. Mearto does not assume any liability for the attempt to sell, barter or trade this item.