Whitechapel Cup Bell:

These are not antiques, but I thought people might like to see pictures (G5 & C6) of them anyway.  Cup bells come with or without leather handles and small handguards.  No ornamentation is on either, but the bell designation is on the handle and “Whitechapel Bell Foundry” is stamped inside the handle.  The castings are thicker and heavier then regular handbells.  Lathe marks are visible on the outside (about the same as modern bell) but are polished smooth.  The insides are unfinished.  They do not have clappers and are either suspended on a rack or held and played with mallets.  The fundamental is very strong and overtones are not tuned, which is normal because of the shape of the bell.  This gives them a lovely, distinct tone that provides a nice contrast when used with regular handbells.  The lower the note, the larger the diameter and length of the bell.  Big ones look almost like coffee mugs minus the handles!  They are available in 4 full chromatic octaves.