POLO. An interesting silver polo tournament souvenir from 1922

Polo was introduced into England by British officers returning from India in the late 19th century. This matchbox holder was made in Birmingham and is hall marked for 1921 by S Blankensee & Son Ltd. The upper side has been engraved with the interesting commemorative inscription Cheltenham Polo Club American Handicap Tournament June 1922. It measures approx 2½ x 1½ x ¾ ins and is unusually sturdy for this sort of item, weighing 40gms.

 Polo is still played in Gloucestershire with tournaments at Cirencester and at the Beaufort Polo Club.  An ideal item to grace your table for lighting the candles at a post polo match dinner.