SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Inside Wakefield-Scearce Gallery, antiques fill every display case — but it's not the spoons or silver saucers that put this small-town museum on the map. It's the mint julep cups.
The gallery's owner, Matt Burnett, traces the origin of the iconic vessel back to his grandfather, Mark J. Scearce.
"The idea for our julep cups that you know today started with my grandfather. He was a jeweler across the street here from us. This was around 1947," Burnett said.
As the nation rationed silver in the shadow of World War II, Scearce ran a newspaper ad to buy back American silver — odds and ends, utensils, and sometimes old julep cups.
"He gets julep cups, and starts to really fall in love with them," Burnett said.
From his modest jewelry shop, Scearce began crafting his own take on the Southern drinking vessel. In the early years, he sourced silver from dismantled factory tools. His big break came in 1946 when he convinced a smelting firm in New York to supply the silver.
The cups stood out for their signature eagle cartouche — inspired by Britain's centuries-old hallmark system — and delicate beaded edges. The design is sturdy yet seamless.
"It's an artform to do it where it looks seamless," Burnett said, holding the iconic cup.
The first retail cups rolled out during President Harry Truman's administration, and that's where a presidential tradition began. With every new administration, the president's initials are engraved on the bottom of a cup and sent to the White House.
"We've gotten letters back from just about every president, and the earlier ones were from the actually President signing them," Burnett said.
Recently, Burnett acquired a personal collection of julep cups from Jimmy Carter's estate.
Beyond the White House, the cups are awarded to stakes winners at Keeneland and occasionally handed to champions at Churchill Downs.
For those without a presidential run or a photo finish in their future, the cups are available for purchase at the gallery — a piece of Kentucky tradition whether sipped from or put on display.
"It's a wonderful story. It's a legacy of our family and something that I carry very deeply. It kind of propels me from day to day to keep doing what I'm doing because our names is on the door and we want to carry that tradition," Burnett said.
