posted 12-22-2016 02:58 PM            

You were all so helpful last time I thought I might try again!

I have found a very unusual trophy cup from 1854 with the name Batterson impressed on the bottom a giant letter E and three unusual hallmarks A G & S in an oval, a round Hallmark which is completely illegible, and a diamond shape with the numbers 1528 in it. I am not sure if the cup was retailed by Batterson nor am I sure which Batterson in Hartford is this? The cup is engraved saying "Hartford Co. Agricultural Society to mifs E minor for superior horsemanship 1854".

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[snip please properly post images. This time we did it for you.]

Thanks so much, sorry about that!

[This message has been edited by Japspan (edited 12-22-2016).]

posted 12-22-2016 06:58 PM            

Silver beakers, cups and even water pitchers were given to the "best of" something. Your cup was for best horsemanship, but other categories would have been set up also for things related to agricultural endeavors. These awards did continue after the civil war, however most the ones I have seen date from before the war.

If you do an image search for "antique silver premiums by state agricultural societies" you will see more examples.

The large letter E most likely means something, but I do not know what. It may have been the initial of the actual silversmith that made the cup as sometimes the person doing the work wanted credit for his work or the owner of the company wanted to keep track of who was doing the work. Each silversmith would have been assigned his or her own mark to use on finished goods.