FOR SPORTS EVENTS
The earliest of the sports trophies in the collection is an ornate belt ([fig. 19]) made of blue velvet upon which are mounted five engraved silver plates connected by silver straps. On the center plate is the inscription:
6 Days Bicycle Champion Belt of Scotland Won by H. W. Higham Nottingham 19th June 1880 Contested at Glasgow
One of the two adjoining smaller plates has an engraving of a man riding a high-wheeled bicycle, and the other has an engraving of a man standing beside a similar bicycle. The two outer plates are engraved with Scottish coats of arms. The belt is 341⁄2 inches long and 3 inches wide.
Figure 20.––The Vanderbilt Cup, an annual award for automobile races in the early 20th century. Gift of William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. In Division of Transportation. (Acc. 131820, cat. 310894; Smithsonian photo 45992-B.)
Trophies were awarded for competition among the various makes of cars almost as early as the advent of the automobile itself. The earliest such trophy in the Museum’s collection is a three-handled, cut-glass cup[42] with a wide silver rim on which is engraved:
Automobile Club of New Jersey. Eagle Rock Hill Climbing Contest. First Prize Nov. 5, 1901.
The prize was won by Charles E. Duryea who drove an automobile of his own manufacture.
Most important of the automobile trophies was the Vanderbilt Cup ([fig. 20]) for racing, which was established by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., in 1904 to bring the best cars of foreign make to the United States so that domestic manufacturers could observe them. It is believed that the trophy contributed in this way to the rapid development of the automobile in the United States. The Vanderbilt Cup races were held annually in the United States under the auspices of the American Automobile Association.
The silver cup, measuring 23 inches high and 20 inches in diameter and weighing about 40 pounds, is engraved with statistics of the various races––such as dates, winners, types of cars, distances, and times.[43] 107 There is a wreath around the brim, and the front is decorated with a period racing car in repoussé. The inscription reads:
Challenge Cup Presented by W. K. Vanderbilt Jr. American Automobile Assn. under deed of gift to be raced for yearly by cars under 1000 kilos.
On the inside of the stem is marked “Tiffany and Co.” and “35 pints.”
Athletic trophies in the collection include eight silver and silver-plated loving cups awarded for athletic events to the crew members of various ships of the U.S. Navy.[44] The sporting events represented include baseball and football games, canoe and cutter races, and track meets held among the fleet between 1903 and 1915.