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 A simple hall-marked Edwardian Silver Trophy Cup of the early 20th.C bearing engraving and a shield applied competition base has an interesting underlying story to tell. It is 11.5" (29cms) tall, increasing to 14.5"(37cms) when surmounted on its ebonised base. It has two rows of engraved shields, testament to the winning teams who disputed possession of it between 1906 & 1934. However, before the story is revealed, an explanation of the development and production of the ‘trophy cup’ might be of relevant interest together with a short account of how this particular one was made.   They evolved from the ‘ox-eye’ or two handled college cups of the 17th Century [1].
Upon the advent of glass to replace silver as a drinking vessel, at the turn of the 17th & 18th centuries, they started to develop only as presentation or display pieces. A noticeable increase in size became apparent and they were less functional and more decorative. By 1715 the body was taller and the handles often had an extra scroll at the top. This feature is particularly following the Huguenot tradition[2], as the subject of illustration and examination here. Paul de Lamerie was the leading craftsman, pictured here from a painting in Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Interestingly the trophy is further stylised by a technique introduced by Huguenots’ when they came to Britain to escape the effect of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.[3] The technique is known as cut and card[4], whereby a decorative shape is cut from silver sheet or ‘card’ and soldered into position where required. In the illustrated example, this follows the old technique but it is ‘cast and applied’ decoration rather than ‘cut’ and is separately soldered to the body[5]. These upright designs not only form an integral design feature but were applied by Huguenots’ to support and strengthen the object as well. The stylisation on this particular trophy has been further demonstrated by the use of a spun girdle and band around the upper section, another early 18thC strengthening technique used by them for vessels of this shape.The machine process of spinning on a lathe and the annealing technique has made the actual main body of this cup. This technique originated from the common method of sinking & raising[6], which was done by hand in wooden moulds and sand bags. The modern process briefly is that the silver is annealed to prevent alteration to the crystalline structure during spinning. A disc of greased silver is slotted onto the spindle of a lathe. The ‘spinner’ then braces his forming tool underarm and against a vertical peg. It’s rounded face  strokes the revolving disc and forms the silver into a receiving bowl shape, with much annealing[7] during the process. The base of this cup was similarly made and then soldered to the body to raise it to a turned pedestal base effect. The lid is similarly pressed and annealed. The technique of spinning can be detected by the fact that the cup has no seam and the spinning marks are visible inside the cup by horizontal lines running around the inside of it. Perhaps it may be suggested that the actual history of the cup is more interesting & relevant to consideration of it as an interesting and valuable decorative silver article than the actual relatively modern technique employed to make it. The engraving however is what leads the reader of the inscriptions on to discovery and realisation of its past importance.  The trophy cup inscribed and known as ‘The Lady Henry Cricket Challenge Cup’[8] was made in Sheffield by Harrison Brothers and Howson, but sent to the London assay offices to be hallmarked in 1906, as it was felt more appropriate to bear a London mark as the client purchasing it was London based at Scotland Yard, Westminster. In fact, it was a commission by the Metropolitan Police as a trophy to be presented to the winning division in a yearly knockout cricket competition to be played amongst police teams. The then installed current Commissioner of the Metropolis, who had been appointed in 1903, was Sir Edward Richard Henry B.T. GCVO. CSI. (b. 1850). His wife, whom he had met and married in India, was Louisa Langrishe Moore. It was decided to name the cup after her as an appropriate gesture of etiquette at the time.Sir Edward Henry was famous for pioneering, and later the introduction of his classification system of fingerprint filing, searching & tracing. It had been developed by him in India and recognised worldwide. In 1901 it was taken into general use at Scotland Yard[9]. He was later knighted for his work in 1906 and this cup was thought to be a suitable tribute for the men to mark Sir Edwards high honour that year.
 From inception of the cricket competition, the trophy was played for, on a knockout basis, in similar fashion to the F.A. Cup, every year until 1934. The final year of competition was terminated with an outright winner retaining the trophy[10]. It was won by ‘S’ Division, which was a North London Divisional police area bounded by Golders Green & Cricklewood to the south, Hendon and Edgware to the west, Finchley and Barnet to the east and Borehamwood & Potters Bar to the’Mets’ northern perimeter with the Hertfordshire Constabulary.The subsequent demise of its importance seems to coincide with many historical factors, primarily being the advent of World War II and the restructuring of New Scotland Yard and its Metropolitan Police Boundaries. The cup apparently remained on display but un-cherished in an old police sports trophy cabinet in the grounds of the Police Training School at Hendon, & later in a new sports club in Bushey, Hertfordshire. On refurbishment of the latter sports club following a fire in the early 1990’s, the cup found its way into a provincial auction for disposal, but was spotted by a former New Scotland Yard Detective and rescued for posterity. It is interesting in sequel to the story of the demise from notoriety of the man himself, whose wife had initially given her name to the cup.  In 1901 Henry, had been appointed Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department. In July he was instrumental in setting up the first fingerprint bureau and introducing his world renowned ‘Henry Classification System’ of fingerprint identification. This system was based on Sir Francis Galton’s observations and means of Identification by ridge characteristics[11].Henry’s system is still in use today in every English speaking country of the world. However his career was to take a sad turn in 1918, when he resigned as a result of the first and only ever strike by London Police, which had lasted 44 hours over pay and conditions of service. Upon his resignation, he moved from London to Ascot, Berkshire & drifted into relative obscurity and on 9th February 1931, Henry died from a heart attack. 
His grave lay unattended for many years. Over sixty years later in April 1992, a Metropolitan Police Fingerprint Officer located the family grave in a cemetery adjoining All Souls’ Church, South Ascot. The Fingerprint Society launched an International appeal in 1994 to renovate the grave and restore the site of Sir Edward and Lady Henry’s final resting place[12]. She had been interred in the family plot on her demise in 1941. It was felt fitting and long overdue that the world-renowned Branch he had formed at Scotland Yard in 1901 should pay a small tribute to the man who was pivotal to their creation and the pioneer of fingerprinting identification. The cup itself, currently still remains in the hands of the retired New Scotland Yard CID Officer, who had originally found, recognised and purchased it at auction[13].This story that touches upon diverse subjects apparently unconnected with the stylistic appraisal of a silver item, illustrates however, the importance of research and provenance[14], not only on silver, but all evaluated articles. This particular trophy could easily have been regarded as just another relatively unimportant bygone engraved silver trophy cup. However research gives it intrinsic value and historical entity too. Not only as an interesting sporting trophy, but also as a memorial, in this case, to the pioneer of scientific fingerprint identification and the Fingerprint Branch of New Scotland Yard. Now, not merely weighing in at an uninteresting 40 Troy ounces of 925 Sterling Silver at approximately £2.50 per ounce[15], but becoming an item perhaps to be sought for collection.  Its interest is not only as sporting memorabilia, but also in its historical scientific crime detection connotation. The chronicle of the man and his system and the scientific based investigative branch of the police he helped to form are all symbolically commemorated by the existence of this trophy cup[16]. In any case certainly, one would contend, it is more valuable now, as a consequence of this researched provenance, than a mere £120 ‘scrap value’ or ‘melt down’ price. With interest currently prevailing in the niche collectors markets, one could expect it to climb, at a Collectors auction, to a six-fold figure or even considerably more in excess of the originally quoted base commodity amount.
Stylistic comparison to a Paul de Lamerie Cup & Cover, circa 1714 (right) in the Gilbert Collection at Somerset House, London.
With gratitude for active encouragement to: Matthew Denney, Senior Lecturer, Southampton Institute, Fine Art Valuation, Antiques (History & Collecting) Degrees. © Mike W. Bucknole, November 2001. All rights protected. [1]Mentioned in Ian Pickfords’ volume ‘Antique Silver’
p. 114, see Bibliography.
[2] Illustrated -the great Huguenot Silversmith, Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751) who came to work in London- Portait painting now in the ‘Silver Gallery.’Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
[3]Withdrawal by Louis XIV of the rights of French
Protestants.
[4] Full technique described pp. 160-161, ‘Antiques-techniques
of master craftsmen’- see Bibliography.
[5] See description of this process p. 38- Ian Pick fords ‘Antique
Silver’ listing at bibliography.
[6] Described pp. 144-145, Elizabeth Drurys’ volume ‘Antiques’-
see Bibliography.
[7] Annealing-the process of heating silver in an oven to
make it more malleable to enable it to be ‘worked’ into the desired shape.
[8]The title as engraved on the lip face and the silver
shield encrusted base.
[9] Metropolitan Police archive and record material, London, 2001.
[10] Engraved plates on trophy stand give details of all winning teams during the period of competition.
[11] Numbering of identical patterns of arches, loops and whirls etc. in the fingerprint.
[12] Inscription
in black Carrera Marble at foot of Celtic Cross reads "Restored by the Fingerprint Society in 1994 in recognition of Sir Edward Henrys pioneering work in Fingerprint Science".
[13] Thomas Wm. Gaze & Son, Diss, East Anglia, September, 1994
[14] French words from the Latin-meaning origin or place of origin, in antique terms-to prove or determine source etc.
[15]The scrap or melt down silver price fix at Bloomstein’s of Brighton in November 2001, as appears in the antique Trades Gazette, weekly for 925 Sterling Hall marked Silver.
[16] Historical background facts of Sir Henry and his memorial recorded in ‘Fingerprint centenary: Sir Edward Henry’ (1850-1931) at worldwide web address:
www.met.police.uk/so/100years/henry.htm
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