1983 & 1988 Tiffany & Co. English Stirrup Cups
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APPRAISER:
What did you bring me?
GUEST:
Well, they're two silver hare's head stirrup cups. If you pick them up and hold them by the ears, as it were, they are a cup-- you can drink out of them. They were designed to be passed around at a hunt meet and allow the mounted followers to have a, a bit of brandy or port before the hounds moved off.
APPRAISER:
That looks like a pretty big shot to take just before you go out.
GUEST:
I suspect they were designed to be passed from person to person and not, not a single-person dose.
APPRAISER:
I think they'd be falling off the horse.
GUEST:
I think so. I would have been. (laughing)
APPRAISER:
They're both made by Tiffany and Company, and one of these has a Tiffany and Company mark here. They both actually have the "T. and Co." mark, but the other marks, right here, you have a date letter, and the other mark that you have here is a leopard's head. And that's the city mark for London. So here we have a date, we have the city of London. And this lion here is probably the most important mark, which says that it's the sterling standard. So it's something that you would find on all English cups of this size. And it's interesting, I went in search of these models. The date for one is 1983, and another one is 1988. So they're quite recent.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
But it's interesting to note that, that I found a Wedgwood and Bentley pair of black basalt cups that are identical that were from 1780.
GUEST:
Interesting.
APPRAISER:
So it's that "everything old is new again" sort of thing.
GUEST:
(laughs) Yes.
APPRAISER:
Any idea of what they might be worth?
GUEST:
No-- I mean, I remember what I paid for them...
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
but I have no... I paid $1,400 for that one, and $1,200 for this one.
APPRAISER:
I think you did well, because in today's market, for insurance, I would insure these at $9,000 for the pair.
GUEST:
Okay. Thank you.
APPRAISER:
They are so cute.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
You almost want to bite their heads off, if they weren't just heads anyway.
GUEST:
That's right.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
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