Ceremonial sword

[unicorn]

I have a ceremonial sword how can I tell if the handle is bone or plastic

[jno]

hold a lit match under it?

[dundurn]

If it's totally smooth, no surface lines, indentations and one colour - probably plastic. If there are striations on the surface and a fair amount of pitting especially if the pits tend to be darker that the rest of the material - probably bone. Fine striations (straight, wavy or cross-hatched) but with few pits - probably ivory. Even experts can disagree sometimes at first sight.

[Lil O'lady]

Dundurn's right, bone / ivory and plastics / resins often fox even the experts.
One good trick is to get a magnifying glass and look underneath handles, in-carved bits etc. If this is moulded ie plastic or resin, you will see either a 'seam' of raised material or evidence of such a seam being filed away. If it is carved bone / ivory you will see the tool marks of the carver, extending the artwork under the handle.
With even greater magnification you can see the structure of the bone / ivory which difers from the structure of plasics but this is one mother of a magnification.

[shylock73]

If it`s very old it ain`t plastic thats for sure.