Anthony Moss on collecting, class, and why the walking cane never really left

There are collectors, and then there are people who quietly hold history together.

Anthony Moss has spent a lifetime in pursuit of objects most would pass without a second glance. Not because they lack value, but because they require something rare to understand them properly: time. What sits within his collection is not just craftsmanship, but a record of how people once chose to be seen.

Long before fashion became fast, disposable, and increasingly detached from meaning, the walking cane existed as something far more deliberate. It was never just carried. It was chosen. Considered. Matched to the individual. In Moss’s world, a cane is not an accessory, nor is it purely an antique. It is a signal. A marker of wealth, identity, and intent that once spoke louder than words ever could.

His perspective strips away the modern tendency to overlook objects that demand patience. From sterling silver handles to ivory carvings, from Fabergé-level craftsmanship to the quiet detail of a well-worn shaft, Moss frames the walking stick not as a relic, but as a living expression of culture. One that has shifted, but never truly disappeared.

What makes his work compelling is not just the scale of his collection, but the mindset behind it. There is no illusion of completion here. No final piece that resolves the pursuit. Just the understanding that history, like collecting, is ongoing. There is always something missing. Always something still out there.

And perhaps that is the point.

In a world that rarely slows down long enough to look twice, Moss has built a life around doing exactly that.

Photographer: Agata Mazur

You’ve spent decades surrounding yourself with objects most people would overlook. At what point did walking sticks stop being collectibles and start becoming something closer to language? 

Historically, Walking Canes have consistently maintained their status as collectible items. In Victorian times, many households possessed approximately ten walking canes, including a designated Sunday cane. Today Auction platforms continue to offer walking canes, which remain desirable and command substantial prices. 

In previous centuries, affluent gentlemen and ladies were commonly seen carrying walking sticks. Unlike today, canes from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries often featured handles crafted from precious metals and gemstones, serving as prominent indicators of wealth, influence, and social standing.  

During these periods, canes were primarily considered fashionable accessories never a mobility aid. 

Contemporary societal norms have evolved considerably, resulting in less rigid expectations for daily engagements among the upper class. Furthermore, the advent of the automobile significantly influenced both the way individuals dressed and the items they could conveniently carry. 

There’s a fine line between collecting and obsession. Looking back, when did you realise you had crossed it and did you ever want to come back?

Collecting and obsession are intrinsically linked when it comes to pursuits such as walking stick collecting. It is remarkably easy for a collector to cross the line from simple interest into obsession.  

There is always one more example that can be added to the collection, fuelling the desire to seek out new and unique items. This ongoing quest is what drives collectors, continually encouraging them to explore further and expand their collections.  

Photographer: Agata Mazur

Your collection spans centuries, cultures, and purposes. Do you feel like you’re preserving history, or rewriting the way people understand it? 

Certainly, I am preserving history and the way it is perceived. That is true of all collections of historical interest. People have little idea of the thousands of examples of these miniature works of art.  

The decorative canes available to collectors today are those hailing primarily from the second half of the 19th century and into the 1930s.  

Could you give the reader an idea of the range of decorative Walking Canes? 

I would like to as its important. 

Most decorative canes featured a plain tapered shaft, and a metal ferrule at the tip. While their handles displayed intricate artistry, crafted from a diverse array of materials.  

Silver handles were especially popular and remain accessible to collectors, making them an ideal entry point for those beginning a decorative cane collection. It is important to note that not all silver-coloured handles are genuine sterling silver, and their value should reflect that, unless the cane itself has historical significance, provenance, or rarity. Finely chased sterling and gold knob handles were often inscribed and presented as gifts, while the most elaborate sterling knobs might be shaped into animals, human figures, or ornate crook handles.  

The Art Nouveau era produced outstanding sterling-handled canes, highly sought after by collectors. Ivory was another favoured material among cane artisans, who sculpted remarkable handles depicting a vast range of subjects, from animals and flowers to mythical figures and human faces, often embellished with glass eyes or jewels. Ivory canes, especially those carved entirely from ivory, were reserved for the wealthiest patrons due to their expense and rarity. These pieces remain very popular, provided they are free from cracks or discolouration, since ivory can be sensitive to heat and sunlight.  

Photographer: Agata Mazur

Gold-handled canes are among the rarest and most prized, typically featuring highly chased crook handles with marked gold content, and often reserved for evening use with elegant ebony shafts.  

Porcelain handles by notable makers such as Meissen and Sèvres are also treasured for their beauty and rarity, though surviving examples in pristine condition are uncommon due to their fragility.  

Handles and shafts were also fashioned from materials such as tortoise shell, bone, antler, brass, bronze, wood, snakeskin, leather, sharkskin, and glass. As with all decorative antiques, collectors should seek canes free from cracks, chips, and repairs.  

Among the most significant and expensive canes available today are those created by prestigious houses such as Fabergé and Tiffany.  

You’ve described canes as more than functional objects almost as expressions of identity. What do they reveal about the people who carried them that words never could? 

Throughout history, the walking cane was much more than a practical tool or accessory. It served as an unmistakable extension of one's attire—an essential element without which one might be considered improperly dressed.  

The selection of a cane was deliberate, chosen to complement one's outfit and reinforce the impression of refinement. Both men and women of means rarely ventured out without a walking stick, treating it as a statement of personal style and social standing. 

In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, walking canes frequently featured handles crafted from precious metals and adorned with jewels. Such opulent details were not merely ornamental; they communicated the owner’s wealth, power, and position within the societal hierarchy. The cane thus operated as a powerful visual indicator, revealing aspects of identity and status in ways that words could not. 

Photographer: Agata Mazur

In a world that moves fast and forgets quickly, what draws you to objects that demand patience, study, and time? 

History is not forgotten by those would want to keep tradition alive. It is always a need to record history before it is lost in time. Nevertheless, it is not an item that has faded into history. The cane is still used and there many companies are still selling both cane and umbrellas. 

You started collecting at nine years old, long before most people even know what they’re drawn to. Do you think this was instinct, circumstance, or something you only understand in hindsight? 

Starting a collection is a rewarding, long-term hobby that allows for personal expression, reconnection with the past, and deep learning about a specific topic. Whether you are interested in antiques, pop culture, or natural objects, the best collections are built with patience, research, and a genuine passion for the items themselves rather than just their financial value.  

Collecting is exiting. As I came from a poor family with few possessions and Books were my first love, but my curiosity expanded as I visited Antique Fairs.  

Most people have some interests in collecting and adorning their homes. Even as children, we liked collecting Cigarette Cards and now its McDonald’s give aways. 

There’s something deeply personal about building a collection over a lifetime. Do you ever think about what happens to it after you, or is that not part of the story? 

My collection is owned by my four children. They may sell or keep some as a memento. Also, the Collection has provenance and it is therefore more valuable. 

Photographer: Agata Mazur

Your book positions the walking stick almost as one of the original fashion accessories. Do you think modern style has lost that sense of meaning and symbolism? 

It was the original fashion item. Nevertheless, the Walking Cane is still used by Dandies, Fashion Shows and films as a stage prop. 

You’ve handled thousands of pieces over the years. Has your definition of quality changed, or has your eye simply become sharper? 

Over the years by in part taking to Collectors, Fairs, Cane Events and Dealers, plus handling Walking Canes you gain knowledge and can recognize quality and artistry in the canes. 

There’s a romantic idea of the collector as someone chasing the next great find. What actually keeps you searching after all this time? 

There is always one example that alludes the collector. Millions of these different miniature works of art were produced and therefore no collection is ever complete. 

When people encounter your work or your collection for the first time, what do you want them to realise that they hadn’t seen before? 

The shear wounders of the World of Walking Canes and the artistry.  My Book is the best way to start to become a Rabologist. 

Photographer: Agata Mazur

It shows the world a time when you dressed “With a cane and Walked with a stick.” 

Anthony Moss does not see walking canes as objects to be archived. He sees them as evidence. Of status, of style, of a time when what you carried said everything about who you were. His work is grounded in preservation, but driven by something more instinctive: the need to understand and protect the meaning behind these miniature works of art.

From a childhood shaped by curiosity rather than possession, to a collection now passed down through his family, Moss’s journey is less about ownership and more about continuity. The cane, once a defining element of dress, still exists today, whether in fashion, film, or subculture, holding onto fragments of its original significance.

What remains constant is the pursuit. The knowledge that no collection is ever complete, and no history ever fully told. Through his book and his work, Moss offers an entry point into a world most have forgotten how to see.

A reminder that there was a time when people dressed with intention, and walked with something that meant it.

Website: anthony-moss.co.uk/

Book: www.amazon.co.uk