Scrimshaw is the oldest of the very few art forms that are native to North America, making scrimshaw a traditionally American art form.  Scrimshaw has the combined allure of history, fine art, and heritage.  Maybe all of this is what collectors feel when they look at modern scrimshaw.  No other art form in America has a longer history.  No other expression of art has such significance or influence on the American
spirit.  Scrimshaw today is created on wide variety of materials, including bone and legal ivory from sources that endanger no living species.