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SET OF FOUR PEWTER TANKARDS w/ GLASS BOTTOMS –
EACH ENGRAVED WITH THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES:
This unique set of four pewter tankards, each bearing
the Great Seal of the United States, would be a
finishing touch to an evening as you entertain a group
of friends gathered to enjoy your collection.
Each tankard is finely engraved on one side with the
Great Seal of the United States. Made of pewter with a
soft polished finish, and measuring 5” tall, 3 ¼” in
diameter at the top and 4” in diameter at the bottom,
the tankards have a classic 18th Century
Colonial style and each is fitted with a clear glass
bottom, in the same manner as the early tavern vessels.
As the story goes, “press gangs” would haunt the
taverns, public houses, and inns of England and her
colonies, looking for new recruits for the army and
navy. One of the methods they used was to
surreptitiously slip a coin into the tankard of ale of
an unsuspecting prospect and once the poor fellow had
drained his measure and discovered the coin, the press
gang would declare he had taken the “king’s shilling”
and therefore had agreed, or was obligated, to fulfill
his obligation with an enlistment, at which point the
poor fellow was hauled away to his fate.
As you can imagine, this sort of subterfuge made the
patrons wary of the taverns and significantly cut into
the business volume of the proprietors. Since the
concern was that a coin could be secreted in the bottom
of the customer's drink, some creative soul came up with
the glass bottomed tankard that would reveal the coin on
inspection, and upon discovery, the man could quietly
set the tankard down and walk away without incurring any
debt to the crown. This clever idea survived in
practice through the early years of the United States,
long after British press gangs were no longer a threat
to the revelers.
All four tankards are in excellent condition, in full
form with no damage or signs of significant wear and all
four glass bottoms are intact.
This is nice set that would display very well with a
collection of US arms, and would serve as a mark of
distinction when you host your visitors. $200
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