John Keswick’s Coin Tray, 1950

A commemorative coin tray, made in China c.1949 and inscribed ‘From The Chairmen, National Chambers of Commerce to John Keswick, Shanghai, October 1950’. Not quite sure when exactly Keswick was given this gift – after the revoltuion he and his wife were put under house arrest and after that he went to Hong Kong, though Jardine’s did not finally close its PRC operations until 1954. Anyway, here it is with half a dozen Republican-era coins stamped into the tray. I rather thik I would have sold it at auction later too as it’s not the most charming or valuable object ever received by a taipan I expect