Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Cut Glass Water Carafe Said to Have Been Used by Lord Nelson Aboard H.M.S. Victory, 25cm high, of ovoid shouldered form engraved with the initial ‘N’, the base cut with flutes, the neck and shoulder with arched facets and concentric bands, old ink written paper label glued to base, inscribed ‘water carafe used by Lord Nelson on board H.M.S. Victory. Given to me by his great niece, Mrs Girdlestone about the year 1889, [signed] C. Berney Brown’ some chips to rim, otherwise good condition £1000-1500

A slightly smaller pair of carafes from the same set were offered for sale by Sotheby’s Nelson Sale, lot 36, 5 October 2005, as part of the Matcham Collection. This collection comprised items formerly in the posession of Lord Nelson which passed to his sister, Catherine Matcham after his death at Trafalgar in 1805. The carafes were estimated to fetch between twelve and eighteen thousand pounds, though on the day they failed to find a buyer.