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A simple silver mug, covered with engraved inscriptions and decorated with ten coins. Although it is unattractive in form and does not attract attention like other vessels on the display, there is an interesting story behind it. The mug was dedicated and probably also offered to Rudolf Modrzejewski, the son of the famous Polish actress Helena Modrzejewska and Gustaw Zimajer. Modrzejewski was an outstanding railway engineer recognized in the USA and Europe and a pioneer in the construction of suspension bridges. The vessel has a simple form, slightly widening at the top, and is decorated with silver (5 pieces) and gold (4 pieces) coins on its body. The placement of coins of kings considered good rulers in Polish historiography, i.e. the last king of Poland and the city of Kraków, has definitely patriotic connotations. Using the US coins can be explained by the fact that this country became the second homeland to Modrzejewski, known in the USA as Ralph Modjeski, but the presence of the Russian coin is difficult to explain. All coins are installed with their obverse facing out, so that the busts can be seen, and the gold coins are silver-plated on their obverse, so that the entire vessel appears silver. The numerous engravings in Polish on the body and on the bottom of the mug refer to various aspects of Ralph Modjeski’s (as he presented himself outside Poland for simplicity) private and professional life.
