According to Kelly & Ellwood in their 1990 book Trivets & Stands, the first George Washington Trivet was designed and cast in brass for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. George Washington was an appropriate subject, considering that the Exposition was held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence!

In a few minute’s Internet Search I easily located several of these GW trivets. Some were obvious reproductions; others appeared to be older castings. So … if the design has remained essentially the same over the years, how would someone be able to differentiate a newer reproduction from an earlier casting?

Signature The original George Washington trivet had no signature on the reverse. Recent reproductions from JZH (1948), Darilyte and Virginia Metalcrafters (1950s-1960s) were signed with the company name; the Virginia Metalcrafters trivet also bears the company logo.

Casting Mark The oldest trivets will have either a sprue, wedge or poorly filed gate mark; see my Article, Trivets of Cast Metal. You probably will not be able to detect the gate mark(s) on a recent casting because they are so well filed.

Leg Length Modern reproduction trivets tend to have legs that are less than 1 inch in length; many may be only a half an inch. That’s because these trivets were meant for decorative wall display. Earlier castings will have longer legs because that lifted the trivet farther above the surface it was designed to protect.

Shape of Legs Modern reproduction trivets have legs that are short, straight and round on cross-section. Older trivets have legs that may taper or that are square, triangular, half or quarter round on cross-section.

Evidence of Wear Look at the top surface and the bottoms of the legs; on an older trivet some wear is to be expected. The legs on antique trivets often bend inward; this is seen more commonly on brass trivets but also occurs with cast iron.

Variations of Handle The original design featured a handle that was open in the center. Subsequent castings featured either an open or a solid handle.

Backcoping Backcoping refers to a routing out of sections of the trivet reverse in order to decrease both the amount of metal needed and the weight of the final casting. In the original casting, the area behind the bust of Washington is backcoped. In contrast, most modern reproductions are completely flat on the reverse.

The Pigtail! Modern reproduction designs often do not include the pigtail of the wig George is wearing; older castings will always include it.

And what about value? At one time the George Washington trivet design was considered scarce, but since the advent of the Internet many have been brought to Auction and they are now relatively easy to obtain.

* $25-$45: Signed, reproduction trivets
* $45-$85: Older, vintage or antique, unsigned versions in brass or iron
* $85- $185: The very nicest older specimens in cast iron or brass with a prominent casting mark, long legs, nice detail and no damage
* > $200: The highest bidding would be for an original, circa 1876 George Washington Trivet specimen in brass, with open handle, 1⅜” legs and and showing signs on the reverse suggesting its origins via wax casting. I would estimate that the bidding would start at around $200 and end at $350 to $500. Two or more passionate collectors, bidding against each other, could cause the ending price to be even higher. I believe the brass trivet pictured here to be an original casting. It has a sprue mark on the reverse and the legs are bent slightly inward from age.

Now that I’ve said all that, a very nice older specimen of the George Washington trivet, cast iron with a closed handle and sprue mark on the reverse, was offered at auction by Early American through Live Auctioneers and sold for $1000 in May 2007!

As they say, value is ultimately in the eye (and pocketbook) of the beholder.

 Lynn Rosack is a Worthologist who specializes in trivets and kitchenalia

I recently received the following question from a fellow WorthPoint member:

I have a couple Wilton trivets (eagle in wreath w/heart) and I’m interested in the history of the eagle/wreath/heart symbol. Do you have any information on this?

What a great question! The American bald eagle has been prominently featured in many different trivet designs. Eagle and Heart or Eagle is probably the most familiar and often reproduced eagle trivet design. That pattern features an eagle and heart within a circular laurel leaf wreath. According to Rob Roy Kelly & James Ellwood in their 1994 book A Collector’s Guide To Trivets & Stands, the original design dates to the 1860s and can be attributed to the Community of Zoar, Ohio. Reproductions of this design were mass-produced in the 1950s through 1960s by American foundries such as Wilton and John Wright, both of which are still active today.

Let’s consider the subtle message of the American bald eagle. In June of 1782, the Continental Congress adopted the eagle as its national symbol. Later that same year, the Great Seal of the United States was designed and first used. The eagle on the Great Seal has always faced towards the olive branch. However, the eagle on the Presidential Seal, designed in 1880, originally faced the arrows! On Oct. 26, 1945, at the conclusion of World War II, Harry Truman had the Presidential Seal redesigned so that the eagle was facing the olive branch of peace.

What is the significance of direction? When a design features an eagle holding a bundle of arrows and an olive branch in its talons, be sure to note which direction the bird faces. If it faces towards the bundle of 13 arrows, it symbolizes the power of war. If it faces towards the olive branch with thirteen leaves, it symbolizes the power of peace. The number 13 in each symbolizes the original thirteen colonies.

Keep those great questions coming!

Lynn Rosack is a Worthologist who specializes in trivets and kitchenalia.

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What is the difference between Cast Iron and Wrought Iron? Cast iron objects are created from molten metal that has been poured into a mold and allowed to harden. In contrast, wrought iron items are individually created by bending pieces of hot, malleable iron.

The first simple metal castings date to the Neolithic period (6000 – 1800 BC). Through the following centuries different metals were discovered and new techniques were developed. Foundries were prevalent in Europe prior to the first settlers colonizing America, and the Pilgrims brought their knowledge of metal working to America with them. However, it was not until after the Civil War that foundries were well established in the United States. Until then, a blacksmith hand forged the metal objects needed for everyday use.

The most popular metals for casting have been iron, brass and bronze. Iron is the most common metal used for early American trivets. There were many shapes … spade, rectangular, circular, oval, and freeform. In the late 1800s to 1920s it was popular to apply a plated coating (nickel, brass or copper) to iron; the plating served to prevent the formation of rust. A Japanned (lacquer) finish was also popular during the same period and for the same reason.

One method of evaluating age in a trivet is by identifying the Cast Mark, which is the scar left when the downspout or gate is severed after casting. There will be one of three types of casting marks. The first two marks, the Sprue and the Wedge, were typical of trivets pre-dating 1865 and appear on the trivet center reverse. A Sprue mark is round while a Wedge mark is rectangular. The third mark, the rectangular Gate mark or marks, can be found along the rim and was seen in castings where two or more trivets were cast in one mold pour. Pronounced or incompletely filed gate marks are typical of castings predating 1895.

A cast mark is more easily identified on trivets made of iron and bronze, because the hardness of those metals made removing traces of the scar more difficult. Since brass is a softer metal, casting marks were more easily removed during finishing and may not be evident.

Some of the early foundry castings (1870s to 1920s) were thin and delicately formed, exhibiting sharp detail, an openwork design and occasionally letters and/or numbers. Others were more substantial and featured Pennsylvania Dutch designs such as the distelfink or the rosette. There were trivets cast for utilitarian use as iron stands or pot rests. Other trivets served as coffee, tea or table stands.

View the examples provided of the various casting marks, and from now on always examine trivets with an eye for identifying their birthmark!

Lynn Rosack is a Worthologist who specializes in trivets and kitchenalia.

Welcome to the fascinating world of trivet collecting!

By definition, a trivet is a three-legged stand. When used at an early hearth, three legs were important, because the design made a tall trivet more stable and less likely to tip over. As the hearth made way for the freestanding stove, new designs were created with shorter legs; these were used to protect a surface from the effects of a hot pan or iron. The term “stand” most correctly designates a trivet used to support an iron. It’s also used to describe a support with four or more legs, such as a tea or coffee stand. Today the terms trivet and stand are often used interchangeably.

Trivets continue to be manufactured and are still used today. Stands served their utilitarian purpose until the 1930s, when the electric iron (with its built-in rest) came into common use. Until then, while some stands were purchased, others were included in the purchase of a fuel iron or sadiron, or were received as an advertising promotion.

Trivets experienced a resurgence in popularity during the 1950s through 1970s, when housewives rediscovered their decorative appeal. A number of the more popular antique designs were cast at foundries such as Wilton and John Wright. Fortunately for collectors, the majority of contemporary trivets were signed at casting so that they are easily identified as reproduction.

Some collectors specialize in a specific era, while others welcome trivets from all eras in their collections. I choose to classify my trivets and stands as noted below.

• Antique: 100 years old or older
• Vintage: pre-1940
• Contemporary, Older Castings: 1940-1970
• Contemporary, Recent Castings: post 1970

Below I’ve provided a list of the categories of items that would be of interest to a trivet collector. Please check back at WorthPoint regularly for future research articles, which will discuss identification; cleaning, storage and display; value and rarity; the recognition of reproductions; and reference sources.

• Trivets Cast of Metal
• Wire Trivets
• Porcelain and Pottery Trivets
• Trivets of Wrought or Hand Forged Iron
• Sterling or Plated Silver Trivets
• Wood and Paper Trivets
• Reference Books and Trade Catalogs
• Ephemera: Paper, Postcards and Trade Cards
• Go-Withs: items that enhance the display potential of a collection such as Irons, Sprinkle Bottles, Figurines, Linens, Images and Kitchenalia

Are trivets and stands valuable and collectible? The answer is YES! The scrap metal drives of World War II reconfigured many earlier trivets into armaments and battleships, leaving fewer to be collected. Value can vary from $5 for the most common contemporary design to hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for the most elusive trivet. In 2007, a set of antique brass irons within two ornate trivets sold at auction for $24,000!

It’s always important for any collector to interact with others who share the same interests. Trivet collectors in the United States are fortunate to have a fantastic organization that can meet all their needs for networking, collecting, education and socialization. The Pressing Iron & Trivet Collectors of America (formerly the Midwest Sad Iron Collectors Club) was founded in 1984, publishes a quarterly newsletter and meets annually at a national Convention. PITCA also holds periodic meetings in regional chapters around the country. Any collector of trivets, irons or other laundry day items would benefit greatly from joining! For more information, contact PITCA at http://www.irons.com/msicc.htm

And, of course, you are cordially invited to join our WorthPoint Community, Trivet & Stand Enthusiasts.

 Lynn Rosack is a Worthologist who specializes in trivets and kitchenalia