Alistair Hardaker | Image: The Lipton Cup (Glasgow Life)
Glasgow Life discloses theft of historic Lipton Cup on police advice, six months after overnight theft at Riverside Museum.
Police Scotland has launched a public appeal for information following the theft of a gold cup valued at £490,000 from Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. The incident occurred overnight between Wednesday 22 October and Thursday 23 October 2025.
Glasgow Life has confirmed the theft of the Lipton Cup on police advice, having withheld disclosure until now during the ongoing investigation.
The 18-karat gold cup was made by Tiffany and Co and has two handles and a detachable domed lid, set atop a square silver plinth base. It features a representation of the Americas’ Cup on an enamel shield depicting the American flag in red, white and blue. Other decorations include enamel flags representing the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and Lipton’s last racing yacht, Shamrock V, as well as gold ropework. On each side of the silver base, in gold relief, are four symbols of Fraternity, Integrity, Courage and Perseverance.
The cup, also called the American Presentation Cup, was presented to Glaswegian Sir Thomas Lipton in New York in December 1930, following his fifth and final failed attempt to win the Americas’ Cup, the premier international prize in yacht racing. Following Lipton’s death in 1931, it was gifted to the people of Glasgow by his trustees in 1932.
Since October, Glasgow Life has been supporting Police Scotland in the investigation and has reviewed security measures across its museums. The cup has been added to the Art Loss Register, which will flag it to auction houses worldwide.
Jane Rowlands, head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life, said: “We are deeply saddened by the disgraceful theft of this important object from the city’s collection and recognise the strength of feeling it will provoke.”
“Since October, we have been supporting Police Scotland in their investigation to recover the item and have taken steps to review security measures across our museums.
Rowlands encouraged anyone with information to contact the police.
Detective Sergeant Bob Carrigan, from Police Scotland’s Community Investigation Unit in Glasgow, said enquiries remain ongoing, and have included CCTV review and enquiry within the art world.
Detective Sergeant Carrigan said: “I am now appealing to the public for their help as part of our investigation to find and return the item to the museum. Anyone with any information, no matter how small it may seem, is asked to contact the police. It may help us piece together what happened and find the trophy.”
