Scarce antique Melbourne Steamship Co. Ltd shipboard cup and saucer, an attractive piece of early Australian maritime memorabilia.

Both the cup and saucer feature the Melbourne Steamship Co. Ltd emblem surrounded by an attractive brown geometric border design. The matching decoration gives the set a distinctive period appearance.

The Melbourne Steamship Company was a long-established Australian coastal shipping company, operating passenger and cargo vessels around Australian waters. Its vessels were a familiar part of the Australian coastal trade during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The underside of both pieces is marked:

C. McD. Mann & Co. Ltd
Hanley, Staffs & Leadenhall St, London
Made in England

This is genuine commercial-grade English ceramic ware produced for use by the shipping company.

Cup measures approximately 7.5cm high, with the saucer approximately 14cm diameter.

Condition: Good antique used condition with age-related wear, staining, crazing and some wear to the brown transfer decoration. There are hairline cracks visible inside the cup, as clearly shown in the photographs. Please inspect all photos carefully as they form part of the description.

A particularly nice surviving example of Melbourne Steamship Co. shipboard china, and an excellent addition to a collection of Australian coastal shipping memorabilia, ocean liner china, maritime history or early Australian commercial ceramics.

Approximate period: c.1920s–1930s.