In sterling silver, maker marked with the Towle Silversmiths insignia of a large script "T" enclosing a rampant lion, marked "STERLING" and coded "52402" on the bottom, bearing an ornate floral design flanked by a single rule above and two rules below, the edge with twenty-one scallops, engraved in the bowl "BULLDOG CLUB OF AMERICA / SPECIALTY SHOW / HON. WILLIAM J. HICKEY / TROPHY / BEST IN SHOW", the supporting foot with a base ring incorporating a repeating swirl design, measuring 235 mm in diameter x 75 mm in height, exhibiting scattered tarnishing, very light contact, very fine.
Footnote:
1. William J. Hickey was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Erie Co., 1st District) in 1922, 1923 and 1924. He was a member of the New York State Senate (48th District) from 1925 to 1932, sitting in the 148th, 149th, 150th, 151st, 152nd, 153rd, 154th and 155th New York State Legislatures. In addition, he was Chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee. Hickey resigned the post in September 1935 in order to get nominated for the Supreme Court. He was a Justice of the New York Supreme Court (8th District) from 1936 to 1943.
2. The Bulldog Club of America (BCA) is the parent club for Bulldogs within the American Kennel Club. It represents the interests of all bulldog clubs in the country and, as with parent clubs for other breeds, serves as the owner and defender of the breed standard of its breed in the United States for all AKC registered Bulldogs. BCA is the definitive source of Bulldog information in the United States. BCA is a national organization, structured in a manner similar to that of the national government. A representative Council and National Officers governs the Club nationally. The country is divided into eight geographical areas called Divisions, where the work of the club is conducted.
3. The origin of the Towle Silversmiths business dates back to the Moulton family who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts (later Newburyport) at the end of the eighteenth century. After six generations of Moulton silversmiths, in 1857, Joseph Moulton sold the silver business he inherited from William Moulton IV, to his father's two apprentices, Anthony Francis Towle and William P. Jones to form Towle & Jones, Company. In 1873, the son of Anthony Francis Towle, Edward Bass Towle, was added to the business, and the name was changed to A.F. Towle & Son. It was in business through 1902, at which point their dies were purchased by Rogers, Lunt and Bowlen, who were later to become Lunt Silversmiths. In 1882, Anthony Francis Towle, while still owning A.F. Towle & Son, established the Towle Manufacturing Company. The trademark of a large script "T" enclosing a rampant lion was adopted in 1890. Towle was acquired in 1990 by Syratech Corporation, a company which makes tabletop, giftware, and seasonal items. Its tabletop and giftware lines include sterling silver, silver-plated, and stainless steel flatware and hollowware under the Wallace Silversmiths, Towle Silversmiths, and International Silver Company brand names.