What London silversmith made the original Stanley Cup bowl?

G. R. Collis and Company made and sold the original Stanley Cup bowl through its London shop.

Lord Stanley of Preston purchased the silver vessel in 1892 and donated it as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. Silver expert John Culme identified the object as a rose bowl rather than a conventional drinking or punch cup; it was made in Sheffield and sold by the London silversmith G. R. Collis and Company for ten guineas.

The original bowl carried the words “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup” on one side of its outer rim and “From Stanley of Preston” on the other. The name “Stanley Cup” was already in use in newspaper coverage by May 1893.

The trophy has changed considerably since then. Winning clubs initially added bands for their names, and the expanding structure eventually earned the nickname “Stovepipe Cup.” Today, the original bowl is preserved separately from the presentation trophy used by NHL champions.