Overall length 35" / 89cm.
Diameter of shank 5/8" /15mm
The tiny little knob appears to be made of some sort of composition intended to emulate bone or ivory. This is quite typical of the Victorian era. The knob has some hairline age cracks, but if anything these improve its appearance.
The shank is of some lightweight wood; probably maple, but it's impossible to tell for certain because the ebonised finish is very dense, opaque, and polished to a very smooth finish. The whole cane is very light in weight and hence very easy to handle, though its strength is perfectly adequate.
Then just below the knob is a little button of ivory or bone set into the shaft. This has a barely-visible inscription on it, which would originally have been filled in with black lacquer. Most of the lacquer has been rubbed away, but if the stick is viewed at a certain angle and with just the right lighting, the inscription can still be seen. It reads "RG 1867", plain and simple. I think it's very probable this reflects the true age of the stick.
It strikes me that the cane looks rather like an over-sized knitting needle (or knitting pin, as I understand they're called these days - probably something to do with Political Correctness). I wonder if this might have been intentional? One almost expects to see a number indicating the needle (sorry, pin) size on that little white button. And unusually, there is no taper to the shaft except right at the very tip.
A nice tidy lightweight cane in excellent condition for its age, and very usable with it.
SOLD