Are demilune tables always mahogany?

No, but mahogany is the default, appearing in more titles than every other timber put together. Satinwood and walnut follow it, with painted or gilded surfaces a smaller group again. Rosewood, oak, kingwood, maple, padouk and burr yew each turn up in ones and twos.

What is the difference between a console and a card table?

A console is fixed in shape and made to stand against a wall, half-round because it needs a flat back. A card table folds: the semicircular top is hinged and opens onto the frame to make a circle. Both are listed as demilune, and between them they account for most of the category.

How often do these come up for sale?

About thirty a year come to market on Sellingantiques, and 114 different dealers have listed one. That spread tells you it's a form almost every furniture dealer meets rather than a specialist's line.

Do demilune tables come in pairs?

Often enough to be a feature of the category. Around one title in five describes two tables. These include matched pairs assembled from separate tables, and one entry offering a pair of card tables together with a matching sofa table.

Which periods do these tables cover?

Dealer-entered dates run from 1750 to 1930. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are almost evenly represented, with Georgian and Regency labels overlapping both. There is also a substantial early twentieth-century group, taking in 1920s, 1900s and Edwardian pieces. A few seventeenth-century entries appear but sit at the edge of the category.

What is a triple-top demilune?

One with two hinged leaves rather than one, giving three surfaces instead of two. It is uncommon in this category, appearing only twice across the whole sample.