139 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
Cup and Saucer
ESTIMATE: $1,000-$1,500 President Roosevelt’s beautiful personally-owned and -used cup and saucer breakfast china, both stamped “Germany 57” on the bottom. The cup measures 4.25˝ tall and has a 4.25˝ diameter rim, featuring an immaculate design with four roses on one side and a single rose on the other, with purple accents to the rim and handle. The white saucer measures an impressive 7.75˝ in diameter and features an elegant raised design around the rim, with a purple accent matching the cup. Includes a typed note signed by Eleanor Roosevelt, in full: “This cup and saucer was often placed on the breakfast tray of President Roosevelt and it was used by him for many years.” Mrs. Roosevelt presented the items to Dorothy Dow, her longtime secretary, and the lot is also accompanied by a letter of provenance on a White House card from Dow, in full: “The cup and saucer was a gift from Eleanor Roosevelt in 1945.” Dow also published a book of her correspondence, and her life with the Roosevelt’s including how she taught the first lady to dive into a pool, entitled Eleanor Roosevelt: An Eager Spirit. An impressive world-class set of FDR artifacts, personally authenticated by Eleanor Roosevelt as frequently used by her late husband.
140 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
Pink Cup and Saucer
ESTIMATE: $800-$1,000 President Roosevelt’s beautiful personally-owned and -used cup and saucer set with a gorgeous deep magenta Japanese pattern, both with identical British makers’ marks on the bottom. The cup measures 3˝ tall and has a 5.75˝ diameter rim, featuring a magnificent intricate design with alternating flower and village vignettes, and a seaside courtyard scene in the bottom of the bowl, with the same scene depicted on the sides of the cup. The saucer measures an impressive 8˝ in diameter and features a matching vignette pattern around the rim and the seaside courtyard scene prominently displayed in the center, showing a person on the steps of a building by the shore, with a sailboat and building in the distance. There is a thin hairline crack inside the cup near the bottom, in no way affecting the appearance or integrity of the piece. Includes a detailed letter of provenance on White House letterhead from Lillian Rogers Parks. In part: “The lovely pink patterned large cup…was owned and used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On the bottom it is marked with an anchor surrounded by a crossed leaf decor and reads above ‘Japan’ and below ‘England.’ The Roosevelts brought this piece to the White House when they arrived on March 4, 1933. President Roosevelt occasionally used this large cup for soup or coffee. He liked his coffee in a big cup. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt gave the cup and saucer to me along with another one of a different color at the time of the President’s death.” A truly superb FDR relic.
92 | September 17, 2014 | Boston, Massachusetts | Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection