Are bistro tables French or English?

Both, with France well ahead. Over half the titles say "french", and the French cast-iron table with a marble top is the form that dominates the category. The English side is a body of Victorian cast-iron pub and garden tables, about a sixth of the listings and a rising share of what's currently for sale. Anything from outside those two countries is unusual: a Spanish mosaic café table, and two Swedish pieces.

What tops do they come with?

Marble leads. It's named in around a quarter of the titles, and "marble top" appears as a phrase in a good many of those. Timber tops follow, in oak, cherry, elm, mahogany, chestnut, fruitwood and cedar. Beyond that there are stone and polished granite tops, a zinc top, a mosaic top and pierced iron tops cast as part of the table.

How old is a Victorian bistro table likely to be?

The dated listings run from 1850 to 1930, and just under half carry a clean year rather than a span. "19th Century" is the commonest dating entry by a distance, with "Victorian" next. Where a decade is given, the 1900s and 1920s outnumber the 1850s, 1870s and 1890s several times over. Treat a broad label as an estimate.

What is a vendange table?

A French folding table from the wine trade, used at harvest, with a timber top and a frame that folds flat. Listings also call them vineyard or vigneron tables. They're a small but distinct group, under a tenth of what comes through, and they sit alongside the iron-based tables rather than looking anything like them.

Do they turn up as pairs?

Roughly one listing in twelve is a pair or a set. Paired cast-iron and marble tables have sold at around twice the level of a single. Sets go further than two. A run of seven hardwood bar tables has appeared, along with a zinc-topped table offered with six folding chairs.

Are any makers named on these tables?

No. Nothing in this category carries a maker's name, and the descriptions don't attribute them either. What does recur is a pattern name. "Britannia" attaches to English cast-iron pub table bases, and "Arras" to a French bistro form. Both sit above their unnamed equivalents.

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Antique Bistro Tables

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A small round café table on an iron pedestal or tripod, carrying a marble, timber or stone top, made to seat two in a bar, on a terrace or in a garden.