Cast Iron Trivets, Match Holders & Mini Skilet Ashtrays

There are hundreds of Cast Iron Trivets, Match Safes, Mini Skillets and Ashtrays. Here are just a few of my collection thrown together in an old Store Seed Rack.

A trivet (pronounced /ˈtrɪvɨt/) is an object placed between a serving dish or bowl, and a dining table, usually to protect the table from heat damage.

Trivet also refers to a tripod used to elevate pots from the coals of an open fire. (The word trivet itself ultimately comes from Latin tripes meaning "tripod".) Metal trivets are often tripod-like structures with three legs to support the trivet horizontally in order to hold the dish or pot above the table surface. A trivet may often contain a receptacle for a candle that can be lit to keep food warm.

A three-legged design is optimal because it eliminates wobbling on uneven surfaces.

Modern trivets are made from metal, wood, ceramic, fabric, silicone or cork.

Match holders were made to hold the large wooden matches that were used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for a variety of purposes. The kitchen stove and the fireplace or furnace had to be lit regularly. One type of match holder was made to hang on the wall, another was designed to be kept on a tabletop. Of special interest today are match holders that have advertisements as part of the design.

The Mini Skillets were usually advertising or salesman samples, the customer could see the quality before buying and the ashtrays as a thank you for buying.