*British, c1890, Antique Brigg Walking Stick, Silver Ball Knop with Rifle Brigade Crest, London Hallmarks, 94cm*
A fine antique officer’s walking stick by the distinguished London maker Brigg, fitted with a large silver ball knop handle embossed with the crest of the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own). The design features the regiment’s crowned eight-pointed garter star enclosing a bugle-horn within a laurel wreath, finely executed in relief.
The upper silver collar is struck with rubbed London silver hallmarks alongside the maker’s name Brigg, while a further lower collar bears additional London hallmarks, though indistinct from wear. The tapering ebonised shaft retains another hallmarked silver-mounted band and terminates in a brass ferrule with steel tip.
Length: 94 cm
Historical Note:
The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) was one of the British Army’s most celebrated light infantry regiments, distinguished by its bugle-horn emblem. The eight-pointed star with crowned bugle, as shown on this cane, was the regiment’s badge from the mid-Victorian period through the Edwardian era.
Thomas Brigg & Sons, of St James’s Street, London, founded in 1836, were renowned 19th- and early 20th-century makers of luxury canes and umbrellas, supplying officers and gentlemen of means. Canes mounted with regimental crests were often purchased as marks of service or presented to officers as commemorative gifts.
This example likely dates to c.1890–1910, coinciding with the Rifle Brigade’s service in campaigns ranging from the late Victorian colonial wars through to the early years of King George V’s reign.
*Condition*
The silver knop shows light bruising and age wear, with some rubbing to the hallmarks, though the regimental device remains crisp and well-defined. Shaft retains its ebonised finish with scattered surface scuffing and small areas of flaking. The brass ferrule and steel tip show wear and minor pitting, consistent with age and use. All fittings are secure. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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