Toby Wilson
Head of Department
LOT 121 †
A Rolls-Royce sterling silver ashtray by Sebastian Garrard & Co, presented as a Christmas gift for 1926,
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Lot 121†
A Rolls-Royce sterling silver ashtray by Sebastian Garrard & Co, presented as a Christmas gift for 1926,
The December Sale Collector's Motor Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia|7 December 2016, 11:00 GMT|London, Olympia
A Rolls-Royce sterling silver ashtray by Sebastian Garrard & Co, presented as a Christmas gift for 1926,
hallmarked to underside of base, with central miniature Spirit of Ecstasy figure after the original design by Charles Sykes, 15cm diameter.
Footnotes
The Spirit of Ecstasy mascot has now adorned Rolls-Royce automobiles for over 105 years and is one of the world's most readily identified images. In 1926, following the successful introduction of their New Phantom model (later known as the Phantom I), the Directors of Rolls-Royce Motors decided to commission a Christmas gift, to be produced in a small quantity. The first piece in question for 1926 was the cigar ashtray of conventional circular form, surmounted by a reduced size Spirit of Ecstasy, the whole in Sterling silver, an example of which is offered here. A small number of these ashtrays were presented by Rolls-Royce as Christmas gifts that year. The fortunate recipients of the ashtray were evidently highly delighted with their gifts, and Rolls-Royce decided to commission another piece - a desk clock - for presentation the following year. This, too, was very well received, and so the 'tradition' of commissioning a different piece each year evolved, to build a full 'desk-set' comprising:
1926 ashtray, 1927 desk clock, 1928 cigarette box, 1929 inkwell, 1930 bon-bon dish, 1931 (no gifts were issued in 1931 due to the acquisition of Bentley Motors and financial recession), 1932 ink blotter, 1933 desk barometer, 1934 desk lighter, 1935 salver, 1936 rose bowl and 1937 bookends.
Recipients of the gifts included Clyde Automobiles of Glasgow, Watson of Liverpool, Cockshoot of Manchester, Rippon Bros of Huddersfield, Car Mart of London, Roltes of Maidstone and Croal of Edinburgh.
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| † | Taxable |
| VAT at the prevailing rate on Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium. |