EARL HOWE: A fine antique Edwardian Sterling Silver gentleman's desk stand with ink well | Donington Auctions | 17 Oktober 2026

EARL HOWE: A fine antique Edwardian Sterling Silver gentleman's desk stand with ink wells and presentation inscription: 'Presented to Viscount Curzon By the inhabitants of Twycross On the occasion of his Marriage, Oct 28 1907'. By Elkington & Co, Birmingham 1903.

Diameter 28.5cm / 11.25". Total weight 1901g / 67.7 oz. Weight of silver stand 1095g / 35.2 troy oz.

PROVENANCE:

Presented to Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl of Howe on the occasion of his marriage, in 1907.

Born in 1884 in Mayfair, London into the illustrious British naval family, he went on to become one of Britain's best known racing drivers and one of a select few Englishman to have achieved a reputation on the Continent in the period.

Howe did not drive competitively until the age of 44 and on his retirement from the Houses of Commons. He had previously served during World War I as Commander Viscount Curzon, where he saw action at Gallipoli, served as an aide to King George V. and was assignment on board the Battleship "HMS Queen Elizabeth" during the Dardanelles campaign. Following the war, he was elected to Parliament.

His first major race debut was at the 1928 Irish TT with a Bugatti T43. By 1930, he had bought Rudolf Caracciola's Mercedes SSK and in 1931 he raced an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, winning the Le Mans 24h race with Tim' Birkin. He continued racing a T51 Bugatti, a 1.5 litre Delage, MGs and Alfa Romeos until he bought an ERA for the 1936 season. Later he joined the ERA works team. He was out for most of the 1937 season after a heavy crash during the Campbell Trophy race at the banked track at Brooklands. After the war Lord Howe continued to be involved in racing as an organizer and as the president of the British Racing Driver's Club.

Howe's legacy is enduring as in part derived from his friendship with the Bentley Boys, specifically Benjy Benjafield. It was Benjafield who founded the British Racing Drivers Club in 1928, but Howe was its second president, serving continuously from 1929 until his death in 1964. Howe was credited with greatly expanding the BRDC's scope and instrumental in the resumption and organisation of the first British Grand Prix, at Silverstone in 1948, which gained full Formula 1 World Championship status in 1950. Following his passing, the BRDC named one of its most prestigious awards, the Earl Howe Trophy, in his honour. It is presented annually to the highest placed British driver in the Indianapolis 500, or to the British driver who has established the most exemplary performance of the year in North America.

For shipping and handling of memorabilia items being sold from Perth, denoted by [Location: Perth] in the lot heading, please contact Pack & Send Balcatta/Osborne Park WA via phone 08 9240 5432 or via email [email protected]