Tray, Serving

Object Name:

Tray, Serving

Object ID:

1992.032.01

Creator:

Concord Silversmiths -- Silversmith

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

1935

Description:

Tray, or Waiter, one of a six-piece sterling silver tea set (1992.32.1-.6). Tray is oval, and has two cut-away handles. Flat bottom, with slightly flared brim. Rolled rim, with stamped decorative border (upside down arches) below the rim. Each piece in the set has a series of four marks constituting the maker's mark: 1) three stamped shields, including "C", "S", and a profile figure between, 2) stamped "STERLING" in upper-case roman letters, in this case double-struck, 3) code number, in this case "70-12 / 21 IN" in upper-case sans-serif letters, and 4) "GRAYLOCK" stamped in upper-case sans-serif letters. Each piece engraved in black lettering, "R". Tray (waiter) engraved, "PRESENTED TO / Robert Abial Rolfe. / N.Y. YANKEE 3rd BASEMAN / BY FRIENDS AND ADMIRERS / OF CONCORD AND PENACOOK, N.H. / FENWAY PARK, BOSTON, MASS / JUNE 9, 1935". Gift includes advertisement sheet with photograph of set and descriptions of each piece.

Material:

Metal
Silver

Dimensions:

H-0.8 W-14.75 L-21 inches

Provenance:

Presented to Red Rolfe (1908-1969) in 1935 at Fenway Park in Boston, MA, by the citizens of Concord and Penacook, NH. Rolfe was a native of Penacook and signed with the New York Yankees in 1931. A third baseman who hit over .300 four times in his career, he went to six World Series and played for nine years. He later managed the Detroit Tigers. Concord and Penacook raised $300 for the tea set. "The silver service which will be presented to Rolfe tomorrow, just before the game, by Secretary of State Enoch D. Fuller, on behalf of Rolfe's many admirers back home, will be on display at Pickett and Stuart's jewelry store this afternoon and evening." ($300 Raised for Gift to 'Red' Rolfe, newspaper article).
Set donated to NHHS by Red Rolfe's widow, Isabel Africa Rolfe (1907-1998).

Credit Line:

Gift of Isabel A. Rolfe

People:

Rolfe, Robert Abial "Red" (1908-1969), Fuller, Enoch D.

Subjects:

Baseball players