Are these actually platters or plates?

Both, plus chargers. "Plate" appears in most titles, "charger" in about a fifth, and "meat" or "serving" in a smaller group that covers the oval platter forms. So the heading gathers large flat tableware generally rather than oval meat dishes alone.

What are most of them made from?

Ceramic. Japanese Imari porcelain, English blue-and-white transferware and ironstone, and tin-glazed delft account for the bulk of what circulates. Metal turns up rarely but persistently: English pewter with reeded, incised and plain rims, an Old Sheffield plated meat dome, a silver-plated cake platter, Indian silver-plate dishes and a brass armorial plate from Pau.

How old are Imari plates and chargers listed here?

Japanese Imari is the strongest single thread in the titles, and it sits mainly under the loose labels, "19th Century" and "1900s". Shapes vary widely within that: scalloped, octagonal, square and oval, with one modelled in the form of a fish. Some titles name Arita, the kiln region, as the more precise attribution.

Do they come in sets or as single pieces?

Single pieces far outnumber sets. Plural "plates" occurs in only twelve titles against seventy-eight that say "plate". When multiples do appear they are pairs, trios and sets of four, six and seven, and they sit well above comparable singles in price.

Which English blue-and-white patterns show up?

Named patterns in the archive include Elephant, Returning Woodman, Classical Ruins, Chinese Garden and Lovick's. The word "pattern" itself appears in thirteen titles. Many of these are meat plates and larger platters in transfer-printed earthenware or ironstone, with "English Georgian" a recurring label.

What sits at the top of the range?

A Qing dragon charger holds the top overall figure. An armorial set connected to a named Indian service accounts for the highest English asking figure. The two Japanese cloisonné pieces, one with an ibis and one with phoenix birds, also sit near the top. A pair of early-19th-century blue-and-white plates marks the bottom.

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Antique Platters

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Large flat tableware for presenting joints, fish and fruit at table: round plates and chargers, oval meat platters, and shaped dishes, most of them ceramic and many now hung or stood as display pieces.