John 5:24 "Home is the Sailor, Home From The Sea.... And The Hunter, Home From The Hill" fouled anchor

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Authentic 19th and Early 20th Century Navy Rum Cups or Grog Cups, Naval Wooden Rum/Grog/Water Casks and Kegs, Royal Navy Mess Buckets and Pails Used to Dispense Rum/Grog

US Navy Enlisted Enamelware 1/2 Gil Cup, US Navy Officers 1/2 Gil China Liqueur or Rum Cup, Antique 100+ Year Old Victorian Era All Copper British Royal Navy 1 Pint Rum Cup, Wooden Water and Grog Mixing Casks, Tubs or Kegs, and Royal Navy Mess Pails and Rum Pails.

royal navy mess pail badge

The Real Deal 19th Century Victorian Era Navy Rum Cup or Grog Cup!

The photos above show an authentic 1 Pint all copper Rum Cup (not for sale) that was used for measuring out a rum tot or grog ration into smaller 1/2 gil rum cups. Note the government marks: broad arrow and royal crown above the initials VR and the numberal 6. The VR stands for Victoria Regia (Queen Victoria), which dates this piece between 1837-1901 during her reign. The numeral 6 is a British Military Inspection Stamp. Click Here for More In Depth Analysis and Photos of this Authentic 1 Pint 19th Century British Navy Rum Cup

Both Rum and water were mixed together in a large wooden barrel to make and prepare the daily ration of rum or grog. Most often the large wooden mixing barrel was engraved "God Bless The King". It was then measured out in progressively smaller containers: large metal mess cans or buckets, wooden rum casks, 1 pint cups, and finally into 1/2 gil cups which held the daily rum ration for each sailor.

While it is Great Britain's British Royal Navy that was most famous and associated with this great naval tradition many of the other world navies also participated in this time honored tradition, including the American Navy. A "Tot of Tum" or Daily Rum or Grog Ration was by contract part of each sailors recreation in most of the world's navies until the early 20th century.

british royal navy serving out the rum ration or grog ca 1908

Photo to the right shows British Sailors in a rum line aboard the HMS Renown ca 1908.

Photo on the left shows an authentic Royal Navy Mess Pail exactly as shown being held by British sailors in the photo to the right!

For This Royal Navy Mess Pail and other British Royal Navy Artifacts, Militaria and Antique Dinnerware is for sale and available by Clicking HERE - 19th and 20th Century British Royal Navy Militaria.

RARE - Small 1/2 Gil WWI U.S. Navy Officers Rum Cup, Rum Tot, Liqueur Cup - Department of Navy Seal VERY RARE - ANOTHER ONE-OF-A-KIND MUSEUM QUALITY PIECE - Stands 2.5" high and 2" across, Bottom marked C.Barth & Son, New York 1918 In 7 years we have not seen another one of these small china or porcelain rum or liqueur cups.	CLICK PHOTO!	Used by Senior Officer's or in the Captains Cabin or Admirals Mess Used after dinner to sip Naval Rum or Liqueurs over cigars. Officers version of the enlisted seamans Navy Rum Tot or Navy Rum Cup or Shot Glass!	Not For Sale	Call to Order 540 659 6209
19th Century British Royal Navy Victorian Era Rum Cup or Grog Cup Clearly stamped with Royal Navy Broad Arrow proofing it for service and Crown over VR6 indicating it was made during Queen Victoria's reign, 1837-1901 and proofed by Inspector #6	Click Photo!	1 Pint Measure	Not For Sale.	Call To Order 540 659 6209
Large British Royal Navy Mess Pail or Navy Mess Bucket, Late 1800's to Early 1900's (see photo at top of page) Used to collect food, drinks, or rum ration from the galley for each mess aboard ship.	Click Photo!	13w" x 10d" x 12h"	2 Available	Call To Order 540 659 6209
Antique Wooden Water, Rum or Grog Casks Kegs Varying Patina from Very Light to Very Dark Oak Bodies. Some dual handle and single handle all with 6 Galvanized Metal Bands and Feet, Brass Cock on Side and Filler on Top	Click Photo!	Many to Choose From	$200-$325.	Call To Order 540 659 6209

The Pirate's Lair only offers authentic naval artifacts, many backed up with photographic evidence to the provenance of each piece!

british royal navy serving grog or rum during Boer War of 1899 - Note rum cask on the deck!

sampling and examples of different types and sizes of wooden water casks or water kegs

Note the photo to the left of British Royal Navy sailors standing in the rum line aboard an HMS vessel during the Boer War in 1908, and the two kegs at the front of the line. The smaller wooden keg has written on its side the word "GROG".

The photo to the right illustrates the exact same type of wooden water cask or grog keg as shown in the photo to the left.

For more information on 19th and early 20th century antique Wooden Water Casks, Water Kegs, and Rum or Grog Kegs used aboard naval vessels as well as other authentic naval and nautical antiques that are for sale and and available Click HERE - 19th-20th Century Wooden Casks and Keg used Aboard Ship to Dispense Water and Grog.

NOTE!!! The below "rum cups" are for display purposes only as THEY ARE REPRODUCTIONS of small 1/2 Gil Rum Cups. Examples are shown below which include British Royal Navy, Imperial Russian Navy, Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Germany) and European Navies. While these are good reproductions, that's all that they are. So beware! If you see rum cups advertised on the web that look similar to or exactly like the ones shown below they are FAKE half gil copper rum cup with french royal navy crown and fouled anchor

half gil copper rum cup with french royal navy crown and fouled anchor

REPRODUCTION RUM CUP #1 - This is a French Naval 2.5oz rum cup made of an outside copper cladding and another base metal possibly brass or a silver lining. The cup itself is fitted onto a "foot". Both the foot and the handles are soldered onto the cup.

The insignia is a soldered medallion which shows the French Royal Crown atop a fouled anchor. It has been our experience that true rum cups did not have a soldered medallion, but any cyphers of provenance were stamped.

rum cup with Germanic Imperial Crown and M for Marine

REPRODUCTION RUM CUP #2 - This 2.5oz Naval rum cup is made of a copper coating on a brass base metal. The insignia is also a soldered medallion appearing to be of a Christian crown which includes two crosses; 1 found on a shield of sorts within the body of the crown and another cross sitting upright on top. Below the crown there is also capital letter "M" beneath it. The M typically denotes Marine (as in Kriegs Marine) or Navy for the Germanic countries such as Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, and Austro-Hungary.

Research Update: Through research we believe that the crown displayed on this rum cup was the heraldic device for the newly established German Empire used by the German Kaisers from 1871 Kaiser Wilhelm's abdication in 1918. The German Empire's Navy was called the "Kaiserliche Marine" or German Imperial Navy. There are many late 19th century and early 20th century Imperial German Navy artifacts (including dinnerware) which use the capital letter M to indicate that the artifact was made and used by the Navy. Originally found in Australia as part of a Naval Collection.

See Wikipedia German State Crown and Wikipedia's Comprehensive List of Royal and Imperial Crowns - See Crown #12 in Upper Left Corner of Image

For more information on the Deutsche Kriegsmarine, Reichsmarine and Kaiserliche Marine (or German Navy) naval artifacts, Militaria and Antique Dinnerware that are for sale and available Click HERE.

REPRODUCTION RUM CUP #3 - This 2oz Naval rum cup is made of a brass base metal with the cup appearing to have been turned on a lathe (as opposed to being stamped and soldered). The insignia is also a soldered medallion of a Double Headed Eagle with what appears to be a crown and cross on each of the two heads.

It is possibly "Germanic" or certainly of Eastern European provenance due to the double headed eagle used in the 18th-20th centuries as a Coat of Arms.

Early photo illustrates Czarist Imperial Russian sailors taking their daily ration of rum, dated 1893.

Research UpdateIt is quite possible that this Naval Rum Cup was pre-revolutionary Imperial Russia (Russian Empire) in origin since the Russian Empire's Coat of Arms consisted of a double headed eagle with each head adorned with a christian crown.

The two heads represented the dual secular and religious sovereignty of the Emperor. The double headed eagle Russian Coat of Arms was used from the early 16th century to the late 19th century. As such the provenance of this rum cup appears to be from the Russian Empire ca late 1700's to late 1800's.

This rum cup was found in Australia as part of a Naval Collection. See Wikipedia Russian Coat of Arms - Two Headed Eagle w/ Crowns and Wikipedia's Comprehensive List of All Russian Coats of Arms including Double Headed Eagles of Various Types

For more information on Russian Navy and Soviet Union Navy Artifacts, Militaria and Antique Dinnerware that are for sale and available Click HERE.

rum cup of the royal navy enlisted mess

REPRODUCTION RUM CUP #4 - This half gil (2oz) Naval rum cup is made of a copper coating with a base metal of brass and the traditional British loop handle. There is no insignia or attached medallion, however the bottom indicates the British Royal Crown, Anchor and initials RN standing for the Royal Navy.

This copper rum cup of half gil ration may have been used by both officer and enlisted crewmen alike, however we think that Rum Cup #1 was possibly made and used by Officer's due to the British Crown insiginia soldered onto the side.

Note the measurement of 1/2 Gil inscribed onto the side of the rum cup which was the standard daily apportioned amount of rum prescribed to each sailor in the British Royal Navy. A half gil is the equivalent of about 2oz. The half gil of rum became the standard ration for most of the world's navies when issuing rum was the custom!

From Wikipeadia: "Colonial Australia: Rum became an important trade good in the early period of the colony of New South Wales. The value of rum was based upon the lack of coinage among the population of the colony, and due to the drink's ability to allow its consumer to temporarily forget about the lack of creature comforts available in the new colony. The value of rum was such that convict settlers could be induced to work the lands owned by officers of the New South Wales Corps.

Due to rum's popularity among the settlers, the colony gained a reputation for drunkenness even though their alcohol consumption was less than levels commonly consumed in England at the time.

When William Bligh became governor of the colony in 1806, he attempted to remedy the perceived problem with drunkenness by outlawing the use of rum as a medium of exchange. In response to this action, and several others, the New South Wales Corps marched, with fixed bayonets, to Government House and placed Bligh under arrest. The mutineers continued to control the colony until the arrival of Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810."

ROYAL NAVY GROG What is Grog?

Navy Grog is essentially a diluted rum mixture, with two parts water and one part Rum. The word "grog" was derived from the nickname for Admiral Vernon who was nicknamed "Old Grogram" (grog, rum - get it?!) based on the waterproof grogram cloak he wore on ships.

He first ordered this rum dilution process that yielded grog to be carried out in 1740 because of the rowdiness and lack of judgement experienced by some of his common sailors. This command was called "Vernon's Orders" and it also encouraged the addition of sugar and limes to the grog mixture.

The method of issue and the mixture of the Rum Ration changed over the years. Prior to 1740, rum was issued to the men neat or in "drams" - without water. Admiral Vernon, the hero of Portobello and the Commander-in-Chief, West Indies changed all this by his issuance of his infamous Order to Captains No. 349 on August 21, 1740.

His order refers to the "unanimous opinion of both Captains and Surgeons that the pernicious custom of the seaman drinking their allowance of rum in drams, and often at once, is attended with many fatal effects to their morals as well as their health ... besides the ill consequences of stupifying [sic] their rational qualities ... You are hereby required and directed ... that the respective daily allowance ... be every day mixed with the proportion of a quart of water to a half pint of rum, to be mixed in a scuttled but kept for that purpose, and to be done upon the deck, and in the presence of the Lieut. of the Watch, who is to take particular care to see that the men are not defrauded in having their full allowance of rum... and let those that are good husbanders receive extra lime juice and sugar that it be made more palatable to them."

Below are links to other Antique Nautical and Naval Artifacts which you may be interested in.

Click HERE for US Navy "Fouled Anchor China" made for the Wardroom Officers Mess ca 1940-1960 - Affordable For Everyday Use!

Click HERE for US Navy Silverplated Silverware in the Kings Design with "Fouled Anchor" made for the Wardroom Officers Mess ca 1905-1960 - Matching silverware to the navy anchor china!

Click HERE to Review how this and other of our Pirate Chests, Treasure Chests, and Antique Chests were Restored, our Antique Restoration Process, and How To Restore Antique Nautical Furniture!

OPTIONAL - Trunk Wood Engraving Examples and Prices Custom Designed, Handcrafted, and Hand Lettered in Caligraphy on your Antique Chest	Click Here To Review Sample Engravings	Personalize Your 100+ Year Old Antique Trunk in Perpetuity!
Antique Trunks as a Shadow Box and Storage Chest! Customer Photographic Examples of our Antique Trunks Being used as a Military or Naval Retirement Shadow Box and Storage Chest!!	Click Here for Sample Shadow Box Photographs From Customers	Why just get a shadow box or a newly made trunk with no history! One of our 100+ Year Old Nautical Antique Trunks can be used for both a Shadow Box and Storage Chest for your Uniforms, Photograph Albums, and Memorabilia!

Rare 1880 to Early 1890's Photograph of Antique Trunk Factory and Workers Using Albumen Silver Print Method, Mounted to a Period Board Which Dates The Photo
Note the Flatop and Two Monitor or Waterfall Trunks, Each Being Individually Unique at the Very Time of Production.

Click Photo For Larger View and More Historical Information!

The Pirate's Lair Exclusive!
We all romanticize about the mystique of these antique trunks. The possible owners and travels that each steamer trunk has taken, along with the high level of detailed craftsmanship in the original production of each and every steamer trunk with that individualized character giving both intrinsic and non-intrinsic value.

However the truth of the matter is that the majority of these trunks were made towards the middle to end of the 19th century just at the dawning of the industrial revolution here in America when there were no child labor laws or protections. This rare photo clearly illustrates at least 3 generations of owners and workers, ages appearing to range from pre-teen/adolescent, teens/early adult, through middle to old age!
It was a common practice that loyal and productive craftsmen would be allowed to bring their children to work with them to learn a craft, so many of the children in this photograph were more than likely sons of the men shown.

Note the adolescent factory workers on top row! Note that there are no women in the photo! This is due to the fact that at that time "proper" women did not work outside of the home, certainly not in a factory. Everybody appears to look pretty stern, having on their arms crossed and "work" faces put on.
Copy of Photo On Request With Every Trunk Purchase

The Pirate's Lair
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Phone: 540-659-6209

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Music Credits: Donald Where's Your Trousers/Drunken Sailor medley by The Bards