A Victorian silver beaker of 1881, the base set with an Indian Mutiny Medal,

The plain silver beaker is hallmarked Birmingham gothic g for1881 and has the maker’s mark H & T for Hilliard and Thomason. The very clean solid beaker, weighing 113 gms, 3½ ins tall tapering from the mouth from 2¼ ins to the base of 1½ins. The base is set with an Indian Mutiny medal 1857-1858 with the obverse bust of Queen Victoria on the inside and the reverse to the base. The beaker is in excellent condition, although the hallmarks are rather rubbed, probably because they are positioned where the thumb would often be in use. Britannia’s shield on the base is rubbed. This unusual re-use of a campaign medal is something we have not come across before, more usually finding medals as menu holders and recently a Mutiny in a bracelet with a Crimea.  The plain shape is one which is found in military officers’ campaign silver chests and travelling kits.    aug20/1