Antique Silver Card Clips
These antique silver card clips, spanning menu holders to folding card cases, bring character and refined silverwork to any table setting.
Antique Silver Card Clips
When you search for antique silver card clips, you encounter tableware accessories designed to hold place cards, menus, and table numbers, alongside pocket card cases. The pieces on this page lean heavily towards novelty menu holders and place card holders from the Edwardian period onwards.
The selection ranges from figural animals like owls, monkeys, and swans to literary figures such as Alice in Wonderland and Robin Hood, alongside military and flag designs. Makers also produced functional folding card cases with spring clips in sterling silver during the early twentieth century.
Origins span British provincial and London assay offices, alongside Anglo-Indian production in Madras. Enamelled decoration, velvet linings, and silk elements frequently accompany the sterling silver and silver-plated structures.
What varies in quality
Completeness of original fitted presentation cases and matching sets of four or more items elevate a group above individual, mismatched pieces. Intact enamel work without loss or damage maintains the visual integrity of decorated examples.
A monkey playing drums sits firmly among the Edwardian silver menu holders.
Levi & Salaman·A. Wilcox·Grey & Co.·Sampson Mordan·Asprey
The Antique Silver Card Clips Glossary
- Hallmark
- Official stamps applied to precious metal items indicating the assay office, standard of purity, and year of manufacture. These marks provide definitive evidence of date and origin.
- Sterling silver
- An alloy consisting of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent other metals, typically copper. This standard dominated British silver production during the Edwardian and later periods.
- Menu holder
- A small table accessory fitted with a clip or slot to display the evening menu or place card. These pieces often took whimsical or figural forms.
- Assay office
- An official body that tested and marked the purity of precious metals. Towns such as London, Birmingham, and Chester operated distinct offices.
- Novelty silver
- Tableware and small accessories shaped as animals, characters, or objects rather than traditional geometric forms. These pieces demonstrate the whimsy of Edwardian and later silversmiths.
Antique Silver Card Clips: Frequently Asked Questions
What are silver card clips used for?
These pieces function primarily as menu holders, place card holders, and table number markers for formal dining. Some variations serve as pocket-sized folding card cases with internal spring clips.
Collectors prize them for their sculptural variety and their ability to bring period charm to modern table settings.
How do I identify Edwardian examples?
Edwardian pieces date from the reign of King Edward VII between 1901 and 1910. Hallmarks stamped into the silver provide the exact year letter and assay office.
Stylistic cues include naturalistic animal subjects, Art Nouveau motifs, and detailed figural casting typical of this era.
Are cased sets common?
Fitted presentation cases appear frequently with pairs or sets of four menu holders. These boxes are lined with materials such as velvet, silk, or leather to cushion the silver.
Finding a complete set in its original box preserves the historical context of the table accessories.