Asprey London - Games table - Walnut, Brass - brochure

Folding gaming table by ASPREY. LONDON. - Campaign Furniture - Edwardian period (1900-1910)
Made of walnut wood with a book-opening top, brass hinges, and a central green felt insert.

Two original Avorina plaques fixed with their period nails bear witness to its authenticity and confirm that it was marketed by the prestigious firm Asprey London, one of the British luxury houses supplying the British Royal Family.

Plaque “ASPREY. LONDON.”
Founded in 1781, Asprey is historically known for creating luxury travel items, fine luggage, and “campaign furniture” or gaming furniture destined for the English aristocracy. Asprey often commissioned the most ingenious mechanisms from the best cabinetmakers of the era and then resold them in its historic salons on New Bond Street.

Plaque “Provisional Patent”
The inscription “Brevet Provisional” indicates that the design and the very particular compass-type locking mechanism had just been filed and legally protected while waiting for the final patent number. This specific plaque helps place production in a very narrow time frame, most likely between 1900 and 1910, the period when patents on folding and portable tables experienced their greatest expansion.

Curved and Interlaced Legs: The scissor structure does not use straight legs, but elegantly curved solid wood elements shaped to fit. This curvature ensures greater stability when the table is open, and a perfect, ultra-compact fit once folded.

Mechanism Under the Top: In the images one can note how the leg structure is firmly anchored to two main uprights. When the table is closed, the top does not simply flip; it slides and aligns vertically to the supporting structure, transforming the table into a flat panel easy to transport.

The back of the table reveals a beautiful natural wood grain (typical of mahogany or walnut with spirit or shellac finish), kept in an excellent structural state of preservation, without warping.

All hardware is original brass. The countersunk holes and flat-head brass screws testify to the care and build quality typical of early 20th‑century English manufacture. The preservation of the original screws, hinges, and plates and the uniform color of the brass patina confirm the historical integrity of the piece, free from invasive modern restorations.

The provisional patent indicates that this is one of the early editions of this specific mechanism, applied to a folding table, increasing its historical interest and testifying to its rarity.

Table dimensions
Open: height 75 cm; top 74 x 74 cm
Closed: height 105 cm; width 75 cm; depth 20 cm