As custodian, Frankel is always
there to repair the Wanamaker which,
like its value, is priceless.
“If you had to make another one in
that scale and weight, I would guess it
would cost in the $50,000 range,” he
says. “But with the hands that have
touched it and the players who have
kissed it, the accumulated value is
limitless. You can’t put a value on it.”
SCOTLAND, LONDON CALLING
This being a Ryder Cup year,
the captain of the winning team
and the host course are presented
replica Ryder cups (that for a time
were made by Frankel) and are 90
percent of the original trophy’s
size. Today, one of these beautiful
replica trophies is on display in the
clubhouse at the Golden Horseshoe
Golf Club’s Gold Course.
Now a seasoned silversmith, Frankel’s
passion for the craft was born out of an early
apprenticeship in London.
not Claret Jug—on the brain. And why not?
It’s a whole lot bigger. It’s a whole lot shinier.
And for one 12-month period, it was a whole
lot his. Well, sort of.
Due to its extremely large size and fragile
nature, the original Wanamaker, donated
by department store magnate Rodman
Wanamaker, is kept in protective custody
in the Sunshine State. A fortified replica—
fashioned years ago by Frankel due to his
previous involvement with the Ryder Cup—is
the circulated one you see on television.
“The original was damaged so many times,
it wasn’t stable at all,” Frankel adds. “The
designer hadn’t anticipated the abuse it would
go through, and it didn’t withstand the test
of time. I actually had to make a complete
new base and stem for it. [At one point] I was
asked to make a new travel trophy. The way
it differs is that it is much heavier, sturdier,
and easier to repair. I get it back every three
years or so to fix.”
According to Frankel, the biggest issues
with touring trophies are poor packing and
that when one arrives at a country club, people
can’t wait to get their hands on it to have a
picture taken with it. These abuses can cause
small dents, discoloration or knock the top
out of round.
w w w. v s g a . o r g
In the case of the Wanamaker, Frankel
made all the models and also did the chasing
and detail work on the replica. The engraving
was done by Colonial Williamsburg’s
engraving shop.
The Colonial Williamsburg silver shop
was closed in January 1995. Frankel, however,
has continued to work independently in his
Williamsburg workshop. And to think, a
glimpse of the Ryder Cup in faraway London
began a lifetime of glimmers, from the face
of the Wanamaker in particular.
“It’s fun to get it back from time to time
and look at it,” Frankel concludes. “It’s
definitely one of the highlights of my career
as a master silversmith—especially in light
of the time I had to spend with the original.
That really has that long-term history.”
Author Bill Kamenjar is a writer from
Rockville, Md., and a regular contributor to
Virginia Golfer.
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