Pair Silver Decanter Coasters
Pair silver decanter coasters protect the table from moisture and round out a dining service with polished metal and turned wood.
Pair Silver Decanter Coasters
When you search for pair silver decanter coasters, you look at circular trays designed to hold wine bottles and decanters steady while passing them across the dining table. These pieces appear primarily in Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian styles, spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The most common examples on this page combine sterling silver or Old Sheffield plate with turned mahogany bases, often featuring pierced galleries or gadrooned rims. Makers from Sheffield and London produced these utilitarian items to match formal dining arrangements of their era.
Beyond solid silver, many surviving pairs utilise silver plate over copper or employ turned wood bases fitted with protective green baize underneath. Collectors encounter variations ranging from plain polished bands to deep pierced designs adorned with garlands.
How they were made
Silversmiths constructed these coasters using sterling silver, silver plate, or Old Sheffield plate, often fusing thin sheets of silver to a copper core through heat and pressure. This method created durable metal galleries that supported the weight of heavy glass decanters.
Turned wood formed the interior bases, frequently using dense mahogany secured with a central screw or pinned fitting. Artisans then lined the undersides with baize or felt to prevent scratching the mahogany dining tables upon which they rested.
Pair Silver Decanter Coasters Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for pair silver decanter coasters among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
Green baize guards the table below, keeping centuries of lively dinner table sliding from leaving a mark.
What varies in quality
The distinction between ordinary and superior examples lies in the weight of the metal and the crispness of the chased or pierced decoration along the rim. Heavy gauge silver and well-defined gadrooning indicate careful manufacture, whereas thin metal loses its edge over time.
Base construction also signals quality, particularly the choice of timber and how tightly the turned wood fits within the metal collar. A substantial mahogany base with intact baize lining retains its structural integrity far better than a loose, poorly fitted insert.
Matthew Boulton·John and Thomas Settle·Asprey
The Pair Silver Decanter Coasters Glossary
- Old Sheffield Plate
- A composite material made by fusing a thin layer of silver onto a copper base before rolling them into sheets. This technique predates modern electroplating and leaves a characteristic copper seam visible on raw edges.
- Gallery
- The upright decorative wall or rim encircling the coaster base. Pierced galleries feature cut-out patterns while solid galleries rely on engraving or applied borders.
- Gadroon
- A decorative, ornamental notched or fluted moulding typically found along the rim of the coaster. It provides texture and structural rigidity to the edge.
- Baize
- A coarse woollen material resembling felt glued to the underside of the wooden base. It protects polished dining furniture from friction as the coasters move.
Pair Silver Decanter Coasters: Frequently Asked Questions
What are pair silver decanter coasters used for?
These pieces hold wine bottles and decanters, allowing guests to slide them smoothly across the polished dining table without leaving condensation rings on the wood.
They also elevate the presentation of the bottle during formal meals, framing the glass within a decorative metal gallery.
How do I care for silver plated coasters?
Clean the metal surfaces gently with a specialist silver cloth to remove tarnish without wearing through the thin silver layer or Old Sheffield plating.
Keep the wooden bases and baize linings dry, avoiding immersion in water during cleaning to prevent warping the timber.
How do I tell Georgian coasters from Victorian ones?
Georgian examples often display restrained neoclassical lines, bright-cut engraving, or simple shields, reflecting the taste of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Victorian pieces tend to introduce deeper piercing, heavier cast mounts, and bolder floral garlands that match the more ornate domestic interiors of that era.
What is Old Sheffield plate?
Old Sheffield plate is an early nineteenth-century material created by fusing silver and copper together before shaping the metal into items like wine coasters.
This method differs from later electroplating by producing a thicker, durable layer of silver fused directly to the base metal.