Skip to content
An early cocktail set by Russel Wright epitomized the modernist designs of the Art Deco era. The set, including a pewter cocktail shaker and six cups, achieved $100,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2019. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

Art Deco cocktail shakers: the most sophisticated collectibles

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley

[av_heading heading=’Art Deco cocktail shakers: the most sophisticated collectibles’ tag=’h1′ style=” subheading_active=” show_icon=” icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ size=” av-desktop-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” subheading_size=” av-desktop-font-size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” icon_size=” av-desktop-font-size-1=” av-medium-font-size-1=” av-small-font-size-1=” av-mini-font-size-1=” color=” custom_font=” subheading_color=” seperator_color=” icon_color=” margin=’,,35px,’ av-desktop-margin=” av-desktop-margin_sync=’true’ av-medium-margin=” av-medium-margin_sync=’true’ av-small-margin=’,,20px,’ av-mini-margin=” av-mini-margin_sync=’true’ headline_padding=” headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-desktop-headline_padding=” av-desktop-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-medium-headline_padding=” av-medium-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-small-headline_padding=” av-small-headline_padding_sync=’true’ av-mini-headline_padding=” av-mini-headline_padding_sync=’true’ padding=’10’ av-desktop-padding=” av-medium-padding=” av-small-padding=” av-mini-padding=” icon_padding=’10’ av-desktop-icon_padding=” av-medium-icon_padding=” av-small-icon_padding=” av-mini-icon_padding=” link=” link_target=” title_attr=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-lqgm43tk’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]

[av_post_metadata post_selected=” seperator=’ | ‘ before_meta_content=’Andrea Valluzzo |’ after_meta_content=” margin=” margin_sync=’true’ padding=’,,35px,’ av-desktop-margin=” av-desktop-margin_sync=’true’ av-desktop-padding=” av-desktop-padding_sync=’true’ av-medium-margin=” av-medium-margin_sync=’true’ av-medium-padding=” av-medium-padding_sync=’true’ av-small-margin=” av-small-margin_sync=’true’ av-small-padding=” av-small-padding_sync=’true’ av-mini-margin=” av-mini-margin_sync=’true’ av-mini-padding=” av-mini-padding_sync=’true’ align=’left’ custom_title=” size=” av-desktop-font-size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” alb_description=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-lqgm4m9j’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”]
[av_metadata_item metadata=’published’ before_meta=” after_meta=” link_meta=’default’ link_target=” av_uid=” sc_version=’1.0′]
[av_metadata_item metadata=’categories’ before_meta=’in’ after_meta=” link_meta=’default’ link_target=” av_uid=” sc_version=’1.0′]
[/av_post_metadata]

[av_textblock fold_type=” fold_height=” fold_more=’Read more’ fold_less=’Read less’ fold_text_style=” fold_btn_align=” textblock_styling_align=” textblock_styling=” textblock_styling_gap=” textblock_styling_mobile=” size=” av-desktop-font-size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” font_color=” color=” fold_overlay_color=” fold_text_color=” fold_btn_color=’theme-color’ fold_btn_bg_color=” fold_btn_font_color=” size-btn-text=” av-desktop-font-size-btn-text=” av-medium-font-size-btn-text=” av-small-font-size-btn-text=” av-mini-font-size-btn-text=” fold_timer=” z_index_fold=” av-desktop-hide=” av-medium-hide=” av-small-hide=” av-mini-hide=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=” sc_version=’1.0′]

An early cocktail set by Russel Wright epitomized the modernist designs of the Art Deco era. The set, including a pewter cocktail shaker and six cups, achieved $100,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2019. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.
An early cocktail set by Russel Wright epitomized the modernist designs of the Art Deco era. The set, including a pewter cocktail shaker and six cups, achieved $100,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2019. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — The art of the cocktail is an elegant one. Don Draper in TV’s Mad Men surely made it seem so when he effortlessly hopped across an unmanned bar and made himself an Old Fashioned, plopping a sugar cube in a glass, adding bitters, water and mixing before adding whiskey. Mixed drinks have been around since the 1800s, but the high point in innovation and style for cocktail shakers was arguably during the Art Deco era (1925-35). This was a heady time in America’s history, spanning the prosperous Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. Flappers and the affluent continued to party even after the Great Depression began and even more so once Prohibition ended in 1933. “Art Deco cocktail shakers epitomize the era and it’s a fun collecting category,” said Richard Wright, CEO of Rago/Wright in Chicago.

In keeping with the streamlined Art Deco aesthetic, geometrically-inspired metal cocktail shakers began to appear. A high point was a circa-1930 set comprising a pewter cocktail shaker and six matching cups made by the Wright Accessories Company. One offered at auction at Wright in March 2019 attained $100,000 plus the buyer’s premium. Designer Russel Wright was best known for his spun aluminum bar sets, so that early example was notable.

“It’s an exceptionally rare set; two very sophisticated collectors battled for it and it made a nice price,” Wright said, adding, “I think it’s the most expensive cocktail shaker we have ever sold, but I want readers to understand that there are so many cool cocktail shakers. It’s a fun collectible category that is really accessible. There are a lot of designer period cocktail shakers from the 30s that sell for under a thousand dollars.”

This J.A. Henckels chromium plated Aeroplane cocktail shaker set more than doubled its high estimate of £5,000 when it earned £12,500 ($15,820) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2020. Image courtesy of Lyon & Turnbull and LiveAuctioneers.
This J.A. Henckels chromium plated Aeroplane cocktail shaker set more than doubled its high estimate of £5,000 when it earned £12,500 ($15,820) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2020. Image courtesy of Lyon & Turnbull and LiveAuctioneers.

Indeed, shakers come in a variety of price points and forms, attracting both beginning and serious collectors. Novelty forms command a premium, and those made in the forms of vehicles are highly sought after. A chromium-plated Aeroplane cocktail shaker set by J.A. Henckels performed well at £12,500 ($15,820) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2020 at Lyon & Turnbull. The circa-1930 set was well-designed, with lots of hidden elements: the plane’s wings come off to serve as hip flasks, while the tail holds a corkscrew.

A circa-1928 Louis W. Rice skyscraper cocktail shaker attained $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A circa-1928 Louis W. Rice skyscraper cocktail shaker attained $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Building-form shakers, showing mankind’s engineering prowess, are also popular. Louis W. Rice designed a Skyscraper cocktail shaker, and a circa-1928 example, offered in July 2021, more than doubled its high estimate. Made for the Apollo Studios line by Bernard Rice’s Sons, Inc., it sold for $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium at Heritage Auctions.

Designed to be the centerpiece of a Manhattan cocktail set and comprising an architecturally-inspired display, this cocktail shaker by Norman Bel Geddes went out at $18,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
Designed to be the centerpiece of a Manhattan cocktail set and comprising an architecturally-inspired display, this cocktail shaker by Norman Bel Geddes went out at $18,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

Another fine example is a tall cylindrical shaker designed by Norman Bel Geddes as part of his circa-1935 Manhattan cocktail set. It realized $18,000 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2021 at Heritage Auctions. According to the Art Institute of Chicago, this shaker and its coordinating stemmed cups “echo the shape and design of the shaker cap” and were offered with a stepped serving tray to create an architectural plaza-style tableau.

A silver-plated Boston Light cocktail shaker for the International Silver Co. realized $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A silver-plated Boston Light cocktail shaker for the International Silver Co. realized $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2021. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

One of the most striking architecturally-inspired cocktail shakers was a silver-plated Boston Light lighthouse-form design for the International Silver Co. that realized $7,500 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2021 at Heritage Auctions. This novelty shaker dates to circa 1927 and was originally retailed in two sizes: a large version, shown above and measuring nearly 21in tall, and a smaller size. Reportedly, the cost of the larger size was so out of reach for most consumers, at about $600 in modern dollars, that the company only offered that size for one year. The shaker pays homage to the landmarked Boston Light on Little Brewster Island in Massachusetts, one of the country’s oldest working lighthouses (built in 1716 and rebuilt 1783).

Napier’s circa-1935 design for Alfred Dunhill of a slide trombone-form cocktail shaker is evocative of the 1930s. This fine example brought $12,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.
Napier’s circa-1935 design for Alfred Dunhill of a slide trombone-form cocktail shaker is evocative of the 1930s. This example brought $12,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.

The Napier Company in the United Kingdom designed a slide trombone-form cocktail shaker for Alfred Dunhill that is hard to find today. A fine example, one of only four that have sold on the LiveAuctioneers platform to date, brought $12,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020 at Wright. This circa-1935 shaker was made of silver-plated brass and is 15in tall. The stylized shaker body has a fitted pump that serves as the would-be trombone’s mouthpiece and a spout stands in for the slide.

Market fluctuations in collectibles are cyclical and normal, and this can be clearly seen in the case of Art Deco cocktail shakers. Wright noted that the market for them is actually down a bit now, with the big spike having happened about 15-20 years ago. “From a market point of view, you have that standout result that we had [the Russel Wright set above]; it was sort of a real trend with cocktail shakers a while ago,” Wright said, adding that it’s time for new collectors to step in. “They are honestly down from the historic heights, so it’s a pretty good time to enter the market.”

A silver-plated brass cocktail shaker designed by Elsa Tennhardt sold for $11,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2022. Image courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. and LiveAuctioneers.
A silver-plated brass cocktail shaker designed by Elsa Tennhardt sold for $11,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2022. Image courtesy of John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. and LiveAuctioneers.

Cocktail shakers were not just a man’s world; among the most influential women designers working during the Art Deco era was Elsa Tennhardt. She excelled at creating wares that sported the sleek styling of the time. A fitting example is her silver-plated brass cocktail shaker from 1928 or 1929, one of which sold for $11,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2022 at John Moran Auctioneers, Inc. The shaker embodies the Art Deco aesthetic with its geometric design and mirror-like surface.

Art Deco cocktail shakers are one of the most fun things to collect, and there is a nearly limitless range of designs available. Their streamlined, often geometric looks make them one of the most sought-after decorative arts collectibles of the 20th century.

[/av_textblock]