After being used, among other things, as a wine cooler, a Victorian royal presentation vase and horse racing trophy known as “Her Majesty’s Vase” was sold for nearly $53,000 (40,000 pounds) on March 6, 2022. Lost for more than 177 years, the vase was commissioned by Queen Victoria and produced especially for the Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall races in 1845 by the silversmith John Samuel Hunt (1785–1865) who traded with another great silversmith, Paul Storr (1770–1844). The vase was last seen when it was presented in 1845 at the races as a gift from Her Majesty the Queen to the owner of the winning horse. It stayed with the family of the owner of the winning horse, Sir John Barker-Mill, 1st Baronet (1803–1860), and its significance and history was lost to his descendants. The vase and stand had become separated. The vase was rediscovered in the family home. The stand was recently discarded in an outbuilding. Research confirmed what it was. Chiswick Auctions sold to a UK buyer.
Photo: Chiswick Auctions