You're bidding on an unusual piece of historic Tennis Memorabilia - a large, 18 1/4" X 13", silverplated tray engraved as follows: "Phila. Tennis Award - Presented By Harry Passon To Joseph W. Wear - In Recognition For Outstanding Contributions To Tennis In Phila. - April 22, 1938". A surprisingly difficult character to research given his historical importance, Joseph W "Joe" Wear (1876-1941) was a major figure in early 20th century Tennis in America. A highly skilled player himself, he was a Bronze medalist in Men's Doubles at the 1904 Olympics, and a multiple U.S. Doubles champion. He is probably best known, though, for his association with the Davis Cup, though, for which he was the Committee Chairman from 1928-1931 and a non-Playing captain of the 1935 team, which consisted of Don Budge, Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn and ultimately lost in the finals to Great Britain. He was also the first Vice President of the United States Lawn Tennis Association. I saw some claims on some genealogy websites that he was co-donor of the Davis Cup trophy with Dwight F. Davis, but was not able to validate that. Interesting side note, Wear was the uncle of 41st president George H.W. Bush and brother-in-law to George Herbert Walker, who donated the Walker Cup golf trophy.The donor of this trophy is also an interesting figure - Harry Passon was the founder of Passon's - a sporting goods store that was longtime fixture in the city. Most notable though, perhaps, for founding the Bacharach Giants, a 1930s Negro League team in Philadelphia. The Davis Cup returned to Philadelphia's Germantown Cricket Club in 1938, after an 11 year absence - it was held there for four straight years in the 1920s - and I'm guessing Passon, a major promoter of sports in the Philadelphia area, either saw an opportunity to capitalize on the event by honoring Philly resident Wear for his historical connection to the event, or perhaps Wear had a hand in bringing it back to the city. As far as I can tell, the award was given only one other time, in 1939 to Don Budge for leading the U.S. victory in 1938 and keeping the cup at Germantown, and becoming the first ever winner of the Grand Slam.Note that as a tray, this piece has some issues - a few spots of pitting, a fairly large ding at the bottom, some significant surface scratch and some lacquer residue on the back - see photos for an overview of condition. Note that it's marked on the back as Melford Silverplate, manufactured by Wallace. As a piece of tennis history, though, it's one-of-a-kind and deserves a spot in any serious collection or archive of the sport. Please review photos carefully to make your own determination of overall condition and appeal, and don't hesitate to ask any questions prior to bidding - thanks for looking!