STIEFF PEWTER CUP ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL

Updated August 8, 2026

AVAILABLE for SHIPPING or LOCAL PICKUP > A vintage Stieff pewter Jefferson Cup standing approximately 2.75" tall × 3.25" in diameter. The substantial low bowl presents a rounded lower body, slightly flared upper wall, and narrow rolled rim, closely following the distinctive tumbler form associated with Thomas Jefferson. The front is mounted with a raised seal for Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The circular medallion bears the school name surrounding the central crest and Latin motto ~ FORTITER ~ FIDELITER ~ FELICITER ~, officially translated by the school as “Bravely, Faithfully, Happily.” Episcopal High School opened near Alexandria in 1839 and remains among Virginia’s historic boarding schools. The recessed underside is marked ~ AUTHENTIC REPRODUCTION ~ JEFFERSON CUP ~ STIEFF PEWTER ~ P50 ~. The P50 designation identifies Stieff’s standard pewter Jefferson Cup form. “Authentic reproduction” refers to the historic cup design rather than suggesting nineteenth-century manufacture. Stieff used model numbers beginning with P for American-made pewter and offered Jefferson Cups in quantity, frequently adapting them with institutional, commemorative, corporate, and presentation emblems. Stieff pewter contained no lead. The design was based upon the low, round-bottomed silver tumblers commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1810. Jefferson directed silversmith John Letelier to reshape existing silver into eight stable, unhandled cups modeled after a thin European tumbler. The surviving originals measure approximately 2?" tall, making the proportions of the Stieff reproduction closely related to the historic form. The Stieff Company of Baltimore became a prominent producer of sterling silver and pewter, with pewter developing into a major portion of company production during the 1960s and 1970s. Because this example carries the earlier ~ STIEFF PEWTER ~ name rather than the Kirk-Stieff designation adopted after 1979, production most likely dates from the 1960s or 1970s. The cup offers interest as Episcopal High School memorabilia, Virginia educational history, Thomas Jefferson-inspired tableware, and vintage Baltimore-made Stieff pewter. CONDITION REPORT > Remarkably well preserved, retaining an attractive satin pewter surface with light marks and minor variation consistent with age and handling. The applied school seal remains sharply defined, and no overt denting or structural damage was observed.

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