Super trophy is a cup to Marvel at!
A VICTORIAN sporting trophy that came within an ace of ending up in a silversmith’s melting pot is amongst the treasures that we are putting under the hammer in an Antiques Auction next week. A cup awarded for bicycle racing in late 19th century Leicester hardly sounds the stuff of dreams but the Marvel Challenge Cup takes us back to a time when the sporting scene was incomparably different to today. The Football League was just a few years old and whilst some of the games attracted a few thousand spectators (the average First Division attendance in the 1894-95 season was 7,000) the numbers were nothing like the crowds that flocked to watch top cycle racing. Leicester was one of the recognised national centres for bicycle racing and whilst the city was attracting huge crowds s to events such as the first indoor track World orld Championship, the city’s football club Leicester Fosse (later to become Leicester City) was a Midland League club attracting just a handful of spectators to most of its games.
I cannot resist digressing for a moment: Leicester did eventually make it into the Football League in 1894. Their very first game was against Grimsby Town away. They got thumped 4-3.
But back to our Marvel Challenge Cup. The trophy was made by the Birmingham silversmiths Hilliard & Thomason and is hallmarked 1893. It was presented to the competition organiser by Mr. H.R. Crease and inscriptions record that it was won by the Leicester Bicycle Club in 1894 and 95, followed by the Leicester A & C Club and the Leicestershire A & C Club. It is an impressive thing. The trophy stands just over 12 inches (31 cms) tall and weights 27 ounces, which was very nearly its downfall. The owner was about to sell it for scrap but fortunately he took our advice that it was too interesting to melt down. We expect it to make £500-£700 when it goes under the hammer in the auction next Friday (11th). The Victorians really did love their competitions and it wasn’t just sport. They had competitions for the most extraordinary range of interests and they really did push the boat out when it came to prizes and trophies.
Another entry in the silver section of this auction is the medal awarded to Miss Watts at the 1866 Eisteddfod in Abergele for ‘Best Antimacassar’. That such a festival should have a competition class for the cloths made to protect the backs or arms of chairs to prevent the soiling of the fabric is surely surprising enough. That the victorious Miss Watts should be awarded a medal weighing an ounce of silver, created by the Birmingham smith George Unite, seems today quite amazing.
The best of the auction’s paintings include an atmospheric view of Whitby harbour in the moonlight by the highly regarded marine artist Jack Rigg. The subject is one that Rigg painted many times, sometimes with visiting Grimsby vessels in the scene, but this time the fishing boat that is the centre of interest is one of Whitby’s own fleet. Nice picture though and likely to make £400-£600.
Like all Christmas auctions the sale has an interesting jewellery section that ranges across everything from earrings, brooches and bangles to a selection of very nice rings including some serious diamonds. Values range from around £50 up to £11,000 (a platinum French Art Deco ring with a 2.75 carat diamond).
The auction extends to 380 lots. The catalogue is available on the Internet (www.spicersauctioneers. com). We are operating in line with government guidelines: The viewing sessions are Monday to Thursday 10am-5pm and are by appointment and subject to PPE - as is attendance at the auction on Friday. The sale is of course live (with bidding) on the Internet via thesaleroom.com and easyliveauctions.com.