Sterling Silver Bottle Tag
A sterling silver bottle tag sits upon the neck of a decanter, naming the vintage within with bright metal and pierced script.
Sterling Silver Bottle Tag
A sterling silver bottle tag, also known as a decanter label or bottle ticket, identifies the contents of wine and spirits vessels. The forms on this page span several centuries, with Georgian and Victorian examples forming the majority of the selection.
Makers shaped these tags into escutcheons, vines, shields and scrolls to hang from chains around the necks of glass decanters. Traditional British styles sit alongside Chinese export pieces featuring dragon motifs.
Beverage designations range from common table wines such as sherry, port, madeira and claret to spirits like rum, gin, whisky, brandy and cayenne.
Silver and enamel construction
Silversmiths constructed these pieces from sterling silver and solid silver, employing techniques of casting, piercing, engraving and stamping. The lettering was often pierced by hand or raised from the plate.
Colour appears in select pieces through the addition of enamel, particularly on mid-century items and later twentieth-century designs. Matching chains of silver suspend the tags from the bottlenecks.
One tiny Georgian tag exists solely to name cayenne pepper.
The markers of distinction
Quality rests in the crispness of the pierced or engraved lettering and the depth of the metal stamp. Maker marks from noted silversmiths elevate certain examples above standard workshop output.
Design complexity separates basic rectangular tags from sculpted vine leaves, escutcheons and figural pieces. Weight, gauge of silver and survival of the original suspension chain further distinguish finer pieces.
Elizabeth Morley·Digby Scott Benjamin Smith·John Reily·Thomas Wallis II·William Sharp·Peter And Anne Bateman·Mappin And Webb·Georg Jensen·Asprey
The Sterling Silver Bottle Tag Glossary
- Escutcheon
- A shield-shaped plate used for heraldry or inscriptions. On bottle tags, this shape provides a classic backdrop for the wine title.
- Decanter label
- A small metal tag hung from a decanter by a chain to identify the liquor inside. These items are also called bottle tickets.
- Piercing
- A metalworking technique where shapes are cut out from a sheet of silver to form letters or decorative borders.
- Hallmark
- An official stamp applied to precious metals indicating standard of purity, place of origin and year of assay.
- Enamel
- A glassy substance fused to the surface of metal through firing for decoration and colour.
Sterling Silver Bottle Tag: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I date a silver bottle tag?
Dating relies heavily on the hallmarks stamped into the silver, which indicate the assay office and year of manufacture. Stylistic shifts, such as the ornate vine leaves of the Georgian period versus later minimalist designs, also provide clues.
Maker marks help narrow down the exact decade of production when records of the silversmith exist.
How were bottle tags used historically?
Hosts placed these tags around the necks of crystal decanters to inform guests of the contents when serving port, sherry or claret. They prevented confusion at the dining table once decanted from opaque original bottles.
The chains allowed the tags to hang freely without damaging the glass.
Can I use antique tags on modern decanters?
Antique silver tags fit modern decanters provided the chain length accommodates the thickness of the bottleneck. Many collectors continue to use them in active dining settings.
Care should be taken to match the scale of the tag to the size of the glass vessel.