19thc Baleen Folding Whaleboat Ships Carpenter Rule. English. C1860-80

19thc Baleen Folding Whaleboat Ships Carpenter Rule. English. C1860-80

Code: MS 6478

Dimensions:

W: 24" (61 cm)H: 0.2" (0.5 cm)D: 0.2" (0.5 cm)

SOLD

A rare beautifully made Baleen Folding Rule...it has silver mountings and increments and still retains its original leather stitched case....a real collectors piece....still in original fine condition.   English. C1860-80.

Baleen is a strong, yet flexible material made out of keratin, a protein that is the same material that makes up our hair and fingernails. It is used by whales to filter their prey from the sea water. Whales in the Suborder Mysticeti have several hundred plates of baleen hanging from their upper jaw.