| Here we have an historically interesting early 20th century hand-made Chinese Export silver military prize cup initially presented in 1909 to an unnamed winner for tennis doubles at the H.R.C. (possibly Hong Racquet Club). A large cup, it is highly polished with a knopped stem and wide foot, made for Luen Wo, a retailer, in Shanghai. It was first presented by Lieutenant Harry Rowlandson Godfrey who served in the Royal Navy as Commander of the Beagle in the Dardanelles during WWI and who eventually reached Vice-Admiral in 1931 and Lieutenant Alan Dixon who became a Captain and was awarded the OBE. The cup was presented in the following year to a Mr Dunman and Mr Ray who worked for Butterfield & Swire (a Shanghai based company) and then in the next year to a Mr Lanning and Mr Shurman and finally in 1912 to Mr Lanning and Mr Gray, in both cases when working for the Standard Oil company. It is possible that the competitors in the annual H.R.C. mens' doubles tennis tournaments came from both military and commercial backgrounds. It has considerable information engraved on it which would make for an interesting research project and an excellent addition to any Chinese silver collection. My pictures show this piece in detail. If you need any more images or have any questions, I would be very happy to help, but please ask before bidding. |
| Retailer/Silversmith: | Retailer – LW: Luen Wo, being retailed from his shop at 42 Nangking Road, Shanghai. The silversmith workshop was 良生 Liang Shen. | |
| Date, Assay Office or Country: | Shanghai, China. The earliest date on the cup is 1909, but it may have been made earlier. | |
| Monogram/Crest/Inscription: |
Engraved with:
H.R.C TENNIS-HONG DOUBLES Presented by Lieut H.R. Godfrey R.N. H.M.S TEAL & Lieut Alan Dixon R.N. H.M.S. SNIPE 1909. It has three further prize engravings, each related to winners from commercial companies. | |
| Approx. Dimensions & Weight: | Diameter at rim: 5 inches (12.7 cm); Height: 10¾ inches (27.3 cm). Weight: 574 gms. | |
| Silver Purity: | Not marked, but tested as being of at least 90% purity and is probably Sterling. | |
| Condition: | Very Fine antique condition. I can find just one ding to the bowl, which is hardly visible. | |
| As a guide, I use the term ‘Very Fine’ when I think condition is better than might be expected for an item of its age. Where I think condition is commensurate with age, I use the term ‘Fine’. Condition is subjective, so please see my pictures and use your own judgement! Please remember all items have been pre-owned and used so they will show signs of this use. Any manufacturing flaws will have existed when the item was first purchased and therefore cannot be considered as a condition issue. |
| Postage: | UK: UK destinations: I tend to use Royal Mail’s ‘2nd Class Signed For service’ for UK postage but will normally use Royal Mail's ‘Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm’ service for high value items. International: I use Royal Mail’s International tracking service where possible, or eBay's GSP service. I’m happy to combine postage for multiple purchases, except for high value items, or where shipping is via GSP. | |
| Payment: | ||
| Other Charges: | Please note that for international sales there may be GSP, VAT, customs, or other local taxes charged to your purchase for which I am not responsible. | |
| Payment Response Time: | Please pay within 1 day. | |
| Packaging: | I will re-use packaging whenever I can. | |
| BIN and private sales: | I’m afraid that once I’ve listed an item for auction I will not convert it to BIN or terminate early since this would be unfair to other bidders. |