diff --git a/include/extern.h b/include/extern.h
index f18a69b75..26e4cb183 100644
--- a/include/extern.h
+++ b/include/extern.h
@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ E void FDECL(new_mname, (struct monst *,int));
 E void FDECL(free_mname, (struct monst *));
 E void FDECL(new_oname, (struct obj *,int));
 E void FDECL(free_oname, (struct obj *));
+E const char *FDECL(safe_oname, (struct obj *));
 E struct monst *FDECL(christen_monst, (struct monst *,const char *));
 E int NDECL(do_mname);
 E struct obj *FDECL(oname, (struct obj *,const char *));
diff --git a/src/bones.c b/src/bones.c
index 8220afb5a..fc51a5188 100644
--- a/src/bones.c
+++ b/src/bones.c
@@ -68,16 +68,14 @@ boolean restore;
 			/* artifact bookeeping needs to be done during
 			   restore; other fixups are done while saving */
 			if (otmp->oartifact) {
-			    char *tmponame = "";
-			    if (has_oname(otmp)) tmponame = ONAME(otmp);
-			    if (exist_artifact(otmp->otyp, tmponame) ||
+			    if (exist_artifact(otmp->otyp, safe_oname(otmp)) ||
 				    is_quest_artifact(otmp)) {
 				/* prevent duplicate--revert to ordinary obj */
 				otmp->oartifact = 0;
 				if (has_oname(otmp))
 					free_oname(otmp);
 			    } else {
-				artifact_exists(otmp, tmponame, TRUE);
+				artifact_exists(otmp, safe_oname(otmp), TRUE);
 			    }
 			}
 		} else {	/* saving */
diff --git a/src/do_name.c b/src/do_name.c
index 7e5802c43..fd1f2d98b 100644
--- a/src/do_name.c
+++ b/src/do_name.c
@@ -268,6 +268,21 @@ struct obj *obj;
     }
 }
 
+/*  safe_oname() always returns a valid pointer to
+ *  a string, either the pointer to an object's name
+ *  if it has one, or a pointer to an empty string
+ *  if it doesn't.
+ */
+const char *
+safe_oname(obj)
+struct obj *obj;
+{
+    if (has_oname(obj))
+    	return ONAME(obj);
+    else
+    	return "";
+}
+
 /* historical note: this returns a monster pointer because it used to
    allocate a new bigger block of memory to hold the monster and its name */
 struct monst *
diff --git a/src/objnam.c b/src/objnam.c
index 80cf59b54..44252b23f 100644
--- a/src/objnam.c
+++ b/src/objnam.c
@@ -2942,10 +2942,7 @@ typfnd:
 	    && !wizard
 #endif
 	    ) {
-	    char *tnam = "";
-	    if (has_oname(otmp))
-	    	tnam = ONAME(otmp);
-	    artifact_exists(otmp, tnam, FALSE);
+	    artifact_exists(otmp, safe_oname(otmp), FALSE);
 	    obfree(otmp, (struct obj *) 0);
 	    otmp = &zeroobj;
 	    pline("For a moment, you feel %s in your %s, but it disappears!",