7-bar antique silver toast rack

A simple seven-bar Victorian silver toast rack designed to hold six slices of toasted bread. The classic plain hoops and ring handle are attached to an openwork base sitting on four ball feet. This is a particularly good heavy example of the style.

It is believed that silver toast racks started to appear on the breakfast table from the 1780s as part of the general refinement of dining customs among the middle classes. The purpose was to keep the slices of toast separate, allow steam to escape and prevent it becoming soggy. It was, therefore, an essential object to have in the home and still appears on breakfast tables to this day.

Of course, some have found other purposes for the toast rack; a letter rack or place to stack electronic gadgets are the most popular.