are delicate glass or china plates that were in fact used as liners or holders for drinking cups during the first half of the nineteenth century (c.1825 to 1860).

Tradition dictated that the diner actually sipped coffee or tea from the saucer rather than directly from the cup!  Since most cups of this period did not have handles, it was the fashion to slosh hot tea into the saucer to cool and then sip from one's saucer.  The cup plate then acted like a coaster to keep the wet cup from leaving a disfiguring mark on the table.

The most famous cup plates were made of glass at the Boston and Sandwich factory located in Sandwich, Massachusetts. There have been many new glass cup plates made in recent years for sale to gift shops or limited edition collectors. These are similar to the old plates but collectors can easily recognized them as new.