Vintage Barker Brothers EPNS Silver-Plated Cake Basket – Pierced Footed Serving Tray

One has to admire the absolute persistence of 20th-century Birmingham silversmiths in ensuring that the presentation of afternoon baked goods remained a highly structural affair.

This elegant rectangular cake basket by the venerable Barker Brothers features a sweeping, collapsible swing handle that functions with a beautifully smooth, heavy precision.

The inner rim is sharply stamped with the traditional B.B.S.Ld heraldic marks alongside the classic EPNS indicators, identifying it as a premium electroplated nickel silver piece from their Birmingham workshops. The basket is a minor triumph of geometric decoration, pairing a crisp, vertically pierced slat border with a heavily repoussé-molded central basin depicting a stylized wreath of fruits and foliage. Elevated neatly on four integral ball feet, it carries a low-slung, substantive table presence that refuses to slide about when in service.

Condition:
Presented in exceptionally clean, highly polished condition. The silver plate remains remarkably thick and uniform across both the basin and the handle, entirely free from the usual dark tarnish haze, underlying base-metal bleed, or pitting. The unglazed undersides of the ball feet show only the lightest, entirely honest shelf friction from decades of gentle domestic positioning, saving you the absolute worry of leaving its very first blemish.

Dimensions:
• Length: 27.5 cm (approx. 10.8 inches)
• Width: 18.5 cm (approx. 7.3 inches)
• Height (Handle fully raised): 21 cm (approx. 8.3 inches)