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Old 10-28-2014, 10:13 AM
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CarltonHendricks CarltonHendricks is offline
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Default c1882 Harvard vs. Yale Sterling Boat Race Trophy P/U

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In Custody

If it's not too sac-religious on Day 6 of the World Series...Here's a rowing trophy I picked up recently...

I see a lot of trophies...and a lot of Harvard Yale stuff...and a lot of rowing trophies...cups, tankards and all...a lot from later like the turn of the century and the 20's and so on...most are ho-hum...But I don't ever recall a Harvard Yale trophy this early for the varsity crews..1882...

It's a subtle little thing...not big and ornate the way I like my trophies...only 5 3/4" tall...but the relief of the oarsman and the engraving are very fine with crisp definition...I like that it gives Chalfant's position in the boat as No. 7...and their time for the race...If I'm not mistaken I think in my quick cursory research I read Yale was using some sort of new techniques, or new boat or something...and had run into the reeds during the race...and that put Harvard ahead...

I've had it a few weeks and still haven't had time to deep research it further...I emailed rowing historian Tom Weil to learn more...and it turned out he was the underbidder...Based on his reply I think it's even more rare than I was thinking it was...Below our conversation

To: Tom Weil, Rowing Historian, Mystic Seaport Museum
Tom, How are you...all good here...Yesterday I picked up the c1882 Harvard vs. Yale boat race trophy cup above...the scarves on their heads had me....plus it’s fairly early and sterling...I assume each of the eight crew team members and cox would have received one of these...This is the first I’ve heard of individual trophies being given out like this...Q. Have you seen this before...was this common?...Once I get it and can see the makers mark I’ll be interested to see who the silversmith was....Tom please be so kind to advise anything you would know about this trophy...

This sort of opens up some questions I‘m starting to think about it...like why is this the first individual cup like this I’ve seen?...It’s sterling and well done enough that it’s doubtful the other eight given to the other crew would have been discarded...so they are probably out there some where...maybe in the possession of ancestors...No doubt there would have been a larger one given to the winning school to put in their trophy case...Considering there would have been a big trophy given to the winning school every year....that’s a lot of trophies...where are they all at now??...As you know when I toured both the Harvard and Yale trophy collections in 2011 I didn’t see many if any such trophies...However!!!! I did not tour the boathouses!!!...This has now prompted me...next time I’m in New England...I’d like to go thru the boathouses to see what’s there!!

The minor dings should be easy for a silversmith to fix...see attached bio of the recipient William Chalfant Jr....dropped out of Harvard (like Bill MS Gates)...but appears to have gone on to a successful banking career...
-Carlton
www.SportsAntiques.com


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Carlton -
This was bound to happen some time. I was the underbidder. You’d have got it quite a bit cheaper if I hadn’t been in the game. I had pretty much the same reactions you did. What was the deal for trophies for races in that era.
Yale won the 1881 race. Attached is a picture of a trophy for that race that I bought many years ago. I assumed at the time that it was a one-off piece awarded to, or created by, the team. Just a month or two ago, a guy got in touch with me who had another copy of the trophy - identical form - which suggests that every member of the crew got one.

I concluded the same when I saw this piece. Very different approach - a nice little sterling cup vs. a big hunking silver plate monster. One big difference - the Yale trophy has everyone’s name on it, and the Harvard trophy just has the individual’s name.

The Childs Cup is reputed to be the oldest U.S. standing rowing trophy (i.e. each successive race winner takes possession of the cup until the next year). It was given in 1879 to the winner of the annual regatta among Pennsylvania, Princeton and Columbia, suggesting that it was not the practice at that time to have standing trophies.

I am embarrassed to say that I do not know how old the Yale-Harvard race trophy is (the Sexton Cup). I do have a spectacular trophy pewter canister from the 1890 Yale-Harvard race that was given to one of the Yale oarsmen, and I have seen other copies of that same award, so I’m guessing that the practice of giving awards to individuals in the winning crew went on for some time.
So, ALL CAPS responses to your comments / questions.
Best,
Tom


it’s doubtful the other eight given to the other crew would have been discarded...so they are probably out there some where...maybe in the possession of ancestors…

THIS IS A MYSTERY, ISN’T IT, BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE THE WAY THINGS HAPPEN, AND, REMEMBER, A LOT OF SILVER GOT MELTED SOME YEARS AGO WHEN THE HUNTS WENT ON THEIR TEAR.

No doubt there would have been a larger one given to the winning school to put in their trophy case…Considering there would have been a big trophy given to the winning school every year....that’s a lot of trophies...where are they all at now??…

AS STATED ABOVE, I DON’T THINK THIS WAS THE CASE UNTIL SPECIFIC “STANDING" TROPHIES GOT DEDICATED FOR PARTICULAR REGATTAS, WHICH TOOK A WHILE (AND IT IS STILL HAPPENING). THE BIGGER QUESTION IS, WHAT WAS THE PRACTICE OF GIVING TROPHIES TO ANYONE?

THE EARLY PRACTICE TENDED TO BE PRIZES FOR INDIVIDUALS, IF ANY PRIZES WERE GIVEN AT ALL. BUT THIS COULD GET EXPENSIVE, SO I THINK MOST US COLLEGIATE RACING DID NOT GENERATE PRIZES. THIS MAY, IN FACT, HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THE PRACTICE OF BETTING RACING SHIRTS ORIGINATED AROUND 1910 - IT WAS A VERY VISCERAL AND PERSONAL PRIZE, AND IT WOULD TYPICALLY HAVE BEEN THE ONLY PRIZE AVAILABLE.

SO, BOTTOM LINE, YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THAT MANY “SCHOOL” TROPHIES BECAUSE THERE WAS PROBABLY NEVER A PRACTICE OF GIVING THEM OUT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
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Old 10-28-2014, 09:39 PM
Michael B Michael B is offline
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Default Serendipity

Carlton,

Perhaps it was serendipitous that I decided to read your post. Once I saw the name William Chalfant, I knew I had a photo of him in my archives. It may have also helped fill in a gap in Olympic history. During the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, which also included the events of the 1904 Olympics, the sport of roque was one of the events held. Roque is a variation of croquet in which the court is a hard smooth surface surrounded by a wall. During the 1904 LPE the event doubled as the U.S. National Championships and there were no foreign competitors. Due to these two limitations many Olympic scholars feel it should be excluded as an Olympic event. Nonetheless, the IOC still counts it.

There were only four competitors, making this the least competed sport in Olympic history. Charles Jacobus of Springfield, MA and the father of American Roque and author of Spalding’s guide on the sport won the gold. Smith Streeter, a farmer from Illinois won the silver and Charles Brown, a veterinarian from Illinois, won the bronze. The fourth place finisher was William Chalfant. Olympic historians have not been able to find any information on him as record keeping was not the greatest for those games. It is quite possible this is one and the same. His age would have been appropriate for the event as the other competitors were 64, 60 and 37 years of age.

Your person lived/worked in West Chester, PA. My mother-in-law lives in that town.

WILLIAM CHALFANT
Gender: Male
Country: United States
Sport: Roque
Results
Games Age City Sport Event NOC Rank Medal
1904 Summer St. Louis Roque Men's Singles USA 4

Yes, the cabinet photo is signed by him. Photographer - Pach.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg chalfant.jpg (74.6 KB, 150 views)
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Last edited by Michael B; 10-28-2014 at 09:40 PM.
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  #3  
Old 10-30-2014, 01:12 AM
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CarltonHendricks CarltonHendricks is offline
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Default Wow

 photo roque_zps5bdc0501.jpeg

Mr. Michael...wow now there's a whole new twist to my trophy's history...thanks so much for posting that...I had not heard of roque till now...Seems like a pretty good chance it's the same William Chalfant...Chalfant doesn't seem like a common name...If the Olympian Chalfant had a Jr. on the end that might lend credance....but then again by 1904, twenty two years after he won the trophy he may have had a son by named William by then and dropped the Jr...Assuming it was the same Chalfant...and say he was 18 when he won the trophy...that would make him about 40 when he was in the Olympics...sounds plausable...

Ya know Michael...your photo of Chalfant would look really good in my black cabinet displayed next to his trophy...I think we need to talk...

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROQUE-MALLET...p2047675.l2557
Ended: Nov 02, 201311/2, 3:41PM
Sold for: US $75.00 [ 2 bids ]
I found the roque mallet above above that sold on eBay in 2013...below is a good description of the game the listing had..


Roque is a game derived from Croquet and was brought over from England in the late 1800's It was a Olympic game in 1904 but for that year only and it was won by the Americans. It is played on a synthetic hexagonal court 60' x30' with a raised wooden border. You were allowed to carom shots off the boarder. there were 4 balls Red, White, Blue and Black. Red & White were a team against Blue & Black. I will include a 5 page info sheet on the game with the purchase of the mallet. Mallets were shorter 15" to 24" and had a soft surface on one end and a hard surface on the other. All the ones I have previously had have been different leading me to believe they were custom made to the player. Head diameter is 2' and overall length is 19". The one end on this I believe to be Ivory and the other end is an hard rubber that has turned brittle. Wood head appears to be Walnut. Brass collars are a little loose but do not come off. Other defects are noted above. These are usually found in antique stores as a carpenters mallet.
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Old 10-31-2014, 01:57 AM
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CarltonHendricks CarltonHendricks is offline
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Default whoops

 photo GenicomChalfanttimelineRed_zps17044e67.jpg

Mr. Mike Sir...Well...regarding my speculation in the prior post that William Chalfant may have had a son named William by the time of the Olympic event and dropped the "Jr."...that would be a no go...Although I was right about him having a son William...after further research I found a reference on geni.com indicating he indeed did have a son William....but in 1907...So it would seem normal he would have still been using Jr. up till 1907...

And since the Olympian William Chalfant didn't use that designation...that casts a sliver of doubt to the negative of them being the same person...Which of course clearly implies you should immediately divest that cheesy cabinet photo of the Harvard Chalfant before it tarnishes the integrity of your entire collection!!

 photo 52people_zps0945cc36.jpg

Oh and as for my assertion "Chalfant doesn't seem like a common name"...Currently there are 52 William Chalfant's in the United States...
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Last edited by CarltonHendricks; 10-31-2014 at 01:59 AM.
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Old 11-02-2014, 12:47 AM
Michael B Michael B is offline
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I think you are using the logic of evajoy91 and directly to try to wrangle this out of me. I will give you credit for Indian Jones style leap of faith. The lack of Jr. in the Olympic records merely means that it was not used by him or mentioned in the newspaper or other records, possibly Spalding’s 1905 guide.. Even his signature on the cabinet photo lacks the designation and that was signed roughly 22 to 24 years prior to the 1904 games. If he was not using Jr. in his signature as a young man the chances are highly unlikely he was using it at a 46 year old attorney. While I make no claim that it is definitely the Olympian it is worth holding on to until I can prove or disprove the connection. For a sport like roque age does not play as big a part as is does in sports like swimming and athletics. His age would have been almost the median age of the four competitors in the event.

By the way, using the information that there are 52 people named William Chalfant in the current phone directory we can determine the possible number of men with that name in the U.S. in 1904. The U.S. population on November 1, 2013 was roughly 316.98 million people. The U.S. population on July 1, 1904 as roughly 82.17 million people. This would give us 13-14 people with that name in 1904. This is, of course, skewed by the fact that not everyone is listed in the phone book these days, including yours truly.
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Last edited by Michael B; 11-03-2014 at 07:47 PM.
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