Mystery Football Trophy Hallmarks

[boshter]

Hi there! I have a stunning 3ft high football trophy, dated 1901, which was made in Sheffield, UK. I need confirmation of its manufacturer please.
The hallmark on the cup is: HW - crown - lion and lower case 'i'
The hallmark on the base is: WC - h - lion and what looks like a leopard.
There is 10.5lb of silver in the cup.

[Granmaa]

The piece is quite spectacular.
The mark on the cup is probably that of Harry Wigfull.
The stand is 1903 London, but I don't think it's William Comyns.
I'll keep researching.

Miles

[boshter]

Thanks, I appreciate your help with this Miles. My concern is a gentleman called David Sier from the Sheffield Museum, who I spoke to in October 1996, believes the trophy could have been manufactured by Henry Wilkinson, of Howard Street, Sheffield. The premises are no longer there of course. So, if you able to confirm it is Henry Wigful, I will be most grateful. I looked for Google info on Wigful but couldn't find much at all. William Comyns was a die-stamper and doing really well by 1903. I see he expanded his business the year the blackwood base was made, by taking over three adjacent properties.
Richard

[Granmaa]

I don't think Henry Wilkinson is so likely. The mark of his I have (pictured) has &co beneath it; this mark is from 1889, so it's possible he may have changed it back, but unlikely. Someone else may know more about his marks

Miles

[boshter]

I tend to agree with you Miles. I noticed Wilkinson did in fact put an '& Co' underneath H.W, no doubt to differentiate himself from Wigful. The plot thickens! I'll wait for a few days to see if anyone else responds. Richard.

[boshter]

Hi Miles
Further to the mystery of the trophy's maker. I think we can safely eliminate Wilkinson as the manufacturer because he apparently went out of business before 1901. It looks very likely Wigfull did in fact assist in the production of the trophy, but was it as 'Lee and Wigfull' or just 'Harry Wigfull'? Do you have any info on the Lee and Wigfull business and if it was in operation around the time of the cup being made? As you can understand, because this info is going into a book, it needs to be as exact as possible. That's why I'm being pedantic. It appears Comyns did make the blackwood base too. Regards Richard

[Granmaa]

Richard,

I should think your right: Lee and Wigfull sounds more likely. Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks (p.446) says that Lee and Wigfull started in 1879, so it's likely that they seperated after your trophy was made. Of course, I don't have any literature to validate this, and I don't know what book to recommend. Does anyone else have any ideas?

Miles

[2209patrick]

I think you are correct in saying the mark on your trophy is that of George Shadford Lee & Henry Wigfull. I've seen pieces with their mark dated to 1930. Can't find much info on them. Here's a picture of their mark dated 1926:



Pat.

[georgiansilver]

I just love it when people use knowledge and logic to work things out..I have been doing that for years and can relate to others who do.
Best wishes, Mike.