Burnell and Rowe

Description

Here we have a very fine Edwardian Sterling Silver Mounted Hip Flask in the Arts & Crafts style. The glass flask has a leather jacket around the upper half and a removable planished drinking cup with a gilt interior on the lower half. The domed silver lid is also planished and has a bayonet style twist lock. There are no initials or personalisation of any kind.

The hip flask was made in Sheffield by G & J.W Hawksley, one of the very best hip flask makers, and dates to 1901, the first year of the Edwardian era. It was retailed by J.W. May of Harrogate.

Brothers George and John W Hawksley founded their firm in Sheffield in about 1840. They specialised in powder flasks and horns, shot pouches and belts, whistles, dram bottles (hip flasks) and other accessories for shooting trips. In the 1850s they began silver plating and registered their first silver mark at the Sheffield assay office. The firm was briefly sold in 1866 but returned to the Hawksley family the following year and was eventually purchased by James Dixon & Sons after WW2.

Condition is extremely good, with just a very slight flattening to the top of the domed lid, no chips or cracks in the glass and just the minimal superficial surface wear that you would expect after over 120 years of good service in the field. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

The hip flask is 11.9cm / 4.7ins high, 7cm / 2.7ins wide and 2.6cm / 1in deep. The removable cup by itself weighs in at a very respectable 51.6g / 1.8oz of solid Sterling Silver and overall the flask weighs 192.5g / 6.8oz.

The hallmarks, on the side of the cup and on the collar, are nice and clear to read. They show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, the crown assay mark for Sheffield, the date letter i for 1901 and the distinctive G & J W.H in a shield makers' mark for G & J.W Hawksley. The underside of the cup has the retail stamp for J.W. May of Harrogate.

Shipping in the UK is £10 by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which includes cover for the value of the hip flask.
Overseas customers, please ask us about shipping costs to your country before making a purchase.