Bone model of a whaling harpoon head.

It was acquired with commemorative material beqeathed to the Royal Naval Museum by W.C. West in 1924. Although old lists call this an 'Eskimo's bone spear head', the shape suggests it is of early 19th century British origin before the introduction of the toggle head harpoon (an Inuit design).

The item copies a steel original, the shank is hollow and tapers towards the head where it becames square rather than round in section.