Interesting chalice-style cup, approximately 7" in height, its engravings celebrating the crew meet between Harvard and Rutgers in 1870.  This was one of the very first intercollegiate sporting events in the history of Rutgers University, just a few months after they played in the first intercollegiate football game in November of 1869.  Participating on behalf of Rutgers was Madison M. Ball, the last veteran of the Civil War to enroll at Rutgers.  Ball fought for the Union Army with the New York infantry in the south.  Ball also played in the aforementioned football game between Rutgers and Princeton.  Rutgers lost the crew event by seven seconds.  The silver plated cup presents extremely well, though has tarnished to an almost black patina.  Some slight irregularities are present in the round area of the base in the form of very minor changes to the round shape of the base in that it is not perfectly round.  While we cannot unequivocally date the piece to 1870, it is certainly of vintage, an outstanding piece memorializing what was one of the earliest intercollegiate sporting events for Rutgers University.