Wonderful quality coin silver chalice or very large goblet by the well known and highly sought after Boston silversmith, Obadiah Rich. This is a large and heavy piece, of the finest quality. The chalice is beautifully hand crafted and decorated with elaborate hand chased repoussé flowers, scrolls, leaves, and butterflies on a finely stippled background. The front of the piece has an open cartouche monogrammed with SMW. The underside of the chalice is engraved “Gy SML AWL 1850”.
The chalice is hallmarked on the underside with O. Rich Fine Boston. We have tested the chalice with nitric acid and guarantee it to be coin, or 900 purity, silver. This was the standard in the United States before the Civil War.
The condition is excellent. On close inspection I found four small solder repairs, three of them are under the monogrammed cartouche. These repairs are almost impossible to notice, especially because of the repoussé design. I owned the chalice for a month before I noticed the repairs. Otherwise I can find no dents, no splits, no breaks, and no other repairs.
The goblet measures 3 ½ inches in diameter and 7 3/8 inches tall.
The weight is 232.1 grams or 8.1 ounces
