E. & D. Kinsey Silver Mint Julep Cups, ca. 1850
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GUEST:
These are silver mint julep cups that were handed down to me, and they go back about seven generations in my family to, we believe, to Colonel and General James Taylor who helped settle Newport, Kentucky, which is the other side of the river from Cincinnati. And we think they were made in Cincinnati, we're not positive.
APPRAISER:
This is what you have to see when you come to Churchill Downs.
GUEST:
Yeah, we thought there was nothing more appropriate to bring up here.
APPRAISER:
We looked at the underside of these, so we know the maker's mark.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Which is the E. & D. Kinsey. E stands for Edward, he was the older brother. And he was actually from Wales. And we know that he was in Newport in the 1830s.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And at some point, his brother David, the D of E. & D. Kinsey, came along, and based on the style of the mark, we know that that was used between 1844 and 1861. And it's interesting that you say that they're made in Cincinnati. Which is great, because they are commonly affiliated with, with Newport, Kentucky.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
However, there actually is no indication that they actually made any silver in Newport. Mint julep is an interesting thing in and of itself. It, we know historically that there were references in the 18th century to some sort of drink called the julep.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
That was intended to sort of be a medicinal draft that used mint to help soothe your tummy. The mint julep evolved to being introduced more to high society through people like Senator Clay of Kentucky in Washington.
GUEST:
Interesting.
APPRAISER:
And then, in 1938, it was unveiled and became the drink of Churchill Downs.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And so, classic shape that you want to see in a mint julep cup. These guys are sort of a little bit later than the ideal julep collector may want.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The upside is, they have this cool Taylor family provenance.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
The pair together at auction, you could probably be looking in the $1,500 to $2,000 range.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
These are wonderful examples made, if not in Kentucky, pretty darn close...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
...to a family that was in and around Kentucky, for the drink of Churchill Downs. It's, it's pretty amazing.
GUEST:
That's great-- I'm glad we brought them in.
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