Victorian Wine Coasters
Victorian wine coasters protect dining tables while holding bottles and decanters in style.
Victorian Wine Coasters
Victorian wine coasters protect dining tables while holding bottles, decanters and carafes. They appear in pairs and sets across this selection, designed to slide smoothly across polished mahogany or walnut during after-dinner port and claret service.
The most common examples on this page are silver plated vessels from the nineteenth century, often decorated with pierced foliage, grape motifs and cast borders. Wooden and papier-maché variants also emerge alongside heavy double-bottle carriages and simple porcelain stands.
Materials and Construction
Makers utilised silver plate, Old Sheffield plate and solid sterling silver over turned wooden bases or metal frames. Interiors commonly feature baize or velvet lining to cushion the glass base of the bottle.
Techniques range from hand-hammered piercing and engraving to papier-maché moulding and traditional treen wood-turning. Many incorporate heavy applied cast rims depicting vines, leaves and scrolls.
Victorian Wine Coasters Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for victorian wine 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.
Listings feature silver plate, rosewood, copper, porcelain and papier-maché across nineteenth-century forms.
Judging Quality
Quality rests in the crispness of cast decorative borders and the depth of the metal plating over the base metal. Sharp definition in grape and vine motifs distinguishes finer workshop output from simpler stamped production.
The integrity of the turned wooden insert and the original baize lining contribute significantly to the appeal of a piece. Matched sets command greater attention than assembled groups of similar design.
Rupert Favell & Co.·Maple London·Davis and Sons·Hawksworth Eyre & Co·Thomas Bradbury & Sons
The Victorian Wine Coasters Glossary
- Old Sheffield plate
- A composite material formed by fusing a thin sheet of silver to a thicker copper core. This technique was largely superseded by electroplating during the nineteenth century.
- Treen
- Small handmade wooden objects for domestic use. Coasters fashioned from turned wood fall into this category.
- Baize
- A coarse woolen fabric used to line the undersides and interiors of coasters. It protects the table surface and the bottle base.
- Decanter carriage
- A wheeled frame holding one or more wine coasters. It allowed bottles to be rolled down the length of the dining table.
- Pierced work
- Metal perforated with decorative openwork patterns. Makers often used this technique to create repeating geometric or floral motifs along the sides.
Victorian Wine Coasters: Frequently Asked Questions
How were Victorian wine coasters used at the table?
Hosts placed bottles and decanters inside them to circulate wine around the mahogany dining table without scratching the wood.
The raised rims kept condensation and drips off the linen tablecloth during long dinner parties.
What metals were used to make these coasters?
Manufacturers worked primarily in silver plate, Old Sheffield plate, copper and solid sterling silver.
Some pieces also incorporated base metals alongside turned rosewood, porcelain or papier-maché.
How do I care for silver plated coasters?
Clean the metal gently with a dedicated silver cloth and avoid abrasive polishes that wear away the plating.
Keep the baize lining dry and store the pieces away from damp environments to protect the wood and fabric.
Are these coasters still suitable for modern bottles?
Standard Victorian coasters accommodate traditional wine bottles and many modern bordeaux or burgundy shapes.
Larger magnum bottles require specific wider holders or double carriages designed for champagne.