'Sir Winston Churchill' parcel-gilt silver Decanter and stopper and pair of cups ensuite, Mappin & Webb Ltd, London, 1973/74

In the 20 November 1974 edition of The Press and Journal, published in Aberdeen, John Hemsley gave a survey of the memorabilia just issued to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Sir Winston Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965), from 'a 10p plastic pen [to] a £2000 silver punch-bowl set from the firm of Garrard, the Crown jewellers.' Hemsley also mentioned Mappin & Webb's limited edition, which included decanters and goblets. Earlier that year, The Times in London (31 May) drew its readers' attention to Mappin's commemorative pieces: 'Garrards went modern, but Mappins has stuck to tradition. The sterling silver goblet is gilded inside, costs £95 . . . The decanter, also silver and silver-gilt, is in an edition of 100 only, sells singly or in pairs, and is decorated with the Marlborough arms (£525 each).'

Mappin's authentication certificate for the commemorative pieces in this lot are signed by their original owner, Brian Franklin, who at the time was one of the managing directors of the Mappin & Webb Ltd./Garrard companies which had been bought in 1959 by Sears Holdings.