Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-10
COSTLY CANE HEADS.
Expensive Handles for Canes and u m.
breilas-Queer Canes that some Men
Carry.

A paragraph has been going the rounds of
the press to the effect that Georgia lawyer has
a cane, the head OF which is carved to represent
the head OF duck holding $3.50 sapphire in
Its bill. and with two diamonds worth 81, 100
each for its eyes. at may be true" the affable
young man having charge of the cane depart
ment In a large jewelry house said; 'but the
figures are pretty steep. 1t is not an infre-
quent thing for men to come in here and order
canes that cost $500 or 5000, gold heads with
Jewel settings, you understand: but Sl4. $50
cane is rather beyond our experience. For Or
binary sale the canes we keep In stock do not
run over $3.50 each. We always have on hand a
cord or so OF canes that run from $50 to S12O
Gold-headed presentation canes? Yes, we sell
a good many Of them, but hardly ever to the
out-of-town buyers. When few adniring
friends In the rural districts take q notion to
burden some brother deacon or minister or
master of lodge with the possession of gold
headed cane. they come to town to buy it. But
our prices are too high for them. They expect
to get gold-headed cane for SIS to $50 and
for decent one like that. a good head on a fine
malacca stick. we Charge $50 And it is only a
plain design you see, the conventional thing
like the top of a COrlnthan column with little
Chasing. When we tell them the pr.ce they gem
orally exclaim, 'Sufrin' Caesar or something to
that effect, and hurry out There are down
town dealers from whom they can get what
looks like the article they want. and for the
price they want to pay. For 9l5 to $50 they get
a big ebony stick. with big. rOlle,,-piate gold
head that looks just as Well as the one we
Charge go for. But. If the recipient ever wants
to sell it tor the Old gold it contains or to de-
post it as collateral! with his "unc lie. ne will
probably be surprised to fad how little gold
there is in it. If, however, it is only to be worn
on state occasions and kept as an heirloom in
the family. it Will do well enough
Our more expensive canes are those in which
artistic fancy enhances the value of the gold
Here is one a modified Shepherds crook of
hammered and chased Roman gold the greatest
peculiarly OF which is its price-S1l5. This
hammered crutch head of blended red and vel
low gold is worth $120 Here are lot OF new
designs. Indian and Persian faEcics un;Que.
and some of them pretty. that run from SEQ to
Sii5. Ihey are made or gold. the beauty of
which is that it was put through certain cnami-
cal treatments that brought it out looking like
almost anything but gold. This one for in
stance. that locks like steel is sold. and so is
thlt one Resembling red enamel Some of
these, light ones We're made up as cheap as $50,
OUT "e have none so OW-priced on hand nov.
Those very dainty little square crook gold
headed canes or switches rather, we sell as
cheap as s2S to so EACH
"FrOm these let Us pass to the silver heads
vi them we have q great variety. from 50 for a
pain hammered silver ball up to S25 for a larre
one of the newest fashion. which is a close imi-
tation OF an old-fasilioned buck-horn handle. or
80 ior one like this. which is as you can see
communion OF silver. gold and copper that
looks like sort of marble metal There is a
Wlde diversity OF styles in silver heads some OF
them. as you will notice, the plainest possible
a 'dOOr-knOb or simple ball-and others full of
fancy and exquisite workmanship There is a
novel and pretty thing. il perfectly round ball of
rock crystal held in place by silver clasps. that
we sell for F23. a man came i'm here the other
day Offering for sale a couple of canes that he
had made. believe. They were composed of
small, thin pieces of agate, comedian and other
STONES, III alternate layers. set on steel rod and
highly polished. | should think there were 200
pieces In each cane, and he only wanted S25
each for the completed canes don't see how
they could be gotten up tor the money, but we
dd not invest in them.
the materials we generally employ for the
SUCKS are ma'acca. bamboo, and ebony. There
are some very handsome and costly canes made
IN MEXICO from some animal substances clari-
fled as the Mexican saddle seats sometimes are
ana inlad with silver Gen. Jack Easement
used to haveone that lie refused $50 for. Then
me canes are occasionally turned out Of what
is represented to us as hippopotamus hide In
iact gentlemen bring all sorts of sticks to have
fancy heads put on them. Whatever the stick
may be. its value is nothing compared with the
head we put on 1t in most cases that sort. Dia-
mOnds. sapphires. and other precious stones
are very often set in them to order. OF course
We keep no such jewcled heads in stock.
1--WE don't have so much call for fancy carved
ivory and solid imitation silver heads. monkeys
and dogs heads, and birds and such things. as
We used to do. People seem to go in now for
rare and fine sticks, lasting and reliable ones.
and the cane dealer who wants to keep up with
the times must have an almost Infinite variety
of sticks from all parts Of the globe I've seen
one. plain rough stick. without a ferrule. and
only bent crook at the top. that was said to
have been worth $1,000 when it came into the
country. 1t was hollow, and had diamonds
packed in 1t. That was several years ago l
guess the custom house chaps have dropped on
that dodge. Anyway, never hear of it's being
played now. have seen German cane with a
flute in 1t. and another that would hold a good
drink of schnapps. and one that was a pipe
when you took off the ferrule and cap on the
head; but all those things were mere eccentric
ties. We are never called on to make such
things