Hello from Brussels

Hi there, my name is Pierre, living in Belgium, 45. I appreciate being allowed on this site. Thanks for reading, perhaps you would like to comment on this fruitbasket? Enjoy

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https://www.thesilverforum.com/topic/112884-800-hallmarks/ :wink:

I’m not entirely sure if this is the correct manufacturer. Franz Johann was more famous for creating cigarette cases and small vessels…

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I found this wikipedia article on the Imperial Yacht Club in the Kiel Basin of interest.

I note that year, 1910, the race was won by a Yonkers carpet manufacturer, Alexander Smith Cochrane.

Second in the race was the Kaiser’s yacht, Meteor.

The newspapers at the time noted he lost to the American millionaire because his vessel was 420 tonnes to the Westward’s 500 tonnes, owned by Cochrane.

Obviously to the German nation then in an arms race with Britain to build the largest warships, size was important, but, if I maybe allowed a comment, nothing in my own admittedly limited history of maritime racing has indicated the heaviest vessel wins, in fact today the less hull in the water and the lighter, the faster.

Almost exactly six years later at the the greatest and largest naval battle of World War I, the Battle of Jutland, there was a massive clash between the British Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy in the North Sea.

It was the only full-scale confrontation of battleships, Dreadnoughts in the war, involving around 250 ships. Both sides declared a victory and the German navy stayed in port for the rest of the war.

One wonders if rivalry begun in the basin at Kiel and the massive clash between the two greatest imperial powers back then was in anyway related.

I don’t know if this trophy was awarded in that particular race that year, it seems rather a modest offering compared to say The Americas Cup but, I am grateful to the exhibitor for showing it to us and reminding us we are once again embroiled in a clash of egos between two nations.

CRWW

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Thanks for your insight, much appreciated. Perhaps the engraving wasn’t actually ‘official’ :slight_smile: It’s unlike the Kaiserliche engravements of the time, I managed to see on the net.

It’s a fun piece and am more than happy to exhibit it.

Cheers, Pierre

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I agree. The J F combined looks different. Thanks for the cool postcard

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U welcome, Pierre! :+1:

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