I am not particularly familiar with sword canes. They don't look like they came from the forbidden palace though. They don't even look like they are the same age. One is much nicer than the other with a darker patina. It looks like one is cast from the other considering the loss of detail.
It would be interesting to see if the blades also show the same difference in quality. I have seen a few gundao (sword stick) with nice blades.
It is possible that the date for the older one is the one your friend mentioned, but if I had to guess I would say 1900-1930 with the other a later copy. Your friend probably made a good translation, but you can't believe everything you read
I certainly recognize the god of longevity.
Do you know anything about where they came from?
Josh