A recent Ebay purchase from a top bloke (takethackray111 aka Byron Mortimer) who perhaps has a little “more time” to acquire quality items!:-
‘Chess history – A fine silver chess trophy – hallmarked for Birmingham 1924/5 with makers mark for Vaughton and Sons, with an additional 6 silver shields on the base representing the winners for the years 1925-30. The trophy itself is in the form of a knight’s head (closely modelled on British Chess Company knight (c1895), and is 10cm tall, sitting on an original wooden base of 6.5cm height; the silver trophy bears the inscription “The Board of Eduction Chess Club Championship Trophy presented by W.R. Davies Esq., C.B. After 1930 it would appear that the trophy became dormant, but in 1958 it was resurrected, and a further base added which bears the inscription The Ministry of Education Chess Club, along with the names of winners from 1958-1990. The overall height of the trophy including both bases is 24cm approximately.
The names of the winners are (some severally), BNH Stronach, F Dark, ET Jesty; Dr HR Calvert, EE Croker, RC Pentecost, GC Kitts, JS Clarke, RCA Lee-Pentecost, KJ Seal, NH Twitchell, S Preston’
I have bought a couple of items from Byron, and it has been a real pleasure to deal with him. So why buy a trophy you may ask? Well, in the football world there are quite a few BAT (Buy a Trophy) fans, but this beauty was far too nice to pass up. Having reflected on my over the board failures in both the Irish and the Scottish chess worlds, I have bugger all to boast about, so I can console myself with this lovely item – a class collectable.
Some of the MT (Modern Trash) being offered to winners today is so hideous that even the serpents of
old would recoil at their sheer ugliness – today even winners of chess prizes are presented FLOWERS, what a load of bull! – they die, then what? This lovely trophy could very well end up as a treasure to keep my ashes in as my beloved wife Pauline has helpfully suggested ……..
Trying to attribute this trophy to BCC is difficult when the knight is compared to a Xylonite horse with
careful study, but no matter, as quality lasts but a false claim is not for this collector!
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