An Extremely Rare Pair of ‘Old Sheffield Plate’ Wine Slide / Bottle Adapters, English Circa 1820

This extremely rare pair of ‘Old Sheffield Plate’ bottle adapters convert the pair of associated ‘Old Sheffield Plate’ slides / coasters from accepting decanters, magnum & double magnum-sized bottles, to also accommodating standard size Burgundy & Bordeaux bottles which allow them to then ‘slide’ or ‘coast’ along the dining table in a stable fashion. Accompanying these rare adapters are an associated pair of ‘Old Sheffield Plate’ slides / coasters with seamed convex bodies rising from turned wooden bases with silvered roundels – one slide engraved with vinery, both rims decorated with applied cast silver mounts depicting shell & scroll elements.
All four items remain in very good condition with wear consistent with age & use, no sign of repairs or re-plating. Interior diameter dimensions, 5.25”
It should be noted that these fine & rare bottle adapters are not limited to the aforementioned coasters / slides, but will also accommodate most other examples with similar interior dimensions.
Following extensive comparative research, I have found no other examples of bottle adapters fashioned either in Old Sheffield Plate or in electroplate, which strongly supports the notion that these adapters were likely commissioned and are therefore truly rare in the marketplace.

Old Sheffield Plate was first developed in Britain during the mid18th century in order to replicate items found only in sterling silver at the time, at a fraction of the cost. The process involved sandwiching a sheet of copper between two layers of silver, then heating & rolling it into sheets to then be formed into an assortment of table items i.e. various forms of hollowware, candelabras, candlesticks, wine coasters, etc., and even cutlery which is quite scarce. This process ceased with the advent of electroplating, which was developed and patented by Elkington & Company in 1840.

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