World’s Largest Pewter Tankard

Weighing in at over 3,400 pounds, with a volumetric capacity of nearly 750 gallons, the ginormous jug at the front of the Royal Selangor factory is a tribute to Malaysia’s impressive mining history. An alloy of tin mixed with a dash of copper and antimony, pewter is an emblematic export of Malaysia, especially since the nation was once the world’s largest producer of tin.

For its 100th anniversary in 1985, Royal Selangor produced the titanic tankard, which made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. And the company had good reason to celebrate, having set the standard for pewter goods worldwide despite its humble beginnings.  

Founder Yong Koon arrived in Malaysia in the late 19th century along with thousands of other Chinese immigrants who sought their fortunes following the discovery of vast tin reserves. Yong experimented with pewter alloys and made a name for himself selling small ceremonial items on the local markets.

When those markets collapsed in the 1930s, he focused on developing western-style products that appealed to British and European markets. And when his four sons took over the business, they expanded into international markets, creating a pewter empire in the later 20th century that is still family-owned and -operated.

The company received a royal warrant in 1979 from the sultan of Selangor, and in 1992, the company officially became known as Royal Selangor. The stupendous stoup is now a standard suitable for a singular sovereign of stannum. 

After mugging for the cameras in front of the fantastical flagon, visitors can take a free tour of the facility and museum. On the factory floor, Selangor artisans demonstrate the various skills necessary to creating fine pewter objects, and even teach visitors to shape their own works of art using techniques pioneered by Yong Koon.

Visitors entering the museum will have their mettle tested by a giant tin crocodile lying in wait. When tin was used as currency in the 18th century, it was sometimes minted in the shape of animals, and what better companion to a giant mug than a giant mugger.

The museum also features a 1,578-kg box of swarf–the chips and shavings left over from the factory floor–as well as the famous “lucky teapot.” As the story goes, a man was scavenging warehouses for food during WWII when he bent over to pick up a wayward melon-shaped pewter teapot. Just at that moment, a bullet wizzed overhead, and the fortunate scrounger’s life was saved. The teapot was an original design of Yong’s, and the life-saving story made it famous worldwide.

Tankard tourists will discover hours’ worth of activities such that they will definitely feel that their cup runneth over.