Featured HELP PLEASE - Interpreting Silver Marks on Walking Stick

I bought this antique walking-stick about a week ago, and I'm trying to understand what these marks are on the handle. I was told it was European (possibly French?), but that's really all I know.

Can somebody read these marks, and tell me what they are? The swirlywirly pattern on the handle isn't helping with my ability to read them, so...I'm all at sea.

 

No idea. But looks like a really beautiful stick.

 

Yes it's rather cute. Here it is in totality:


Personally, I'm more attached to my other stick, which is this one...

 

Lovely piece. The marks aren't French silver assay or silver maker's marks, nor any silver marks I know.

 

Maybe the maker's way of signing it.

 

Looks like it. But not French, imo.

 

cute , no ...... elegant !!....yes..!
very sophisticated .....

boy the maker did his best to hide those marks !!

 

So it may not be silver then. What other kind of white metal was used to make walking stick handles..? Nickel? Pewter?

Yes I think it's adorable. And those stamps were almost impossible to find!!

 

Have you tried to polish it? Could be pewter, I suppose.

 

the wood looks good.....is it light or heavy ?

these were also sometimes used as weapons......

 

Just gave it a polish.

Results:

Light!

 

Maybe just silver plated. Is the mark to the left of the EG an animal? Nice stick either way.

 

Yes, it's lovely.

 

I would think that if it was plate, the brass would be showing through somewhere where it would have been well handled. Almost too nice to be plate.

 

I bought the stick from a local auction house. They identified it as silver. And I agree - anything this old which has been handled as much as this one obviously has been, would've had plate-loss by now...

 

Is there a mark to the left of the EG mark? Can we gert a better picture?

 

sure looks like some writing here..

 

Yes. In addition to the mark to left of EG being worth looking at more I think this little writing would be the key to origin if it can be cracked.

 

I agree that that is likely but…if it was a heavy plating and it saw little use it’s not impossible. The mark looks more like silverplate marks than anything. Just saying it’s a possibility but I would also expect to see a spot or two of wear myself if it was.

 

I see depose between the marks.