(2) Soviet Era Russian Drinking Horns with Marked 875 Silver Tops. Identical designs, identical markings. 

Size: 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 x 8 in. 

A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone, and are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent and are shed sometimes multiple times throughout an animal’s lifetime. Horns usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting, and horned animals are sometimes hunted so their mounted head or horns can be displayed as a hunting trophy or as decorative objects. Some cultures use bovid horns as musical instruments, such as the shofar which evolved into modern brass instruments, while others created drinking horns, gunpowder horns, and shoe horns by similarly removing the bone core. Horn is somewhat thermoplastic and (like tortoiseshell) was formerly used for many purposes where plastic would now be used, particularly since in modern times the usage of horn is more strictly regulated, though not as stringently as the much rarer ivory and more so than the ubiquitous basic bone.

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