ANTIQUE ORNATE GOLD HEADED SIGNED DEMUTH MEN’S EBONY WALKING STICK CANE

Really a beautiful old piece; an antique walking stick or cane.  I bought this for my personal collection back in 1991 as being solid gold but have since had it tested by a reputable jeweler and now believe it to be gold filled.  However, when you polish it up with a polishing cloth you would never know it wasn’t solid gold.  It is stunningly beautiful!!!  The head has beautiful hand-crafted repousse work done with incredible skill and craftsmanship.  The shaft is black ebonized wood.  Please be sure to read the “Age and Condition” paragraphs below as this does have a bit of a minor (to me) condition issue.

The gold-filled head is marked “WDC” inside an inverted triangle – see my photos.  This is the mark for the “William Demuth Company”, formerly of New York City, and famous for making gold pipes, canes and other carved objects.  They started in business in 1862 and were around until the 1970’s but concentrated on pipes in the later years of the business.

I am no antique cane or walking stick expert, but I believe this to be a late 19^th century or early 20^th century piece with a later inscription.  The head is monogrammed as follows: “Mar 17th PACKIE 1947” – see my photos. 

I do my best to describe all items as accurately as possible and to the best of my ability.  Some of my photos may be somewhat lighter or darker than actual to better show detail or color.  However, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or with requests for additional pictures.  I will get back to you as soon as I am able.  I want your transaction with me to be exactly the way I want mine to be when I am the buyer.

Please take a moment and visit our eBay store “TNK Antiques”.  You can access our store through a link in any of our eBay listings.  Our store has many unique and interesting items in several different categories from 35 years of our dealing and collecting antiques and collectables.

Age and Condition

Circa 1900. 

It is in excellent condition.  Please look closely at the photos as they are an important part of my description of this item.  There are two places near the tip of the shaft that small pieces of wood are missing from the shaft; I would call them chips.  One is right where the tip is attached to the shaft and the other about 2” up the shaft from there.  See the last photo for a close-up of this area.  Other than that, I see only light signs of use.  The head and tip are solid and tightly attached to the shaft with no looseness I can find.  I see only a couple minor dents or dings to the metal and maybe a bit of tarnish.  I also see only some minor dings, scratches and scrapes to the wooden shaft.  I will mention that over time a “darkened” area will appear on the head of the cane in the area of the monogram.  The dealer I originally bought the cane from showed me this and told me it was from someone spilling a gold testing solution there.  A bit of work with a polishing cloth and it is no longer obvious and can barely be seen, but will appear again later, over time.  I took “before” and “after” photos, so you can see what this looks like in both cases; these are the 2^nd & 3^rd to last photos.  Otherwise, a truly beautiful piece in great condition.  Please keep in mind these photos may be blown up at least 8-10 times normal, so anything you see will look 8-10 times larger in the photos than it really is.

Please note: if you see a dark spot in the photos, it is from my camera and is not a mark on the piece.  It will be either just to the right of center towards the bottom or slightly above center on the right side of the photo.

Approximate Dimensions

The overall length of the walking stick is about 35.125” (89.2 cm).  The diameter of the wood shaft is about .9375” (2.4 cm) at the thickest point and the gold head is about 1.625” (4.1 cm) in diameter at the widest point by about 2.625” (6.6 cm) in length.

Approximate Weight

About 1 pound 1.125 ounces (485 grams). 

SALES TAX

Depending on which state you live in eBay may add State Sales Tax on your purchase.

PAYMENT, SHIPPING, Insurance & PACKAGING

For auctions, if you do not send an instant payment through PayPal, I will send you an invoice within 24 hours of the end of the auction.

PayPal is my preferred method for receiving funds and payment is expected within 3 days of the completion of the auction.  I will normally ship within 1-2 business days of receiving payment in my PayPal account.

Shipment will be via the USPS.  I estimate shipping costs at the time of listing and any difference between my estimated cost and actual will be refunded back to you through PayPal after the sale is completed.  On smaller items that weigh 12 ounces or less including the shipping container I will offer you the less expensive First-Class option.   On heavier items I will also offer a less expensive option, if available.  A delivery confirmation (provides electronic tracking of the shipment) is included with all domestic shipments paid for through PayPal.  Please take the shipping costs into account when bidding.  If you purchase more than one item, I will do my best to combine shipping costs to save you as much as possible.  If you want your package insured, you must let me know in advance of payment.

Your actual shipping costs should be calculated automatically when you enter you zip code into eBay.

This item will be professionally packaged for maximum protection in shipping.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS

The only form of payment I accept from international buyers is Pay Pal.  No exceptions!

International shipments will encounter longer shipping times due to distance and Customs requirements.  The USPS says 6-10 business days, but it can take longer.    International buyers are responsible for all customs fees, duties, import taxes or other related customs or import charges and all our out-of-pocket costs incurred in the shipment of packages internationally.

International shipment options will be via USPS First Class Mail (when the item being shipped meets the requirements of that service) or Priority Mail when it does not.

DO NOT ask us to show a lesser value on the Customs Forms than the item sold for, or to ship the item purchased item as a gift.  Ebay requires us to report any buyer to them who requests this.

RETURN POLICY