Is a stick stand the same as an umbrella stand?

Yes. The same object is sold under both names, and 425 of 690 titles on Sellingantiques use the word "stick". Most of those titles say "umbrella" as well, so the two words tend to travel together rather than describe different things.

What are most of them made from?

Brass and cast iron lead the archive, appearing in hundreds of titles between them, usually as a sectional frame with a tray dropped into the base. Timber comes next, chiefly oak, either turned as a cylinder or coopered from staves. Mahogany, walnut, pitch pine and copper all appear in smaller numbers.

How old are the ones that come up for sale?

The dated field runs from 1800 to 1960, but Victorian and 19th Century between them cover 316 of the dated listings, so era labels do most of the dating. Edwardian, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s and 1920s pieces all show up in reasonable numbers. Pre-1830 examples are thin on the ground.

Do they always come with the tray?

No. Titles that advertise "original tray", "original metal drip tray" or "with drip tray" use it as a selling point, which tells you the tray isn't taken for granted. Where it survives, the piece sits higher in the range than a comparable stand without one.

Where were they made?

England accounts for the largest group by named origin, with 65 titles, and France comes next at 32, including cast-iron and grape-hotte examples. Scottish, Belgian, Italian, Austrian, Scandinavian, Breton, American and Japanese pieces each turn up only once or twice.

Are unusual one-offs common in this category?

They're a thin but persistent thread. Single appearances include a studio pottery stand, a white marble stand, a majolica stand, a Japanese porcelain stand, an antler coat stand, a trench-art stand and a dug-out tree trunk. Repurposed vessels recur a little more often: leather WW1 cordite and shell carriers, French grape hottes, whisky and water barrels and leather fire buckets, all sold as stick stands. Around 67 umbrella stands are listed on Sellingantiques in a year, and 155 different dealers have handled one.