Samuel Bell, Texas coin silver presentation julep cup or beaker, with distinctive broad rim over tapering sides and molded foot ring, stamped S BELL in rectangle. Engraved inscription, " Gustav Persch from Chas. Rossy / July 13, 1865". 3 5/8"H, 6.19 oz troy. Note: Samuel Bell (1797-1881) was a silversmith in Knoxville, Tennessee from 1819-1852 before moving to Texas, where he resumed his silver work in San Antonio and expanded his operation to include members of his family. Gustav Persch and Charles Rossy were both immigrants (Persch from Germany and Rossy from Austria) who came to the new world as young men and found success in Texas. Both appear in San Antonio tax records as property owners in 1860 and served as elected city officials during the Civil War. Gustav Persch, recipient of the cup, is listed in the 1860 census as a saloon owner, while Rossy, the giver of the cup, owned a confectionary business prior to the Civil War and later found success in the tobacco business. He is credited with the manufacture and first use of illuminating gas in San Antonio. According to his obituary, "He was a man of much learning, read a great deal and through many sterling traits of character endeared himself to a great number of people". (Source: the San Antonio Daily Light, Friday, June 8, 1900)." Rossy also seems to have been a friend of Emperor Maxmillian of Mexico, where he traveled extensively during the War, carrying a gift of a walking stick from the Emperor as a symbol of his "protected" status. (Ref. Daughters of the Republic of Texas Vol. I., as well as "Elected Officials of San Antonio" www.sanantonio.gov and Tax Assessments Bexar County, TX, Texas County Tax Rolls 1837-1910).

PROVENANCE: Private Southern Collection.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition with a few minor short scratches and tiny dents and a few scattered tiny spots of pitting.