Keeping order in the General Assembly: The strange saga of a Viking gavel

On the topic of interesting gavels: the US Senate uses a gavel gifted by India in 1954, replacing the original gavel from 1789, which was falling apart [1]. It's an interesting gavel, as it has no handle, and is made of ivory.

It seems that the US Senate is much better at taking care of their gavels, being on only their second one in over 200 years, compared to the UN being in their third in a little over 60 years. Interesting that it's made out of pear wood too, which I assume isn't grown in Iceland, it would've been so much more Viking if it was made of mammoth ivory or whale bone.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditions_of_the_United_State...