Late 1800s Hip Flask with Gilt Cup Lid, "EMR" Monogram

A late 19th-century pocket flask by the Meriden Silver Plate Co. of Meriden, Connecticut, executed in their signature quadruple plate — four successive electroplated layers over a white-metal core, the heaviest commercial deposit Meriden offered and the standard reserved for their finer presentation pieces. The body is full and rounded in the classic pilgrim-bottle form, dressed on the face with a sweeping engraved cursive monogram in florid Victorian script. Tendril flourishes curl from each letter; the hand that cut this was confident and practiced. The threaded collar accepts a removable cap that inverts into a small drinking cup, its interior gilt-washed — a civilized engineering detail that kept both hands occupied and the pocket tidy.

The stamp inside the cup base tells the full story: Meriden's rampant lion within an oval, the full company name in arc text, "QUADRUPLE PLATE," and the numeral 2. Founded in 1869, Meriden Silver Plate Co. became one of the most prolific producers of American presentation hollowware before being folded into the International Silver Company in 1898. A flask of this form was rarely a casual purchase — engraved at the counter for the recipient, carried in a breast pocket or valise for years, then handed down. The monogram reads EMR. Whoever EMR was, they were well-equipped.

CONDITION

Fair overall, with honest age and use throughout. A zone of plate loss to the upper-right face exposes base metal beneath, with smaller scattered spots of plate wear across the body. Visible dings and dents to the body, concentrated along the shoulders and base edge. Engraved monogram remains crisp and fully legible. Cap threads cleanly to the neck.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 5 1/8" H × 4 1/2" W × 1 1/2" D
• Maker: Meriden Silver Plate Co., Meriden, CT
• Material: Quadruple silver plate over base metal
• Marks: Rampant lion oval, "MERIDEN SILVER PLATE CO. QUADRUPLE PLATE," numeral "2"
• Monogram: Engraved cursive "EMR"
• Cap: Threaded; inverts as drinking cup with gilt-washed interior