The information on record for this silver tea set is more detailed than many pieces in our collection and allows us to verify its provenance, or history of ownership. The maker’s mark stamped on the bottom tells us it was made in 1900 by Luen Wo, a leading silversmith in Shanghai, China. Documentation accompanying the donation tells us that the set was owned by one-time Los Gatos resident Lochie Rankin. Born in Tennessee, Rankin was a member of the United Methodist Church, South and became the first unmarried woman traveling to China as a member of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society. Fellow members of the Society gifted her with this tea set in recognition for her work in China, where she founded two schools.
The set was donated by her relative and fellow Los Gatan, Dora Mae Rankin, whose family has resided in Los Gatos for generations. All of this information increases the values of this collection. Not only is the silver itself valued in our economy, the workmanship in the pattern, the good condition of the pieces, and the fact that the set is intact all contribute to multiple types of value. What’s more, the set having been kept in the same family and donated directly by them also indicates the familial and sentimental importance of their relative and her dedication to her work.
