|
 | C035 - Collector's item: A superb Victorian/Edwardian teacher's cane with horn
handle & silver
collar, dated 1901.Approx. dimensions: Overall length 35.5" / 90cm Diameter of shaft 7/16" / 11mm, tapering to 5/16" / 8mm. |  |
 | This delightful little cane would originally have belonged to a schoolteacher.
It would have been used as a blackboard pointer and for dispensing the odd rap
over the knuckles. The little crook handle curls around the teacher's fingers,
holding it firmly in place and making the cane ideal for either purpose. When not in active service in the classroom it would no doubt have been used as
a walking cane - more as a badge of office and for its deterrent effect on the
pupils than to provide any significant support, though. |  |
    |
 | The black horn handle has a gentle barley-twist carved into the neck, further
enhancing the grip. I would say it is probably made out of the tip of a chamois
horn. This doesn't polish up quite as well as buffalo or cow horn, but it still
looks pretty smart. The very tip of the handle has a very deliberate and cheeky
little twist to the side - a nice little touch. The handle is in pristine condition and virtually unmarked. |  |
| The joint between handle and shaft is embellished and strengthened with a
silver collar, engraved in a floral pattern and with a blank cartouche to take
the owner's initials. The hallmark is clearly readable and tells us the silver was assayed in
Birmingham in 1901, the year Edward VII succeeded Queen Victoria on the throne.
The maker's mark is also perfectly clear and reads "J.Y & Co.". The collar has a few minor dings but no splits, and is in remarkably good
condition for something over 100 years old that has seen action in the
classroom. |  
|
   | Here you can see the engraving, which is somewhat rubbed - but again in pretty
good condition for its age. The shaft is made from some sort of hard, stiff cane like bamboo or partridge
cane - but I can see no nodes in it. There are hundreds if not thousands of
species of cane and information is hard to come by, so I won't attempt a proper
identification. There are just a few very slight "battle scars" on the shaft,
so it's in better condition than most younger canes I've seen. |
     |
 | The shaft is tipped with a brass ferrule, which is quite worn as you can see
above. Because of the very small size I have been unable to find a direct
replacement. There are a number ways I could deal with this, and I would rather
leave the choice to the purchaser. I could fit a black buffalo horn tip in
place of the ferrule; or I could make up a new open-ended ferrule from brass
tube (and possibly insert a short piece of brass rod in the end); or I could
file down the end of the existing ferrule and insert a piece of brass (or
stainless steel) rod. Finally, I'll leave you with the picture on the left just as a reminder of the
scale of this elegant little cane. |
| SOLD Return to "Collectors' Sticks" page Return to "Sticks for Sale" page |