Silver Menu Card Clip
These silver menu card clips are small silver pieces that bring order and character to a dining table.
Silver Menu Card Clip
A silver menu card clip holds dining table menus and place cards upright for guests to read easily during a meal. The pieces on this page span the 19th century through to the mid-20th century, encompassing Edwardian, Victorian, George VI, and mid-century modern periods.
The selection includes single items, pairs, and larger sets of four or twenty-four pieces. Forms vary from simple utilitarian shapes to figural designs representing animals, military subjects, and literary characters.
Makers working within styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco produced these table accessories in sterling silver and silver plate, sometimes incorporating secondary materials like enamel or glass.
Materials and Technique
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver and silver plate to shape the main bodies of these clips, employing casting and stamping techniques to achieve detailed figural forms such as owls, swans, and monkeys.
Certain pieces integrate vitreous enamel to add colour and detail, particularly in military and flag designs. Secondary backing elements involve materials such as velvet, silk, leather, glass, and feathers.
Silver Menu Card Clip Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for silver menu card clip 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.
Among the creatures keeping watch over dining tables, a solitary monkey drumming away cheerfully earns a second look from every guest.
Quality and Distinction
The distinction between standard examples and superior pieces rests on the crispness of the casting and the complexity of the subject matter. Figural subjects depicting animals, birds, or literary scenes demonstrate higher sculptural ambition than plain geometric clips.
Attribution to documented makers and specific assay office hallmarks elevate a piece, as do complete original cased sets rather than mismatched or single items.
Levi & Salaman·A. Wilcox·Grey & Co.·Sampson Mordan·Asprey
The Silver Menu Card Clip Glossary
- Sterling silver
- A silver alloy containing 92.5 percent pure silver and 7.5 percent other metals, usually copper, ensuring structural durability for small table accessories.
- Hallmark
- An official mark stamped onto precious metal items to guarantee the metal standard, the assay office, and the year of manufacture.
- Place card holder
- A small table accessory designed to hold a guest name card, often sharing the same design vocabulary as a menu clip.
- Enamel
- A glassy substance fused to the surface of metal through firing, utilised to introduce decorative colour.
- Assay office
- A statutory body that tests the purity of precious metals and stamps them with official hallmarks.
Silver Menu Card Clip: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a silver menu card clip?
A silver menu card clip is a small desk or table accessory designed to grip a menu or place card securely in an upright position during formal dining.
These pieces sit upon the dining table to inform guests of the courses or their seating arrangements, combining practical utility with decorative display.
How do I date a silver menu clip?
Dating a silver menu clip relies upon reading the hallmarks stamped onto the metal, which indicate the assay office, date letter, and maker's mark.
Stylistic indicators such as Art Nouveau curves or Art Deco geometry also help narrow down the period of manufacture when hallmarks are rubbed.
Were these made as pairs or sets?
Makers produced these accessories individually, in pairs, and in larger sets of four or more depending on the requirements of the dining table.
Sets often matched the number of courses served or the seating capacity of the host, while single clips served smaller or less formal gatherings.
How should I clean silver menu clips?
Cleaning requires a soft microfibre cloth and a mild silver polish designed to remove tarnish without abrading the fine details of the casting.
Special care must be taken with pieces that incorporate enamel, velvet, silk, or glass inserts to avoid damaging those secondary materials.