Hi Benjamin,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Drink coasters, as we know them today, have their roots in the late 19th century, though people had been placing vessels under cups and bottles for centuries.

In the 18th century, wealthy households often used trays, saucers, or stands beneath bottles and decanters to protect furniture. Silver wine coasters (also called bottle sliders) were common in England. These decorative stands held wine bottles or decanters during formal dinners. They served a different purpose than today's individual drink coasters but reflected the same concern for protecting polished tables.

The modern disposable beverage coaster is generally credited to Germany. During the 1880s, German breweries commonly used felt beer mats to absorb spills and keep insects out of mugs. Around 1892, German manufacturer Robert Sputh patented an absorbent coaster made from pressed wood pulp. This was a significant innovation because it was inexpensive, highly absorbent, and ideal for breweries and taverns.
The German word "Bierdeckel" literally means "beer lid," reflecting the fact that early versions were sometimes placed on top of mugs as well as underneath them.

In the early 20th Century, breweries realized coasters were excellent advertising space. Printed coasters featuring brewery logos became widespread throughout Europe and later North America. Hotels, restaurants, and bars adopted them to protect tables and promote their brands.

Collecting beer coasters is a recognized hobby called tegestology (sometimes spelled tegestology), from the Latin teges, meaning "mat." Vintage brewery coasters, especially those from pre-World War II breweries or defunct beer companies, can be quite collectible.

While most people think of coasters as inexpensive souvenirs or promotional items, Chinese-made coasters encompass several distinct categories, some of which are quite collectible. Their significance depends greatly on when they were made, what they're made from, and whether they were produced for export or the domestic market. Yours features auspicious bats (iron red on the rounded white porcelain of the lid), winged birds in the panels on the canister, and floral medallions on the center and rim of the lid. The variety of decoration on the coasters themselves demonstrates an appealing assortment rather than multiple of the same image.

Your coasters were made for export, either shipped directly out of the country to retailers in the US or elsewhere, or marketed towards the tourist trade in China. The word "CHINA" began appearing on Chinese porcelain and other exported goods primarily because of country-of-origin marking laws, not because Chinese manufacturers suddenly chose to identify their wares; it's presence can be a useful clue in dating objects marked that way.

Prior to 1891, export porcelains and other goods were rarely marked with the word CHINA but the US McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, which took effect in 1891, changed that. The act required all goods made outside the US be marked some was to indicate the country of origin (this applied only to US-bound goods; goods headed for Europe were under no such obligation).

This set of coasters would, therefore, date from 1891 to prior to 1949, when the People's Republic of China was formed; "first half 20th Century" is probably the safest date.

At auction, this set of coasters would probably sell for between $100 and $150.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

An antique Chinese export brass mounted porcelain coaster set
first half 20th Century
Comprising three brass bound circular coasters in a cylindrical canister, marked 'CHINA' below.
Canister: 3-1/4 inches high, 5 inches diameter
CONDITION: this appears to be in good condition with minor wear commensurate to age and use.
PROVENANCE: inherited
$ 100-150*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia