All Shook Up: The Allure of Vintage Cocktail Shakers
Raise the Glass to Retro Shakers
By Kris Manty
Part of the enjoyment of having a cocktail is the ritual of making it. Shaking a drink and creating a rhythmic rattling of ice on metal has long been a quintessential technique in a bartender’s repertoire for blending ingredients.
And making a drink in a sleek cocktail shaker resembling a skyscraper or otherwise whimsically shaped adds extra flair. That’s one of the things collectors love most about vintage shakers: their sense of theater. Preparing a cocktail in a silver Art Deco penguin and pouring it out through the beak enhances the process in a showy way a regular shaker can’t.
Once a symbol of luxury and refinement, people now collect cocktail shakers because they represent a bygone era of sophistication. They recall a time when the art of crafting a cocktail was practiced in homes worldwide, and a host’s merit was judged not only on their skills in the kitchen but also on their ability to produce a well-shaken martini that even James Bond would approve of. Shakers are also seen as unique pieces of art, and collectors will pay thousands of dollars for the best examples.
The high-end cocktail shakers and accessories produced by luxury American brands, including
Gorham, International Silver Company, Napier, Revere, and Tiffany & Co., solidified
their status as symbols of sophistication among the wealthy. This Tiffany & Co. sterling silver
one-pint shaker, with a decorative relief of branches and shells, sold at auction in 2025 for
$8,320. Sloans & Kenyon
Shakers Through History
According to Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, mixing drinks dates back to 7000 B.C., as was proven after archeologists found traces of alcohol in fragments of a gourd in South America. The first reference to a drink being made in a tubular vessel was in a letter Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez wrote in 1520 about cacao mixtures made in a “golden cylinder-shaped container.”
But it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that the cocktail shaker as we know it became a bar staple. The first shakers were plain metal cups, which inventors and bartenders continuously improved upon and developed three main types: the simple two-piece Boston, a favorite with bartenders for its ease of use; the sleek two-piece French (or Parisian); and the classic three-piece Cobbler, which is what most people envision when thinking of cocktail shakers.
The pinnacle of cocktail shaker design is widely considered to be from 1920 through the late 1930s when Prohibition and the rise of cocktail culture coincided.
After Prohibition took eff ect in 1920, banning the manufacture, transportation, and sale of liquor, drinking establishments were outlawed and replaced by clandestine speakeasies. Americans also imbibed more often in their homes, causing skyrocketing demand for stylish cocktail shakers and other barware.
Provocative and playful, this 1937 ruby glass cocktail
shaker by Derby Shelton Silver Co., takes the form of
a lady’s leg in a high-heeled shoe. It sold
for $1,750 in 2021. Heritage Auctions
The thirst for new designs led to a proliferation of cocktail shakers. Art Deco and the skyscrapers blanketing New York City’s skyline influenced some of the most beautiful and expensive. Plenty of novelty shakers were made resembling animals, airplanes, artillery shells, golf bags, lighthouses, musical instruments, a woman’s leg strapped in a high-heeled shoe, and zeppelins balanced on their tail fins.
After Prohibition was repealed in 1933 and liquor became readily available again, the demand for display-worthy barware continued growing. Many pieces were made in the new Streamline Moderne design with its industrial aesthetics. By the end of the decade, cocktail shakers were common objects affordable for all.
Though World War II temporarily halted the production of metal shakers as resources were redirected, post-war prosperity revived cocktail culture during the 1950s. Shakers again became a staple for home bars, and designs reflected the midcentury style with bold colors and geometric patterns. However, when electric blenders and simpler highball-style drinks that were mixed directly in glasses became trendy, cocktail shakers and their accompanying rituals and showmanship were relegated to the sidelines.
Some of the most affordable cocktail
shakers are those from the midcentury, which can commonly be
found for under $100. This set from the 1950s-1960s includes a shaker
and five glasses, all decorated with vertical stripes in teal, a
quintessential MCM color. The set sold for $85. Fair Auction Company
They surged in popularity again with the revivals of cocktail culture in the late 20th century and during the COVID-19 pandemic when people rediscovered the artistry of crafting drinks at home.
Today, cocktail shakers remain appreciated for their history, craftsmanship, and nostalgia.
The Most Collectible Cocktail Shakers
Today, collectors can find a wide array of antique and vintage shakers at auctions, antique stores, estate sales, flea markets, and e-commerce sites like eBay, Etsy, and Ruby Lane. They range from aff ordable mid-century pieces, many of which are $50 and under, to the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne examples made in the golden years; these are the most popularly collected and can sell from $500 to more than $10,000 and in some cases, even six figures. They generally command the highest prices for their exemplary artistry and their rarity — pieces were produced by hand or in small quantities, making them unicorns.
Two quintessential and avidly sought-after designs inspired by Art Deco skyscrapers are those by Louis W. Rice and Norman Bel Geddes.
Louis W. Rice’s Skyscraper cocktail shaker, 11 in. h, was
first designed in the 1920s and has a handle and spout that
resemble smokestacks. It’s one of the rarest and most valuable
today. This example sold for $11,520 in 2024. SS Auction, Inc.
First created in the early 1920s, Rice’s “Skyscraper” shaker features a stepped architectural form, handle, and spout resembling smokestacks. Prices reflect its scarcity: in 2021, a piece from the Apollo Studios line, circa 1928, sold for $17,500 at Heritage Auctions, a record price for Rice.
With its sleek lines and gleaming chrome, Norman Bel Geddes’
“Manhattan” cocktail set, designed in 1934 for Revere Copper and Brass Company,
features a tall, cylindrical shaker and accompanying stemmed
cups that can be arranged like architectural elements on a
serving tray. This set sold for $3,724 in 2025. Capsule Auctions
With its sleek lines and gleaming chrome, Geddes’ “Manhattan” cocktail set designed in 1934 for Revere Copper and Brass Company features a tall, cylindrical shaker and accompanying stemmed cups. A set sold for $25,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2021, while a single Manhattan shaker sold for $22,500 also in 2021 at Heritage. Listings on eBay and LiveAuctioneers.com show that over the past few years, other Manhattan sets have sold between $1,200 and $8,750, while single shakers have fetched between $500 to $1,000.
These are also among the most valuable pieces that shake up collectors:
Pewter cocktail sets by American designer Russel Wright, embodying
the 1930s’ Streamline Moderne style, were handcrafted, making
them exceedingly hard to find today. Prices reflect that: this rare
early set, circa 1930, sold at auction in 2019 for $125,000. Wright
Russel Wright’s sets: This American designer, known for creating history’s best-selling American ceramic dinnerware, also designed various cocktail items. Wright’s celebrated pewter cocktail sets, made in diff erent variations, embody the 1930s’ machine-inspired streamlined approach to American design. They were completely handcrafted and never mass-produced, making them exceedingly hard to fi nd. One of his early sets, circa 1930, sold at Wright Auction for $125,000 in 2019, while his 1930 “Hour Cocktail Set” sold at Heritage Auctions for $5,250 in 2021. One of his solo shakers, made of aluminum and with a teakwood top, sold on eBay in 2024 for $5,000.
One of the most famous cocktail shakers is Gorham’s artillery shell that’s a copy
of a World War I “eighteen-pounder” shrapnel shell. The silverplate, brass,
and copper shaker stands 22-1/4 in. h. This piece sold for $5,120 in 2023.
New Orleans Auction Gallery
Gorham’s Artillery Shell: Gorham Manufacturing Company, highly influential during the heyday of American silver production, produced many collectible shakers, the most famous being a facsimile of the WWI 18 pounder shrapnel shell. Manufactured around 1915 and made of silverplate, brass, and copper, the shaker is 22-1/4 inches high; a smaller variation made later is 12 inches high. These shakers have sold between $350 and $4,000 in the past several years.
J.A. Henckels’ Zeppelin cocktail shaker (at right) is one of the most
iconic Art Deco shaker designs. The company also made other forms, including
this airplane. These circa 1930 silver-plated brass shakers are
more like traveling bars, as each feature four cups, a spoon, a flask,
a funnel with stopper/corkscrew, and a strainer/juicer. The airplane also
includes two flask wings. The duo sold for $22,500 in 2022. Rago
J.A. Henckels’ Zeppelin: Renowned for its premium kitchen knives, this German company also produced one of the most revered Art Deco shaker designs in 1928—the Zeppelin. Its glossy, curvaceous body holds unexpected accessories, including four cups, a strainer with a juicer, a funnel, a decanter, a muddler, and a corkscrew. These have sold between $500 and $4,000 over the past few years.
Emil A. Schuelke’s novelty penguin cocktail
shaker from 1936 was one of the most
popular of the Jazz Age and it remains popular
with collectors today. This one, 12-1/2 in. h, sold
in 2025 for $2,032. Wright Auction
Emil A. Schuelke’s Penguin: One of the most popular shakers of the Jazz Age was the whimsical penguin Schuelke designed in 1936 for the Napier Company, esteemed for its jewelry and silver items. The silver-plated brass penguin has a hinged beak that cleverly serves as a pour spout. These have sold between $450 and $3,500.
A Wallace Brothers’ Rooster cocktail service, circa 1928,
consisting of one cocktail shaker and six cups, sold for
$8,820 in 2025. Wright
Wallace Brothers’ Rooster: A major American silver manufacturing company, Wallace Brothers’ hand-hammered, silver-plated rooster cocktail shaker from 1928 is something to crow about. With its fancy curved-tail handle and a tongue that unscrews to pour the drink, it beautifully melds form with function. Some of these shakers come with matching cups that have rooster heads and tails. Shakers have sold between $500 and $2,500 in the past few years, while sets are particularly rare and pricey: one sold at Wright Auction for $8,820 in 2023.
Vintage shakers are a fun way to add style to your bar or to use as decorative pieces in your home decor. From their ancient roots to their role in shaping modern mixology, they are a testament to creativity and innovation and continue to elevate the art of the cocktail.
You May Also Like:
Featured Articles
