Gaspee Days CommitteeHistory Files
Gaspee Centennial Teacup & Saucer Sets


An 1876 centennial teacup & saucer celebrating the 1772 Burning of the H.M.S. Gaspee by colonial patriots, was made in England as a comemorative set of bone-china demi-tasse cups. These sets were undoubtedly sold as souvenirs at the 1875 Centennial Gaspee Day celebration.  Cup has line drawing of the Gaspee and reads: First Blow For Freedom/Gaspee/June 10th 1772.  Saucer has the Rhode Island seal and reads: First National Centennial Anniversary-1876.  There are no visible markings on the bottom of either the cup or saucer.  There are at least three variants of the print color; black, blue, and brown.  The RI Historical Society has a set of two of these cups and saucers on display in the butler's pantry in the John Brown Mansion, and several more are privately held.
The motto of the modern Gaspee Days Committee is derived from the language used on the teacups...America's
"First Blow for Freedom".
GDStein Gaspee Beer Stein

For lack of a better place to put it, here's also a pewter Gaspee Days beer stein sold by the Gaspee Days Committee during the Gaspee bicentennial.  Don't bother with eBay, it's likely available for a penny at many Warwick area garage sales.
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Rev. 7/2008    CentennialTeacup.htm