Walking Stick

[groomporter]

Historically speaking, anyone know who made canes? Some of the really fancy ones had to be related to the jewelry/goldsmith trades. Did they have any guilds, or similar brotherhoods for cane/walking stick makers?

This reminds me of a rerun episode of "Antique Roadshow" that I saw a couple of weeks ago.  A man was there with an elaborately carved cane, and the apraiser was saying that typically only a few canes would be made by any one person.  Often it was a woodworker making a cane for themself to use and show off their talent.  Sometimes they would make a few more as gifts.  This was in referance to the 1800's.


If anyone has any more information then that, please share.

I can see that for some of the things that show up on the Roadshow, but I was thinking more about the 17th/18th century fancy/formal canes with more expensive silver or gold handles as opposed to carved wooden canes/walking sticks.