-Memorabilia-
-Minute Books-
There are 7 books of minutes.
The first 6 were copied onto microfiche at the request of Vyvyan Howard (Secretary) in 1991 and arrangements are being made to scan them again into electronic formats.
Minutes were first handwritten, with interspersed typed copy which gradually became the norm. The minutes were first word processed in 1984 (Dion Bell, Secretary) and have been available in the original electronic format since 1998 (Geoff Gill, Secretary).
The 6 older volumes of minutes are stored in the library of the Liverpool Medical Institution. The current volume is maintained by the Secretary.
-President’s Badge of Office-
The badge of office is worn by the President at all meetings of the Club, suspended from a blue neck ribbon. It was made of sterling silver by Walker & Hall of Sheffield in 1957 and is kept in the original presentation case between meetings. The assay marks are identical to those on the gavel, so it was presumably made in readiness for the 50th anniversary celebrations in 1958.
-Gavel-
The gavel and its stand were presented to the Club by D Blair Macaulay, President, at a special dinner held on Sat 1st February 1958 to commemorate the 50th birthday of the Club. The stand has sterling silver plates on all four sides and the top (Walker & Hall of Sheffield, 1957), recording the names of Presidents since 1908, and required extensive repairs in 2001. The gavel, stand and individual sides can be viewed below
-Ties-
Polyester club ties and bowties were first commissioned by Vyvyan Howard (Secretary) and were delivered by Maccravats of Macclesfield in 1991. Featuring red XX motifs on a blue background, these ties were given to new members until the supply ran out in 2001.
After protracted discussion starting during his Presidency in 2002, a new tie was commissioned by Mike Scott and finally arrived in 2005 costing £20. Rumoured to originate from the back streets of Kowloon and fabricated from a shiny material of uncertain provenance, these ties did not find much favour with members.
Further prolonged debate eventually resulted in Colm O’Mahony ordering new woven jacquard silk ties from Creative Club Ties & Accessories Ltd of Stockport at a cost of £15 each. Due to the inability of Club members to agree on a colour, this was provided in both blue and red and first offered to the Club on Ladies Night in April 2010.
-Cufflinks-
Club cufflinks were commissioned by Mike Scott (President) in 2002 and a limited edition of 20 pairs was presented in 2003 by Kayes of Chester at a cost of £125 per pair. The face of the links is in enamel and sterling silver, attached to a steel backing and link.
In late 2011, Colm O’Mahony obtained a limited supply of new cufflinks at the knock-down price of £20 a pair from TM Lewin of Jermyn Street, London, reduced from £69. The customer specifies the letter on the cuff link, representing his initials. TM Lewin was surprised to receive a request for 10 pairs with X on each cufflink, from Colm in his alter ego as Xavier Xanadou and his 9 relatives, also named XX. Members rallied round to supply suitable names and the order was filled.
The endless quest for sartorial elegance led Colm O’Mahony to commission new cufflinks from Rachel Bruce, a Dundee jewellery student. The final design incorporates a more robust T-bar to allow for the dwindling dexterity of Club members after a full dinner and port. The cufflinks, with red letters on sterling silver, complement the red Club tie nicely and proved very popular with members when first released at £45 a pair in October 2012
-Tastevins-
The first wine tasting cup was presented to the XX Club by the outgoing Sommelier, Gareth Williams, in 2003. It was a reproduction by Etain of the silver tastevins used in the Hospices de Beaune, the coat of arms of which were on the back. Williams purchased this by email for approx €30, and had inscribed on the underside of the lip the words “XX · MMII · IN VINO HUMILITAS”.
For further information on the annual charitable wine auction in Beaune, see Hospices de Beaune Wines
The tastevin was mislaid by Colm O’Mahony (Sommelier) sometime in 2004 during the confusion that frequently follows a successful meeting of the Club. A new tastevin was kindly donated by Chris Evans (Senior Member) in 2009 and has been worn by the Sommelier at subsequent meetings.
Costing about €90 in Beaune, its origin from the “Caves des Moines” is inscribed on the handle between the words “Bourgognes” and “Beaunes”. The letters “XX” were engraved on the inside of the bowl at the time of purchase.
-Decanters-
Following the fleeting appearance of a decanter engraved with a shamrock during the reign of Colm O’Mahony as Sommelier, the Club was pleased to receive a “Le Vrai Gourmet” port decanter, presented by David Wile (Sommelier) in 2009. Purchased for £25 in the summer sale at Debenhams, the handmade crystalline decanter has a wide base that guarantees stability, but makes safe pouring a challenge after a heavy meal.
A second decanter was acquired for £11 by the Sommelier (David Wile) in the Habitat closing down sale in Summer 2012. This elegantly simple container is much easier to use.
