Collectable silver mounted walking sticks and canes
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 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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Whisky cane antique walking stick with concealed glass whisky tube and cork stopper, hidden under a silver cap, with ebonized shaft and brass ferrule, 19th century, 86 cm high
Sterling silver mounted walking stick, mark of C.S & Co., London, c. 1910, the engraved crook handle with grip cast as a clinging frog, height 85.5 cm. Provenance: The Estate of Judith Hoyle, Newcastle
An American walking stick, ebony shaft with silver collar and shield, rare pressed glass negro head handle with hand-painted finish, mid 19th century, 89 cm high
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
Three sterling silver topped walking canes, all with engraved decoration, hallmarked London 1901 maker WHR, Birmingham 1876 maker Sydney & Company, one unmarked, approx 80 cm to 90 cm long (3)
Early Australian lady's silver topped walking cane silver topped cap of a woman's figure, with engraving: 'Park Street, Sydney' length 88 cm. No makers mark, inscribed T. Teleford Priora 48 & 50 Park St Sydney.
A whalebone cane, the shaft with metal ferrule the top with four marine ivory discs and five horn discs, a small silver plate cartouche with dog to the front, handle absent. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection. Length 83 cm
A collection of five silver handled walking canes, 19th century and later, one decorated with two dog heads and a buckle, one of an owl, one marked London, 1909 by J Howell & Co and one marked London 1885, the longest 92 cm
An early Bakelite type short walking stick with ivorine handle, the tapering black shaft hand carved and terminating in an ivorine handle carved in the form of a turtle with rhinestone eyes, a tapering silver sleeve at the base of the shaft dated Chester…
A fine walking stick with elephant head handle covered in snakeskin with glass eyes, ivory tusks and bound in silver, beautiful fiddleback timber shaft with brass and iron ferrule, 19th century, 90 cm high
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.
An American silver mounted walking stick, with carved bone lion's head handle, and engraved silver collar marked 'Empire Sterling', the shaft carved and stained to replicate crocodile skin, mid 20th century, length: 105 cm.
A collection of five silver and metal capped walking canes, first half 20th century, comprising two silver topped walking canes with scrolled decoration, London, 190, one London, 1929 by Henry Thomas & Co, and three other metal topped canes, the largest…
A c.1900 Eastern silver and Malacca cane walking stick, possibly Chinese, the large silver knob handle embossed with rural village scene and figure, engraved 'Compliments of C & M October 1907', a belt with buckle mount below. Length 93 cm.
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
An English walking cane, by Jonathan Howell of Henry Howell & Co, circa 1921, the burrwood shaft terminating in silver collar and carved parrot form handle, retailed by J.L.Caldwell Philadelphia
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 c1900 horn handled walking stick, the Malacca cane tapered shaft with engraved silver plate ferrule and tapered curved fibrous horn handle. Length 85.5 cm.
An English walking stick, full silver birch with 9ct rose gold collar, 1908 inscription and finely carved duck head handle with inset glass eyes, 19th century, 97 cm high
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…
A rhinoceros hide horse crop, the flexible crop terminating in a silver collar and black glass band, the silver plate handle in the form of a horse's leg and hoof. Length 95 cm. This particular piece is mentioned in an article on William Mincher, Tui's…
Sterling silver hound' walking stick head, sterling silver hound' with a cap walking stick handle with treaded end hallmarked London 1913, by makers J.H
A vintage walking stick, the bamboo shaft terminating in a carved head of a parrot with silver feather embellishment, glass eyes and horn beak, brass ferrule.
An antler handled mahogany walking stick, the shaft terminating in an antler handle carved in the form of a long beaked creature, a silver collar engraved 'ORPHEUS, 7.2.1863'. Length 91 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.
An antique walking stick with carved wooden horse head handle, ivory eyes, sterling silver collar and fiddleback shaft, 19th century, missing ferrule, 94 cm long
Edwardian ivory and sterling silver walking stick, the handle carved in the form of a man's head, above an embossed silver mount with ebony stick, length 88 cm
An early 20th century silver and ivory English walking cane with dog head hand set with glass eyes, silver collar with marks rubbed, length 86 cm, missing bottom tip
Victorian hoof handled walking stick/sword Consisting of resin horse handle, attached to timber tapering stick section with silver shield and a button mechanism below which reveals a 30 cm blade, length of walking stick- 90 cm
A collection of sterling silver pommel handled walking canes with various inscriptions, including one by John Henry Rawlings, London, 1889, comprising eight pieces, the longest cane 93 cm long
A late 19th century ivory and silver gilt walking cane the shaft of slim proportions and featuring a small finely decorated hallmarked silver top, length 94 cm
A sterling silver mounted walking cane with a telescopic handle, 1907 London, with maker's mark for J. Howell & Co, cane and stick, manufacturers, old Street London Ec, of classic 'T' shape, the handle with engraved silver mounts, leather, covering and an…