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| C025 - Collector's item: an intriguing Malacca cane with a silver plated top in
the form of a gloved hand holding a pistol.Approx. dimensions: Overall length 35" / 89cm. Diameter of shank 0.75" / 19mm tapering to 0.5" / 13mm | | |
| When I first caught sight of this cane I thought the hand might be holding a scroll, which would suggest it could have been the badge of office of a tipstaff or bailiff. However, the "scroll" turned out to be a representation of an old pistol. The integral collar is inscribed "Inv. Cam." (or possibly "Iny. Cam."). The "hand" part is well-rubbed on top, showing hints of brass colour underneath. The collar shows similar signs of age and use. The plating is rubbed through here and there. The way in which it has worn, along with its colour, suggests to me that the collar part at any rate may be Sheffield plate - a process invented in 1742 and which remained in use until it was supersed by electro-plating around 1860. But I am not an expert on this, so don't take my word for it - have a close look at the pictures and see what you think. |  | |
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| This leaves us with the conundrum of the inscription to deal with. I suspect
the abbreviations could be expanded to read "Inventory (of) Cambridge". This
could refer to Cambridge University, though I would expect them to use the
traditional abbreviation "Cantab." rather than "Cam.". So... was it perhaps the
property of a municipal department, possibly the badge of office of some
council official? Or... could it refer to the household or representatives of
the Duke of Cambridge? Or the Bishop of Cambridge? On the other hand it may have belonged to the landlord of a public house in Camberwell... or a used rickshaw salesman in Cambodia, for all I know! | |||
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| Either way, I feel it may have some interesting background waiting to be unearthed by someone with more time on their hands than I have. | ||
| The top was a bit loose on the shank when I acquired the cane, so I have taken
it apart and re-glued it, tidying up the joint a bit at the same time. The
Malacca shank is good and straight and polished up nicely with a well-aged
patina. There are some scars towards the bottom end, but these have become
polished with age and are completely in character with the overall "feel" of a
venerable old stick that's been well used but treated sensibly. The original ferrule was missing, so I have fitted a new one with a thick steel base. As usual, this is secured with hot-melt glue, so can easily be replaced in future without any damage to the stick. |
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SOLD | |||
