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Sterling, Tom

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Tom Sterling

Artists Tom Sterling and Dr. J.P. Higgens combine stone tools and sculpture into unique masterpieces that are rarely matched elsewhere. Each creation is an original museum quality work, evocative of times long past. Long fascinations with many artistic and historic disciplines have led to artistic interpretations of the tools and weapons of bygone times, resulting in a fascinating fusion of cultures. Nordic, Celtic, Aztec, Mayan and Northwest Native American influences are often noticeable, but whimsy occasionally lets fly as well.

Dr. J.P. Higgins
Well-known master knapper Dr. J.P. Higgins fashions the blades from specially chosen stone, in the same manner as our prehistoric ancestors. Joe Higgins began "breaking rock" ten years ago as an outlet from the pressures of his thriving dental practice. Self taught, he began his long journey of recovering the lost prehistoric past during a period when few people knew anything about the art of knapping stone tools. Today, he is a master knapping artisan who readily shares his hard-won knowledge with others, encouraging them to take up this lost art. Master of both primitive and modern knapping methods, his blades are true works of art wrought in stone. Since retiring from dentistry in 1999, knapping related activities have become his predominate pastime, with a healthy dose of fishing thrown in for good measure.

Internationally known sculptor Tom Sterling creates handles from semi-precious hardwoods, horn, antler and fossil ivories. Tom Sterling began a unique and award winning career in wood art by carving Japanese netsuke (pronounced net-skeh) as a mechanism for coping with the extreme stresses of an Air Force career flying F-111 fighter bombers (the “switchblade Edsel”). Netsuke is a unique form of small sculpture which developed as an art form in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years, serving both functional and aesthetic purposes. Over time, netsuke which started as a toggle used to stop the kimono cord from slipping, began to feature elaborate carving, lacquer work, and inlays of rare and exotic materials including ivory, wood, precious metals, shell, coral, and semiprecious stones. After retiring from the Air Force, he began carving netsuke professionally, becoming well known in the international circles of netsuke collectors. Now, branching out into producing art knives, his background in Japanese art reveals itself in a unique melding with the other past cultures that have caught his interest along the way. After taking up an offer from Dr. J.P. Higgins to learn flint knapping, Tom became fascinated with stone tools and he and Joe became collaborators making contemporary knapped knives.

While the majority of this team's work ends up cared for in collections, each work they create is designed to be completely useable. Construction methods typically use exposed or hidden tenons, pegs or other mechanical holding mechanisms as well as top grade fixatives to ensure a lasting, museum quality work of art.

PREVIOUSLY SOLD ITEMS
(NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE)
"Carpenter Ants" Miniature Knife
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"Celtic Butterfly"
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"Celtic Pugio" Dagger
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"Dogfish"
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"Kraken" Push Dagger
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"Tree Frog"
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"Ugly Fish" Neck Knife
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8th Plague Reliquary
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Abyssal Dagger
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Alligator Gar Nessmuk
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Angelfish Kiridashi
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Angler Fish Dagger
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Anglerfish Three-Fingered Knife
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Antler and Bloodwood Push Dagger
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Antler Patch Knife with Frontier-Style Sheath
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Antler Tine Art Basket
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Arrow Ensemble
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Arrow Ensemble
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Artifact Neck Knife
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Bad Day at Green River Pendant
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Battle Mountain Hunter
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Beneath the Blood Moon Pendant
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Bluegill Dagger Reliquary
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Book of Kells Dagger
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Bowl of Blades
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Bronze Buggy Scrolls Pendant
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Bronze Trilobite Pendant
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Bugling Elk Neck Knife
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Butterfly Fish Skeleton Pendant
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Carpenter Ants Dagger
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Celtic Dagger
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Celtic Dagger
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Celtic Executive Paperweight
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Celtic Gecko Pendant
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Celtic Knot Desk Knife
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Celtic Madness Dagger
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Celtic Skinner
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Celtic Sword and Shield
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Centipede Tactical Lanyard Bead/Pendant
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Central Plains Arrow Ensemble
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Central Plains Arrow Ensemble
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Central Plains Style Arrow Ensemble
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Come Into My Parlor
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Copper Worm Gentleman's Modern Primitive Shank
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Copperhead Medicine Arrow
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Cry of the Owl Art Basket
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Dagger of the Sun
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Dragonfly and Cherry Blossoms Tsuba Pendant
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Dragonfly Floating Treasure Pendant
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Dragonfly Loops Pendant
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Dragonfly Pendant
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Dragonsbane Poniard
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Dragonslayer Spike Poignard
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Eel Knife
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Endless Knot Dagger
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Engraved NW Style Salmon Motif - Dragonfly Folder
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Engraved Spyderco Cricket "Puget Sound"
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Engraved Spyderco Cricket "Salmonfly"
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Engraved Surprise Motif - Cricket Folder
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Fiddler Crab Kiridashi
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Fish and Sea Urchin Art Basket
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Fishy Necklace and Matching Earring Set
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Flint Skinner
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Floating Treasures Necklace - Cherry Blossom
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Floating Treasures Necklace - Sea Nettle
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Floating Treasures Necklace: Heron
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Floating Treasures Pendant - Celtic Heron
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Floating Treasures Pendant - Celtic Heron
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Floating Treasures Pendant: Gecko
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Floating Treasures Pendant: Shibuichi Moth
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Floating Treasures Pendant: Spider Web
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Forged Bird Skull Locket
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Forged Dragonfly Locket
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Fractured Disk Pendant
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Frog and Stag Beetle Fetish
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Frog Cycle Dagger
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Frontier Style Antler Nessmuk
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Gambler's Modern Primitive Shiv
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Gent's Frontier Belt Knife
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Gentleman's Modern Primitive Shank
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Gods of Steel Votive Paperweight
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Gold Frog Skeleton Pendant
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Green Man in Autumn Dagger Pendant
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Helheim Dagger
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Heron Spike Misericordia
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Hummingbird Skull Medicine Pouch
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Hummingbird Skull Pendant
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Humpback Whale Fetish
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Ishi Point
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Ishi Point
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Knapped Bronze Snakewood Dagger
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Knapped Obsidian Hunting Dagger
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Knapped Silver Arrowhead Pendant and Earrings
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Knapped Steel Dagger
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Knapped Steel Dorset Knife
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Knapped Steel Ishi Point
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Knapped Steel Neck Knife
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Knapped Steel Petroglyph Dagger
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Knapped Steel Push Dagger with Engraved Tellurium Copper
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Knapped Steel Rattlesnake Effigy Dagger
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Knapped Steel Sacrificial Dagger
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Knapped Steel Sipapu Dagger
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Knapped Steel Snakewood Dagger
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Knapped Titanium Ishi Point Pendant
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Koi and Lily Pads Pendant
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Koi Pendant
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Large Dacite Blade
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Large Heron Dagger
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Lascaux Pendant
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Lascaux Push Dagger
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Lepenski Vir Stone Dagger
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Lizard and Ladybugs Netsuke
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Lizard and Longhorn Beetle Push Dagger
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Maiden of Deception Pass Dagger
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Maiden of Deception Pass Push Dagger
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Mantis and Wasp Kiridashi
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Maori Influenced Dagger
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Mayfly Bird and Trout
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Metamorphosis
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Miniature Dagger
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Miniature Prehistoric Style Elk Tine Knapped Steel Hunter
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Moth Pendant
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Nazgul Holdout Stiletto
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Needle Fish Basket
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Netsuke Fish Skinner
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Novaculite Dovetail Point
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Obsidian Hunter
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Orca Dagger with Stand
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Pacific Northwest Flounder Pendant
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Pair of Celtic/Viking Inspired Hairsticks
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Paper Wasp Pendant
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Pipefish Art Knife
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Plague of Frogs
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Plains Style Arrow Ensemble
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Plains Style Trade Point Arrow Ensemble
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Plains-Style Trade Point Arrow Ensemble
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Pocket Primitive
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Pouch of Rock Candy
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Prehistoric Bird and Trout
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Prehistoric Style Elk Tine Knapped Steel Hunter
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Primitive Trade Knife
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Puffer Fish Dagger
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Puget Sound Dagger
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Purple Shore Crab Pendant
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Rainbow Obsidian Stiletto
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Rat Tail Skinner Neck Knife with Frontier-Style Sheath
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Rattlesnake Medicine Arrow
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Raven Fetish
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Raven Halibut Hook Medicine Pouch
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Raven Stealing The Sun Art Basket
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Rawhide Utility
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Reliquary for the Four Elements
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Rotten Gourd Bokuto
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Rotten Stick Misercordia
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Saint George's Reliquary
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Saint George's Trophy Paperweight
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Samuel Bell Inspired Carved Dirk
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Sardine Scalpel Reliquary
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Schooling Tuna
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Sea Nettle Necklace
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Seahorse Art Knife
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Seal Fetish
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Shibuichi Carpenter Ant Pendant
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Shibuichi Carpenter Ants Miseretto
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Shibuichi Daisy Pendant
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Shibuichi Diatom Pendant
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Shibuichi Goldfish Pendant
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Siamese Fighter
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Silver Clad Shibuichi Dragonfly Pendant
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Silver Heron Pendant
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Snake Fetish Knapped Steel Dagger
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Squid Ulu
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Stag Beetles Art Basket
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Stickleback Fish Knife
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Stingray Dagger
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Stone Age Assegai
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Swarms of Ants
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Talking Stick War Club
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The Truth about Trilobites
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Titanium "Celtic Raven Steals the Moon" Pendant
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Titanium Mantis Pendant
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Titanium Viperfish Pendant
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Toadsticker Modern Primitive Shiv
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Ugly Fish Miniature Basket
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Wasp Misericordia
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Weathered Antler Tine Basket
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Wild Woman Pendant
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