Dual Purpose Canes Were Useful For Many
Things In Addition To Walking

Walking sticks have a long and royal history. They can be traced back at least as far as the Pharaoh, Tutankhamen, as several of them were found in his tomb when it was discovered in the 1920s.

By the 1800s, the makers of walking sticks were making many of them dual purpose, and these are very interesting to find. Probably the first were the musical walking sticks. A violin stick had the bow contained in the length of the stick. There was also a flute stick. That would certainly be a convenient way for a flautist to carry his instrument.

Another walking stick gadget was the toper’s cane, which could hold a glassful of whiskey or gin. A racetrack fan could pull a boxwood ruler out of his horse-measuring stick. Other canes made around 1900 were designed for smokers and contained cigar humidors or cigarettes in their shafts.

Churchgoers could carry their offering for the collection plate to church in the gold or silver head of their canes. A cane for ladies was made that would hold her knitting gear or lace.

Other walking sticks were made that held a snuff box, a knife and fork, a whistle, keys, a camera, a whip, a torch, or a pen and pencil set.

Practical jokers could buy canes that would squirt water up a victim’s legs when the cane was pressed on the floor, or others that would emit a wolf whistle on demand.

On the more serious side, some gadget canes concealed hidden weapons with various types of firing mechanisms. Others hid swords, daggers or knives that could be triggered by push buttons hidden in decorative handles.

Still other walking sticks were very useful. A photographer could carry one that would convert to a tripod; a musician might have one that converted to a music stand; and apparently there were even some made for undertakers that held fitted hooks for closing wooden caskets.

These gadget canes are also known as container canes, or trick canes.
Canes Through the Ages, by Francis H. Monek (Schiffer Publishing) is a suggested reference.

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Privately Minted Gold Coins Helped
Trade In The West

A fascinating set of gold coins for the coin collector are those that were privately issued over a period of about 12 years following the discovery of gold in California in 1848. An interesting quirk in the law forbade states and territorial governments to issue gold coin, but neglected to make it illegal for individuals to do so. In 1864, Congress corrected this oversight and passed a law forbidding the issuance of gold coins by private concerns.

The gold coins minted prior to this 1864 ruling were known as necessity coinage, pioneer gold, or territorial gold. They were issued by private companies in Oregon, California, Utah and Colorado.

The smallest was a round $2 1/2 piece. There were $5, $10 and $20 round pieces and a large octagonal $50 slug. There were also brief appearances of 25¢, 50¢ and $1 denominations.

Each producer chose a design to suit himself. A favorite in Oregon was the beaver, and the gold coins were, in fact, called “beavers.” A popular Colorado choice was Pike’s Peak and in Utah, Mormon coiners used a combination of a crown and an all-seeing eye.

This private coinage facilitated business and trade in the West, which was too often dependent on a cumbersome barter system in the early days. However, the coins also created problems, because some were not as heavy as they claimed to be, and others were not as pure as they should have been.

Despite the problems, a lot of the coins were made. Estimates indicate that anywhere from $10 million to $50 million were minted in California alone. Probably over the course of time, most were melted down. However, there may be some still tucked away in attics or safe deposit boxes, and perhaps some buried with the wrecks of the steamers trying to get in and out of San Francisco Bay.

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Stool Not Forgotten In Urge To Be Fancy

Piano stools are a piece of furniture that, as a rule, receive little attention. Yet many of them are very elaborate, elegant, or just plain interesting.

Those of the 1850s were very fancy, with upholstered seats of tapestry or velvet, and fringed with beadwork. Every age group was involved in playing the piano, and a revolving seat that could be adjusted for height was essential.

Somewhat later in the Victorian period, stools were made of mahogany, rosewood or walnut, with intricate carving. They continued to make use of the revolving seat. The legs typically ended with ball and claw feet.

A feature of the 1880s was the twin piano stool. It had two seats, each of which could be adjusted individually so that both players in a duet could be comfortable.

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