Vintage Host and Hostess Gifts: Barware to Bring to Dinner

A good vintage host gift is small, complete and ready to use the same evening: a set of four gold-rim glasses, a pair of crystal coupes, a silver-plate ice bucket, or coasters and swizzle sticks. The Emily Post Institute advises keeping a host gift small and easy to receive. Check every rim before you wrap it.

This guide sorts ideas by occasion, from Thanksgiving dinner to a New Year’s Eve party. For ideas sorted by the person instead, see vintage barware gifts. Both pages cover glassware and barware only; we do not recommend drinks.

What makes a good host gift?

The Emily Post Institute describes a host gift as a gesture of appreciation, most fitting the first time you visit someone’s home and whenever you stay overnight. Its guidance gives four useful tests:

1. Small. The host should be able to take it at the door while greeting other guests.
2. Within your means. It is a token, not an obligation.
3. No strings. Do not expect the host to use or serve it that evening.
4. Right for the event. The Institute notes that gifts are not usually taken to large, formal dinners, especially if you do not know the host well.

Vintage barware passes those tests when it arrives clean, complete and wrapped. A boxed set of glasses is easier to hand over than a bar cart.

Which vintage gift suits which occasion?

Thanksgiving dinner: glasses the host can use again

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, and the host spends most of it in the kitchen. Pick something that needs no attention: a set of four or six glasses the host can put away and bring out for the next gathering.

Gold-banded mid-century glasses suit the colors of a fall table. Retro Solstice, a specialist dealer, says Culver decorated its glass with real 22-karat gold from the late 1950s through the 1960s. Gold sits on the surface, so compare every glass in the listing photos for even color. Our guide to Culver barware shows the marks.

Add a care line to your card. Lenox lists drinkware with gold or platinum bands as hand wash only.

If you are the one hosting, our guide to holiday table glassware covers which glasses to set at each place.

Friendsgiving: small pieces that fit in a tote

Friendsgiving is usually a shared meal, so you may already be carrying a dish. A pocket-sized gift works best. Three kinds of small vintage barware travel well:

• Coasters. The Victoria and Albert Museum explains that decanter coasters let guests slide a decanter or bottle along the table without scratching it, and caught drips. Smaller glass coasters do the same job under a tumbler.
• Swizzle sticks and cocktail picks. Glass or metal sets are light and easy to wrap. Count the pieces against the listing.
• A small bar tray. A tray gathers glasses on a crowded counter. If it is sold as silver, read the marks first.

On silver, the Birmingham Assay Office lists EPNS, EPBM and “Silver Plate” among the marks used on plated items. Our guide to sterling vs silver plate hallmarks shows where to look.

Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve: gifts for the sideboard

December hosts serve more people over a longer evening, so a serving piece earns its place. A silver-plate ice bucket works for ice, for chilling sparkling water or cider, or as a holder for greenery on the table. Check that tongs are included if the listing shows them, and ask about the liner.

For New Year’s Eve, a pair of vintage coupes makes a gift for the midnight toast. Our hub on vintage cocktail glasses explains how a coupe differs from a flute and what size to expect.

A host who serves a crowd may also like a bowl-and-cups set. Those are large, so ask first or have one sent ahead; vintage punch bowls explains what a complete set includes.

Housewarmings

A new home often has empty shelves, so a set of six matching glasses is a practical start. For the wider range of housewarming presents, including throws, candles and other soft furnishings, our sister site Cosy Homeware has a guide to cozy housewarming gifts.

What to check in the listing so the set arrives complete

Vintage sets pass through many hands. Before you buy:

• Count the pieces. Match the number in the title to the number in the photos.
• Ask for rim photos. Chips at the rim are the most common fault in old glass.
• Look at the decoration in daylight. Worn gold or silver bands show up best in natural light.
• Ask how it will be packed. Each glass should be wrapped on its own, with padding between.
• Pay through eBay checkout. eBay’s Money Back Guarantee covers an item that arrives damaged or does not match its listing, if you report it within 30 calendar days of the actual or estimated delivery date.

Order with time to spare. You want a few days to open the box, check each piece and wash it. Our guide to buying vintage barware on eBay safely covers seller feedback and returns.

How to present a vintage gift

Wash the pieces by hand before wrapping. Waterford’s care guide says to wash crystal in warm soapy water, rinse it well and dry it with a lint-free cloth. Then add a card that names what the piece is: the maker if you know it, the pattern, and roughly when it was made. That detail is what sets a vintage gift apart from a new one.

Related guides

• Vintage barware gifts: ideas by person, from the martini purist to newlyweds.
• Collecting vintage crystal decanters: the buyer’s guide for a larger gift.
• Mid-century home bar setup: bar carts, ice buckets and a holiday drinks station.
• Vintage punch bowls: bowl, cups and ladle sets for a crowd.