This larger horseshoe plaque trivet, dated 1891, was a souvenir from the opening of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair. The original easel stand is still attached on the reverse. From the collection of Bill Kotrba, Connecticut
Horseshoe Plaque Trivets
"The majority of horseshoe plaque trivets date from the late 1800s through the early 1900s, paralleling a period when fraternal orders were at their peak of popularity." The Expanded A-Z Guide To Collecting Trivets, page 54.
Little information is available on the manufacturing history of firms that produced these plaques. Collectors estimate 150 to 200 different Eagle Horseshoe variations were manufactured between the years 1880 and 1920.
Horseshoe Plaque Trivets share similar attributes. They were:
- manufactured from the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s.
- cast in a basic horseshoe shape, without feet.
- topped with a spread eagle.
- most commonly made of cast iron; less commonly of brass or bronze.
- created during a period when fraternal crders were most popular.
- sometimes given as carnival prizes, lodge favors, commemoratives or gifts.
