1925 Gorham Sterling Silver Golf Trophy
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GUEST:
It was given to my grandfather. Because he won it so many times-- his name is there, there, there-- that when Fox Hills Golf Club closed down...
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, right.
GUEST:
...for whatever reason, I don't know why, they gave it to him.
APPRAISER:
Wow.
GUEST:
So he then gave it to my father, and my father gave it to me.
APPRAISER:
So, he's quite the golfer, then?
GUEST:
Yes, he is.
APPRAISER:
Because we can see here that it is the Fox Hills Golf Club championship trophy.
GUEST:
Yes... His name is three times.
APPRAISER:
Yes. And what was his name?
GUEST:
J.C. McRoberts.
APPRAISER:
Okay. It was first given in 1926, I can see. And then the last time was in 1934, when he won it for the third time.
GUEST:
Yup.
APPRAISER:
Oftentimes with these sorts of trophies, if you win it three times, you get awarded it. But I haven't managed to really... Because the golf club's not around anymore...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...it's difficult to be able to really tie the history together. But it's a beautiful large trophy, and it's, it's very typical of large-scale presentation trophies of this period.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It was made by Gorham. With the exception possibly of Tiffany, Gorham are the most famous American silver-making company. They're based in Providence, Rhode Island. Gorham was started in 1831. The company went through various iterations. Their heyday was between 1870 and 1940. This trophy was made in 1925. This is 20-and-a-half inches tall, uh, 'cause it says so underneath. And it's very clean, very elegant. It has oak leaves on the terminals of the handles here. You see the acorns and the oak leaves. It's got a plain back. Wonderful foliate motifs around the rim, as well, and a laurel band around the foot, and again, a laurel band is a very sort of presentational motif, isn't it? To wear the laurel wreath as a champion. Any idea of value?
GUEST:
Honestly, n, n, none, not a clue.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
$500? $1,000?
APPRAISER:
Well, it is sterling silver, and you're looking at something which is, is pretty sizeable. So just the material value itself is going to be worth quite a bit. What you said, I think that's, uh, we can definitely beat that. I would say at auction, this would fetch somewhere between $6,000 and $8,000.
GUEST:
(inhales sharply): Ooh. (laughing)
APPRAISER:
If you can make a little bit more...
GUEST:
Whoo!
APPRAISER:
...of the club or whatnot, find out if they have any existing members or anything like that, you can maybe add a little bit more.
GUEST:
I'm not going to sell it.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, no, well done. For insurance purposes, I would put $10,000 on it.
GUEST:
Ooh. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
It's a lovely thing. And Gorham are a fantastic maker. It's, it's a great one.
GUEST:
Oh, I'm so happy.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
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