At the end of September, a silver relic of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s will be going up for auction. Shackleton’s name conjures images of the frozen Antarctic and exploration, but this item is a far more domestic relic of his life — an Edwardian silver tea service.
The set, made around 1900 by James Dixon & Sons of Sheffield, comprises a teapot, a sugar bowl, and a milk jug. Each piece is engraved with the Shackleton family crest and the motto Fortitudine Vincimus, meaning “Through endurance, we conquer.” The words eventually inspired the name of his most famous ship, the Endurance.
The tea set was presented to Shackleton in New York in 1910, during his lecture tour following the Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909. On that same trip, he was awarded the prestigious Cullum Gold Medal by the American Geographical Society.
Photo: Roseberys
The tea set remained with Shackleton’s family for decades. It first passed to his daughter, Cecily, then to her cousin Rena Dodds, who was the godmother of the present owner’s sister.
Since 2001, the tea set has been on display in the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge. Accompanying the service are cloth presentation bags from Bailey, Banks & Biddle and a collection of newspaper clippings, diary extracts and display cards, all of which enrich its story and authenticity.
Roseberys, the London auction house handling the sale, has given the set an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000, a fairly modest price compared to other polar memorabilia.
“This silver tea set is a rare and evocative piece of Shackletoniana with direct links to his family and the polar expeditions for which he is renowned,” commented Georgina Agnew from Roseberys. For collectors, it offers a chance to own an object that blends Shackleton’s domestic life with his life of exploration.
