Length 36 inches (91.5 cm)
Thickness of shank 0.75 inch (19 mm) tapering down to 0.6 inch (16 mm).
The handle is well-made from light-coloured horn, probably oxhorn, in a classic walking-stick-handle shape. But it has two rather puzzling raised areas carved on the bend of the neck. The lower one appears at first glance to be a place to rest a finger or thumb. The upper one is simply a small flat-topped circle with no obvious purpose.
One might assume these features are to make the stick more comfortable to hold, but in fact the reverse is true. If you pick up the stick and hold it naturally in either hand, the raised parts dig in most uncomfortably!
So are they just ornamental? Unlikely, since they don't form any sort of pattern, and one would be hard put to make any figural sense of them.
My theory is that they are intended to be uncomfortable. Imagine you are at the theatre (or whatever); when you leave, you are handed your stick at the cloakroom - but the moment you handle it, you realise it's not your stick, but someone else's! What's more, it's damned uncomfortable, so you give it back and ask for the right stick. Then along comes the rightful owner; he picks up his stick, holding it in just the right, special grip, and goes happily on his way.
P.S. - There is, but I will leave this as an exercise for the purchaser!
The initials HEE are crisply engraved in a very florid style. The hallmark for Birmingham 1926 is quite readable, as are the maker's initials, J.H., in a lozenge shape. This probably means the stick was made by James Howell, who was a respected Birmingham maker of that time.
The original ferrule was completely worn out when the stick came into my possession, so I have fitted a replacement steel-tipped brass one. As usual, I have secured this with hot-melt glue so that it can easily be replaced without damaging the stick.
SOLD