Collectable silver mounted walking sticks and canes
A walking stick was an integral part of every well dressed man's wardrobe in the nineteenth century, and his collection of walking-sticks were probably kept just inside the hall in a stand, sharing space with umbrellas.
Walking-sticks and canes derive from the cudgels and staves carried for defence, evolving into dress accessories topped with silver or ivory, with a ferrule at the point to cut down wear. Many had elaborately carved heads. Sometimes these unscrewed to reveal space for a snuff box or other article. About 200 ancillary accessories are known to have been incorporated into walking
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sticks, the best known being the sword. Sword sticks date back to the sixteenth century, and often the sword just slides out with the stick acting as a sheath. Other sword and knife designs had a spring mechanism and would release on the press of a button or lever.
Other sticks pull apart, revealing a dagger with a handle for the left hand, and a stick with a blade for the right hand. Two steel blades sliding into the shaft from each end probably represent duelling weapons. The poacher's gun was a simple weapon in the shape of a walking stick; more sophisticated was a six-barrelled revolver, exposed by pressure on a trigger-spring that expelled part of the cane, and which had a dagger in the centre of the barrels.
Most extravagant was the machine-gun in a rectangular cane. "The kit", as it was 'known, was a pocket violin; this was developed into a violin fitted into a cane with a two-inch (5cm) diameter. Other canes contained music-boxes, harmonicas, flutes, piccolos, pipes (including opium pipes), vesta boxes, cigarette holders, candles, battery torches (dating from as early as 1882), contraceptives, poison, and a whole tribe of canes known as working companions (scalpels for doctors, small spades for botanists, safety lamps for miners). Among the most curious is the voyeur's cane with a mirror above the ferrule enabling the user to look up women's skirts.
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Canes
From around 1550 to 1930, canes were a dressing accessory without which a lady or gentleman, properly dressed, would never leave the house. However their use went out of fashion after this, leaving the market to collectors.
For a collector, the main interest lies in the handle, which could be made of wood, bamboo, ebony, ivory, tusk, animal horn, or bone. Sometimes they were made out of porcelain, Bakelite, gold, silver, or glass; enameled or cloisonnéd; or sprinkled with precious gemstones. The height of good taste was a gold handle with minmal decoration, as silver handles were despised by
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the wealthier classes. However silver handled canes have survived in large numbers, and exhibit a wide variety of decorative treatment, from the comparatively plain, armorial or regimental style to the more flamboyant excesses of Art Nouveau.
Carved handles can be found depicting grotesque animal or human forms, and are highly prized nowadays. Also keenly sought are multi-purpose canes, with a concealed spirit flask, tobacco pipe or even a tiny fire-arm for personal safety.
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A 19th century walking stick, the wooden shaft with curved handle terminating in a silver parrots head decorated with oak leaves, a woven silver wire band to the shaft.
George V sterling silver and horn walking stick, set with a curved horn handle and silver mount, hallmarked Chester, 1921, with tapering support, length 80.5 cm
Russian silver and ebony walking stick, (84 zolotnik 875/1000 purity), with 5 silver and 4 yellow gold emblems attached to the rod, circa 1908 - 1926, 90 cm long approx
A late Victorian silver, ivory and malacca cane walking stick, the approximate T-form ivory handle with decorative embossed silver cap ends and fitting to the tapered malacca shaft, engraved 'W.S.' reputedly a presentation upon the achievement of becoming…
A large and impressive ebony and silver handled Indian presentation walking stick, the tapered handle with repousse traditional figures within scrolling cartouches, presentation inscribed 'Col. Eliott' (Colonel Eliott), the long wide tapered shaft of good…
An Hermes of Paris leather riding crop, 1982 London, with maker's mark for Ra (silver ferrule), the fine plaited leather crop with punched and tooled detailing to the handle, with a sterling silver ferrule and an HermEs Paris stud to knop. Length 75 cm
Antique Malacca walking stick with a sterling silver handle in the form of knarled wood, brass ferrule to bottom. Marked Birmingham, sterling, N' 80 cm high
Old Ivory cane with brass ferule and silver cap with early hand engraved initials. The cap has possibly been lacquered and there is some minor repairs to cane, approx 90 cm long
A gentleman's walking cane with silver repousse top, engraved to the top 'D.A Rang Wala', with buckle band on shaft engraved 'ADE' in script. Silver is unmarked. Height 88 cm
English hallmarked sterling silver topped hard wood walking cane London, 1919, maker Wf. Condition good to fair, wear to the handle, loss to the base. Length 91 cm
A vintage walking stick, the shaft comprising of shark vertebrae, the silver plate handle in the form of a horse?s head, horn and brass ferrell to base. Length 35 cm
A German Art Nouveau silver mounted Guiana Snakewood walking cane, circa 1900, the 800 silver handle depicting a recumbent mermaid supported by waves, the tapered shaft with silver ferrule, probably made in Schwabisch Germany, approximate weight of handle…
A Sessionist style whale tooth handled walking stick early 20th century ebonised wood stand with hand beaten sterling silver mounts, possibly Austro-Hungarian, 72 cm high (crack to tooth)
An antique Narwhal tusk and silver walking cane, later 19th century, the cane of traditional tapering form and brass capped to the base, a turban style handle in possibly walrus ivory, the sterling silver collar with inscription dated 1883. Length 85 cm
A rare West Australian silver mounted carved casuarina wood (Sheoak) walking stick, by Joseph Dunkerton, working Fremantle c.1910. Both silver collars signed 'J.W.D.' with silver marks. Length 85.5 cm