A classic statement of style, a finely crafted walking stick adds elegance to any ensemble. Though modern canes are generally used as a walking aid, they have also served through time as fashionable accessories denoting social status. The luxury of a walking stick was a clue to one’s wealth, and canes were thus topped with jewels, ivory, precious metals - adornments of every kind. Yet, there are some canes whose beauty and artistry lies hidden within, such as these stunning dagger canes.
Canes have been used as weapons since the dawn of time, and the emergence of concealed weapon canes seems a likely progression. Weaponized canes grew from the need for protection for those who expected danger on their outings, but did not want to openly carry a sword or pistol. With the introduction of the firearm, the wearing of swords in public began to be discouraged. This resulted in a resounding upsurge in highly fashionable sword and dagger canes. Today, these intriguing weapon canes are highly sought after by collectors of both antique canes and antique swords alike.
The Bamboo Assassin’s Cane has a deceptively innocent design. This walking stick conceals what was known as an ‘Assassin’s Dagger’. The quatrefoil blade design is what made this weapon so dangerous. At the time of its inception, it was practically impossible for a wound created by a blade of this shape to be repaired successfully. The four sided blade inflicted an amount of damage that the technology of the time was unable to repair, which meant certain death for anyone attacked with this weapon. This dagger cane measures 36 1/4” in length.
The classic Blue Steel Dagger Cane is both unassuming and handsome. This wooden cane, almost tortoiseshell in appearance, is topped with an L-shaped handle and conceals a beautiful blue steel dagger. The classic, simple elegance of this cane lends itself to discretion. This cane is 35 3/4” in length.
The dagger cane that is both breathtakingly beautiful as well as deadly is the Turkish Dagger Cane. Displaying prodigious artistry, this cane was crafted exclusively of metal that is covered in niello metalwork. This technique uses a black metallic alloy of sulfur with silver, copper, or bronze to fill designs that have been engraved on the surface of a metal object, and is rarely seen on such a large scale. This cane is unquestionably an instrument of defense, containing a nearly eight-inch dagger and a handle that, while elegantly formed in the shape of a growling feline, can be quite easily used as a bludgeon. The pointed ferrule at the foot of the cane can even double as a spear. When it comes to menace wrapped in a façade of beauty, this cane beats out all other contenders.
