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Antique Questions Forum / Re: Looking to add to collection of 19th (hopefully some 18th) century tipstaves.
« on: December 22, 2017, 02:46:44 pm »
Ipcress: Thanks! Yeah, I'm a Saleroom member. That's where I've procured most of my lots over the last four years. I've also learned to look for 'staff' or 'stave' when tipstaves or truncheons are mentioned, as often collectors have many varieties and they get listed differently. With the latest Canterbury Auction gallery, I recognized it was a collectors' series and dug out most of the manorial staves I'd missed last year.
It's just once in a while, something will come up from a dealer, like the Magistrate's staff I picked up this summer from someone whose family had found it at an antique fair. I'm also almost on my own now on the subject of Scottish staves, since both Mervyn Mitton and John Green have passed away. I have elements from both their collections in mine now and I need to learn so much more.
I realize I haven't shown off one piece in my collection yet, because it was part of an earlier display, discarded in favour of later pictures.
This is an Edinburgh High Constable's Tipstaff. Ebony and Silver-capped, about 5 inches long, seen here with my Perthshire High Constable's staff for comparison. The George III coat of arms on one cap, with the Edinburgh coat of arms on the other. One cap is inscribed "Instituted 1698" around the rim, the other "E.H.C. No. 114", which is the constable's number. I've seen numbers 230 and 129 come up for sale before, and Mervyn had about four in his collection at one point.
The ebony and silver tipstaves can be found for Glasgow and Holyrood House (the Queen's Scottish residence), and come in many varieties.
It's just once in a while, something will come up from a dealer, like the Magistrate's staff I picked up this summer from someone whose family had found it at an antique fair. I'm also almost on my own now on the subject of Scottish staves, since both Mervyn Mitton and John Green have passed away. I have elements from both their collections in mine now and I need to learn so much more.
I realize I haven't shown off one piece in my collection yet, because it was part of an earlier display, discarded in favour of later pictures.
This is an Edinburgh High Constable's Tipstaff. Ebony and Silver-capped, about 5 inches long, seen here with my Perthshire High Constable's staff for comparison. The George III coat of arms on one cap, with the Edinburgh coat of arms on the other. One cap is inscribed "Instituted 1698" around the rim, the other "E.H.C. No. 114", which is the constable's number. I've seen numbers 230 and 129 come up for sale before, and Mervyn had about four in his collection at one point.
The ebony and silver tipstaves can be found for Glasgow and Holyrood House (the Queen's Scottish residence), and come in many varieties.