1904 St. Louis Exposition & World’s Fair Souvenir Nickel Plated Folding Pocket Cup

Collectibles : Historical : 1904 St Louis Exposition : World Fair : Folding Cup

 

This antique plated brass collapsible cup is the perfect gift for the commemorative collector or historical relic connoisseur. It displays a view of the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition and World’s Fair. That particular exhibition hall measured 525 by 750 feet and offered nine acres of exhibits and public space. It was designed by Theodore Link and had grand overhanging eaves and deep porticos making it one of the most interesting of the great exhibit palaces at the St. Louis Exposition. Its architecture successfully combined Egyptian, Greek and Assyrian design elements and used large obelisks flanking its monumental style entrances. The cover on this folding cup shows the main entrance to the palace and the building was also surrounded by other major fair structures and landscapes such as the Government Building, German House, Sunken Gardens, and lagoons all of which placed the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy in an exotic setting.

The cover on this pocket cup comes off and then the cup telescopes and expands to become 2 1/4 inches tall. There are five interlocking section that slide to make or collapse the cup. I believe the cup is made of a type of copper alloy, probably white brass, and that it has nickel plating to keep it shiny. It is not magnetic and it has not oxidized which rules out any iron or silver compounds. The 1897 Sears, Roebuck catalog lists a four section telescoping ‘Pure Aluminum Tourist Cup’ for 30 cents that lacks a cover (see page 126, 1897 Sears catalog, middle center of page). The cup offered here is heavier than pure aluminum, has five sections and the bottom cover has a patent date of Feb. 23, 97 stamped on it. There is no manufacturers name and I’ve had no luck so far on finding any details on the patent itself which is probably some kind of design patent. So if you are looking for a 103 year old World’s Fair antique cup in near-mint condition (see condition notes below), then this may be just the one for you. Finally, this cup also comes with my full satisfaction guarantee or you may return it using my return policy details as explained below.

SIZE & CONDITION: This cup stands 2 1/4 inches tall and has a detachable cover. It is in excellent condition as the photos reveal with NO major scratches, NO dents, No corrosion, NO repairs and NO restorations. It still has its original shine and finding one in better condition would only be possible by traveling back in time and buying at the fair yourself.

SHIPPING: Any mainland US buyer pays $6.60 for double boxed and insured USPS Priority mail (insurance is INCLUDED in this amount for all mainland US addresses only). All international buyers will also pay only actual shipping/insurance costs for all verifiable locations outside the continental US mainland (international shipping costs will be determined upon receipt of address details).

RETURN POLICY: Satisfaction and peace of mind are guaranteed by Docs Antiques for this item. If you are not happy with it for any reason other than damage that occurred during shipping, then you have the option to send the item back in a timely manner so long as it is in the same condition as listed. All items to US addresses are fully insured and so if the item was damaged in the mail, then file an insurance claim and do not ship it back since that would voids the insurance. Please refer to my return policy for full details or contact me for help -- thanks.

Item ID: RL249.a459

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