Trays

Large solid silver trays are genuinely rare, due to the silver required
Small salvers (‘waiters’) are the more traditionally common piece
Two-handled tea trays emerged with the English tea ceremony, late 18th century
Electroplated versions took over from the mid-19th century
Some of the most inventive late-Victorian designs are electroplate, not solid silver

Large sterling silver trays only became more widely available once global bullion supplies increased in the mid-to-late eighteenth century — before that, pieces of this size were largely restricted to royal and aristocratic households. Two-handled tea trays emerged alongside the English tea ceremony in the same period, and stayed fashionable until the mid-nineteenth century, when electroplated versions increasingly took their place. Some of the most inventive tray designs of the whole Victorian period — the Aesthetic movement and Chinoiserie Revival styles in particular — were made in electroplate rather than solid silver.

If you want a genuinely large tray, it’s worth knowing solid sterling silver examples are rare specifically because of how much silver a strong one requires — a smaller salver or ‘waiter’ is the more traditionally available piece. Silver-plated trays are a legitimate alternative for a large piece, not just a cheaper one: the nickel base makes them genuinely strong, and some of the most interesting late-Victorian designs — the Aesthetic and Chinoiserie Revival styles particularly — were made in electroplate rather than solid silver.