Hilarious News From 2019: Ivory Dildo From The 19th Century Sold At Auction
Matthews Auction RoomThis dildo is carved out of ivory and comes with its own scarlet-lined case. It was likely gifted by a wealthy farmer to his wife.
In August, a peculiar item went up for auction: a dildo made entirely out of ivory from the Victorian era.
Who, you might ask, would bid on such an object? The answer, in this case, is either a sex toy connoisseur.
Before its 2019 sale, the ivory dildo had caught the eye of sex toy entrepreneur Shawna Scott. She was finally able to get her hands on the Victorian dildo after winning it for $680 at an auction in Ireland.
The dildo was put up by the Matthews Auction Room and described as an “antique carved ivory ladies companion in scarlet lined leather upholstered carry box with inset beveled glass panel.” Auctioneers estimated that the dildo was carved from the tusk of an elephant sometime between 1899 and 1901 in China.
Then how did the pleasure toy get all the way to Ireland? Experts believe that it was likely brought back by a wealthy Anglo-Irishman after a trip abroad as a gift to his wife, around the same time the Irish famine had begun.
“There was so much going on in that time period. People were literally starving to death and meanwhile, someone was bringing this home for their spouse,” Scott mused. “Sometimes I think with Irish history unless something is tied to the famine or 1916 it gets a little forgotten or re-prioritized.”
Scott had spotted the Victorian sex toy when it was first auctioned off in April 2017, but she lost it to a private collector in the U.S. who secured the 130-year-old phallus for $3,500, even out-bidding a Los Angeles-based erotica museum. This time, Scott was able to purchase the ivory dildo for a fraction of the original sales.
Scott said she planned to donate it to one of the museums in Ireland where it will no doubt be a fascinating addition to any collection.
