A sterling silver and cut crystal drinking flask.  This exceptional quality and highly unusual piece is one of the finest drinking flasks from the period.  It has an extremely heavy and thick cut crystal body that has remained in perfect condition.  The sterling silver lid screws on, and is completely removable, allowing for easy access to drink from.  The lid itself is very thick, heavy gauge silver and is beautifully threaded to meet cleanly to the neck once attached.  The overall appearance of the piece is like that of Mills grenade designed and used in World War One by the English, but pre-dates this weapon by some thirty years.

The top of the rim has a number of stamped product numbers as well as 'Tiffany & Co.' and a capital 'M', and 'Sterling'.  The seraph font of the 'M' allows the manufacturing of piece to be dated between 1873 - 1891, under the directorship of Edward Moore.  Since the founding of America's finest silversmith, in 1837, Tiffany would be world renowned for initially selling, but eventually manufacturing some of the most luxurious items the world had seen.  It was under Edward Moore's father, John C. Moore, that the company really put a serious foot forward in the manufacturing of silver items under the Tiffany & Co. brand.  Up until the early 1850's much of what Tiffany was selling was bought in from local New York silversmiths.  Now, after incorporating J. C. Moore's business they went on to produce exclusively for Tiffany & Co.  The business continued in this way for two decades, with Edward Moore now in charge of his father's company, and with Tiffany's business acumen they began to make a real mark on the global luxury goods market.  The culmination of which was the in 1867 at the Exposition Universelle, the second world's fair to be held in Paris, when Tiffany & Co. became the first American company to win an award fro excellence in the manufacturing of fine silver.

In 1868 Charles L. Tiffany went on to purchase the Moore silver firm from Edward Moore.  Moore became a Tiffany & Co. stock holder and the general manager of the silverware arm of the firm.  In 1869 Moore undertook a very important part in the growth of the Tiffany & Co. silver business by producing its first silver flatware pattern; "Tiffany".  Under his supervision and artistic direction the company went on to win a string of both domestic and European accolades and went on to become the most respected silversmith in America.  After Moore's death in 1891 and Charles Tiffany's in 1902 the firm continued to dominate domestic silver, and be a real competitor in the luxury global market.  The firm even remained in the hands of the Tiffany and Moore families until 1955. 

This, therefore, is a very important piece of Tiffany & Co.'s history and a very rare and unusual piece from this time.  There are many sterling flasks of a variety of shapes and sizes, but very seldom does one come across such a fabulous crystal example.  The condition of the piece is exceptional with no issues at all, with the silver also in superb condition.  Made in America, circa 1880.