c.1930s-1950s
Irish Hospital Sweepstake Ashtray
Souvenir ashtray, Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes, Arklow Pottery. c.1930s-1950s, Glazed earthenware.
This ashtray was a souvenir of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes. Its graphic image shows five nurses drawing tickets from the drum with writing stating, 'Win £50,000 in Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes'.
Ill-equipped and underfunded, hospitals in the Irish Free State needed help. The Irish Hospital Sweepstakes was a lottery established in 1930 to finance hospitals. The winning ticket offered the prospect of winning an enormous prize. Staffed largely by women, the Sweepstakes generated large funds for its founders.
The final sweepstake was held in January 1986 after a series of scandalous revelations about how the company had conducted its affairs. The Irish Hospital Sweepstakes went into voluntary liquidation in March 1987.
Object Number: CI:2021.5
More Information
For more information, please see Irish Hospital Sweepstake Story.
Location:
Irish Hospital Sweepstake Ashtray is located at:
On Display
Previous artefact:
Next artefact:
Pocket Guide to Northern Ireland