Trivets with a spider theme

This antique spider themed trivet from the UK  is a favorite among trivet collectors. Everyone wants one but they’re extremely hard to find! Most examples exchange hands privately between collectors. 

As documented in my second book The Expanded A-Z Guide To Collecting Trivets (2010), p.87:

Cast iron, 9 1/2″ x 5 7/8″ with four 1 1/4″ legs. On reverse: Rd. No. 196845 (for 1892) and bracket device. There is a filed gate mark along the edge. Also documented on p. 132 of Trivets & Stands (Kelly & Ellwood, 1990), rated Very Rare.

Note the area of the filed gate mark. It feels like a drop or two of solder was applied at that location. Perhaps someone was a bit aggressive with the filing and decided to reinforced the area.

A vintage spider trivet without a handle

A 6 1/2″ diameter version, shared by Brian Bean.

This design is fairly common. All the variations I’ve seen have been of cast iron. Some are accent painted to accentuate the spider and the fly.

There are at least two size and signature variations:

● 6 1/2″ in diameter with 4 short feet; TAIWAN and Y INC on the reverse. Note: Taiwan was established in 1949, so this trivet postdates that.

● 7 1/4″ in diameter with 6 short feet; TC and © on the reverse.