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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Two gentleman's walking sticks, one with monogram to handle on silver plaque, 'Queensland gutta Percha' engraved to neck, on silver plaque. Length 93 cm, 91 cm.
Hallmarked sterling silver topped walking stick with a Victorian heavily decorated handle with gadrooned scrolls and floral work. Hallmarked London, c 1902 by unknown, length 83 cm
Riding crop: James (Bill) Roycroft, won a gold medal in the team three-day event at the 1960 Rome games, riding in his first Olympics at the age of 45 and competing with a broken collarbone. This is the riding crop Roycroft used during this campaign.…
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 elegant late 19th century whalebone walking stick, the handle formed of a tooth ivory knob tapering to join to the whalebone shaft at a silver band, length 83.5 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…
A 19th century whalebone walking stick, the handle formed of a tooth ivory asymmetrical knob tapering to join to the octagonal tapering whalebone shaft at an engraved silver plated band. Length 89 cm
A 19th century whalebone walking stick, the handle formed of a tooth ivory knob tapering to join to the whalebone shaft at a silver plated band. Length 83.5 cm
Australian Infantry riding crop with silver head of timber shaft, leather and rush whip/crop and sterling silver head/handle with infantry emblem 'Australian Infantry Reg Fidelis Et Paratus, length 50 cm
A Malacca and Anglo-Indian cane, the shaft terminating in a heavily embossed Indian silver handle. Length 93 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.
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.
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…
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 mahogany and ivory walking stick, the mahogany shaft terminating with a silver collar engraved S.S. Wairarapa (referencing the sinking on the reef at Great Barrier Island in 1894 with the loss of 140 lives) and a Japanese ivory handle carved with lions.…
A rosewood and silver walking stick engraved: 'R.J. SEDDON, 1897' the finial with encircling machine engraving, marked 'Sterling'. Length 92.5 cm. Presumably the property of the Premier of New Zealand, Richard John Seddon. Provenance: The Flower Family…
A lady's silver topped whalebone walking cane, the fine tapering whalebone shaft terminating in a small silver plate collar, decoratively carved ivorine section and an engraved silver handle. Length 85 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.
A whalebone and ivory walking cane, the shaft of alternating plain and patterned bone sections, terminating in a wide silver collar and spherical ivory handle. Length 88 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.
A whalebone and wood walking stick, the whalebone shaft terminating in a silver collar and turned ebonised wood handle. Length 89 cm. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection.
An important New Zealand walking stick, the shaft made from jarrah timber from James Busby's Residence which later became the Treaty House. The plain wood shaft topped with a pounamu band, a wide silver collar engraved with 'This Stick is Part of the…
A walking stick, the ebony shaft fitted to a silver collar and china handle, decorated with a woman in formal dress, gilt embellishments. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection. Length 95 cm
An old horn walking stick, the shaft of sections of horn, silver collar and a horn curved handle, metal ferrule. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection. Length 94 cm
A wood and bone walking stick, with silver collar engraved 'Ship Boyd - sunk 1809' referencing the burning of the Boyd, in Whangaroa Harbour, the bone handle with carved leaves to the front. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection. Length 87 cm
A short whalebone cane, the shaft with metal ferrule, the marine ivory handle in the form of a dog's head, glass eyes and engraved silver collar. Provenance: The Flower Family Collection. Length 66 cm
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
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
An Edwardian ivory handled and ebony walking stick, the mildly curved handle of good size, the engraved silver collar hallmarked Chester 1903. Length 91 cm
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