Silver Bar Ware — antique and modern tumblers, including styles made new each year by our own family business.
Bar ware
Tumblers get their name from the rounded base of the smaller cups — a genuinely practical eighteenth-century design, made for carriages and ships, since the weighted round base meant they’d sit steady on an uneven surface rather than tip over. We stock both antique and modern examples, including new styles made each year that are unique to our own family business. Every piece is hallmarked, guaranteeing the silver content under UK law, and makes a genuinely original gift rather than an obvious one.
At a Glance
Rounded base is a genuine 18th-century design, made for carriages and ships
Both antique and modern examples in stock
New styles made each year, unique to our own family business
We actively buy old tumblers back, not just sell them
Wide range of sizes, designs, and prices
Style & Maker History
The tumbler’s design dates to the eighteenth century, when the heavy rounded base was a genuinely functional choice — made for use in carriages and aboard ships, where a flat-bottomed cup would simply tip over. That original practicality is part of why the form has lasted.
Buyer's Guide
Sizes, designs, and prices vary widely here, so there’s real room to choose based on what suits rather than settling for the only option in budget. If you have an old tumbler you’re looking to sell, we’re always interested in buying one back — it’s a category we actively collect as well as sell.
A few things to know
Any item which is guaranteed to be over 100 years old.
Sterling Silver is guaranteed by the UK Hallmarking Act. Each piece is independently verified and assayed for the purity of silver content.
Yes, all of the items shown on our website are available to view at our showroom in The London Silver Vaults.
Looking after your silverware is a simple process. We have put together a guide at https://johnsurtees.co.uk/knowledge/how-to-clean-silver-care-guide/