This magnificent antique Victorian, rare sterling silver coin tankard has a cylindrical rounded form onto three large ball feet.
The body and cover of this antique silver tankard are embellished with a wide variety of British coins* displayed chronologically, each labelled with their represented monarch and date of reign, including:
- Body (30)
- William I, 1066
- William II, 1087
- Henry I, 1100
- Stephen, 1135
- Henry II, 1154
- Richard I, 1189
- John, 1199
- Henry III, 1216
- Edward I, 1272
- Edward II, 1307
- Edward III 1327
- Richard II, 1377
- Henry IV, 1399
- Henry V, 1413
- Henry VI, 1422
- Edward IV, 1461
- Richard III, 1483
- Henry VII, 1485
- Henry VIII, 1509
- Edward VI, 1547
- Mary, 1553
- Elizabeth, 1558
- James I, 1603
- Charles I, 1625
- Commonwealth, 1649
- Cromwell, 1653 **
- Charles II, 1660
- James II, 1685
- William & Mary, 1689
- William III, 1695
- Cover (7)
- Anne, 1702
- George I, 1714
- George II, 1727
- George III, 1760
- George IV, 1820
- William IV, 1830
- Victoria, 1837 - Gothic Crown**
The decoration to the body incorporates a plain applied moulded border to the rim.
This Victorian tankard retains the original hinged domed cover ornamented with the aforementioned coins with elucidating inscriptions, in addition to a large and exceptional cast thumbpiece to the posterior portion, realistically modelled in the form of a lion rampant holding a shield.
The shield features the Royal coat of arms for the United Kingdom, displaying quarterly, first and fourth three lions passant guardant in pale armed and langued (for England), second quarter a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory (for Scotland), third quarter a harp stringed (for Ireland).
The interior surface of the cover is embellished with the engraved crest of a griffin sergeant; the interior surface of the cover and body are further ornamented with the reverse surface of each coin.
The hinge is decorated with ribbed pendant drop ornamentation to the upper portion of the handpiece.
This antique quart and a half* tankard is fitted with a hallmarked S scroll handle ornamented with an impressive plain heart shaped decorated terminal.
The underside of the tankard features the engraved inscription 'This tankard weighting oz 37. was made to receive 37 coins of English history'.
* This array of British coins unmounted would have a higher value than the represented price.
** The most valuable of the range is the Oliver Cromwell half- crown and the Gothic crown. In 1847 only 8000 Gothic crowns were used and it can be considered to be one of the rarest coins in the world. Cromwell coins, displaying the effigy of Oliver Cromwell, are one of the only British coins to not feature the portrait of a monarch on the obverse. They also utilised a new coin press technique during the Commonwealth, opposed to the hammered coins, with the intention to liming forger; this is evident in the coins detailed features.
*** 1.5 Imperial quart = 3 pints / 1.7 litres
Read a brief history of antique silver tankards
