Sword-cane for comment

[Marcus]

This sword cane has a cast silver head and a 13-inch triangular stiletto-like blade. The blade is blued with gilt etchings in the style of English and American military sabers of the early 19th century. I would guess it was made in England.

[M ELEY]

Hello Marcus,
The short length on this piece makes it a swagger stick. These were very popular among officers, especially naval, throughout the 19th century. As you mentioned, English would be my bet, but there were American examples as well. Silver heads were common, as were ivory or whale bone. They were a sign of a gentleman, but could certainly be used to discourage the numerous riffraff from robbing sailors on their way to the taverns. Some were made in India for the tourist trade, but yours shows honest age. I just saw one not too long ago made from the vertebrae of a shark. Pretty cool!

[Marcus]

The total length of the cane is 35.5 inches, and it works well as a walking stick. It is just the blade which only 13 inches long.

[M ELEY]

Opps! Sorry about the misread. Yes, a sword cane it is, then. Popular with gentlemen of status for defending themselves against potential thieves. A very nice item!

[fernando]

If the silver knob were British, wouldn't it have hallmarks ?

[Marcus]

Here is a picture that shows the sword and cane together. There are some small punches on the cane head but I can't make out any details so I can't say if they were intended to be proof marks. There also may be some crudely scratched initials on the head but these could have been made at any time and clearly are not in keeping with the original quality of the piece.