KING GEO VI & QUEEN EL. CORONATION & CANADA VISIT BEAKER C. 1937-39

This Barrel Shape Royalty Beaker was produced by The Myott & Sons Company, England approximately 1937-1939. This unusual Royalty Commemorative Beaker depicts King George VI & His Queen Consort, Queen Elizabeth, on the front in two medallions. On the reverse side in Sepia Print, it has 19-Crown-39; underneath the crown, it states: SOUVENIR VISIT OF KING GEORGE & QUEEN ELIZABETH CANADA.

COMMENT: This Royalty Commemorative Beaker is unusual in the fact that the front depicts the year May 1937 as the Coronation of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth and on the reverse (back) side it shows a date of 1939 and states that this is a Souvenir of the Royal Canadian Visit in 1939.

Therefore this piece may have been re-fired after a second transfer was added to the back which indicates that some of the unsold inventory may have been still been in factory and what a better way to sell it than to apply a second transfer to the reverse side to be ready for resale in Canada for their Royal Visit May 22, 1939.

CONDITION: Sold in “As Is” Condition. Condition is illustrated in the photos. There is a vertical hairline crack measuring 1 1/2" in length with a bruise chip at the upper interior rim approximately 1/4". The condition and scarcity were seriously taken into consideration while pricing.

HISTORY OF KING GEO VI & QUEEN ELIZABETH CANADA VISIT 1939

In the spring of 1939, a new King and his gracious Queen captured the hearts of Canadians. As war loomed overseas, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured the country by train to meet their subjects and bolster the bonds of Empire. From small-town whistle stops to bustling cities, eager crowds cheered, sang and waited for hours, eager for a glimpse of royalty. CBC mobilized a crew of 100 to cover the tour, producing a rich radio archive of that royal spring.

It was the first visit to Canada by a “reigning” British monarch. Even though the country was still in the throes of the Depression, town and cities all over Canada decorated their buildings, issued souvenirs and wrote speeches to mark the occasion. Thousands of people, from miles away, came to see the couple as the royal train passed through their region. The timing of the tour was no accident. War was becoming imminent in Europe and the visit served as a gentle reminder to English-speaking Canadians of their ties to the motherland and imperial duty. The trip took 44 days and was conducted almost exclusively by train.

In 1939, Canadians saw a 29-day, 8,600 mile tour by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. The big show began in Quebec when a Canadian Pacific ocean liner, "S.S. Empress of Australia" docked. They went west to Vancouver generally on the Canadian Pacific and east on the Canadian National. CP hauled them 3,300 miles while CN hauled 4,200. The westbound run was done by just one locomotive but utilized 25 engine crews. This locomotive was later exhibited at the New York World's Fair and served as model for 65 more Hudsons - all of which wore a Royal crown insignia and were termed “Royal Hudsons”.