A conversation starting, dual purpose plate with hand painted blue and gold trim and a two-fold original purpose. Besides serving as a coaster, each plate indicated the price of the absinthe being served. The price printed onto the bottom or side of the saucer corresponded with a color painted on the outside rim. This rim color acted as a code which was used to tell the waiter how much to charge the customer by reading the different saucer colors when stacked. For instance, if three green rimmed saucers (as shown above) were stacked, the waiter would know to charge the customer 6.75 French francs. When paying the bill, the money was generally left inside the coaster.This saucer features a hand-painted rim with an accent line. The franc mark is printed into the porcelain before the saucer is glazed and fired, ensuring that the mark will not fade.
