Motto trivets

Enameled cast iron, 6 1/2 x 5 1/4″ w/four feet. On reverse: © WILTON.

Motto trivets, dating from the 1950s, are the most whimsical of collectible trivets. The sayings are familiar, reminiscent of a time when the kitchen was the heart of the home and a mortgaged home was the American dream. Most of these trivets were accent painted with enamels but you may find some in a flat black finish. Companies that produced cast iron motto trivets included JZH, Wilton, John Wright, Iron Art, and Cross Publishing Company.

Cast iron, 9 x 4 1/2″ w/three feet. On reverse: T4, CROSS PUBL. CO. ELIZABETH N.J. and © MADE IN USA.

There was also another category of Motto Trivet: the smaller, lightweight aluminum trivets often found along highways at roadside eateries or souvenir stands. Companies that sold aluminum motto trivets included John Wright and Emig; however, many were unsigned ~ or simply signed MADE IN USA. When you examine a motto trivet, keep in mind that aluminum doesn’t attract a magnet.

1968 catalog page: Robert Emig Products, Reading, PA; signed EMIG.

As you collect, be on the lookout for vintage trivets in the original packaging. This 6 1/2″ Wilton motto trivet is mint in box with the original gift tag which reads:

YOUR TRIVET
~ As practical as it is decorative ~
Reproduced from an early American original,
This artistic Trivet serves as an attractive standard
For teapots, hot plates, or flower pots.
Wilton Products, Inc.
Wrightsville, PA