Champagne cap collecting: a complete beginner's guide
Just starting out in champagne cap collecting? This guide explains how to gather, remove and sort your first champagne caps.
What is champagne cap collecting?
Champagne cap collecting (placomusophilie) is the art of collecting champagne caps, also known as muselet plates. A champagne cap collector (placomusophile) is simply someone who collects these small metal plates, often colorful and illustrated, that decorate the cork of champagne bottles.
How to get your first caps?
You don't need a budget to get started: most collectors gather their first caps on simple occasions (family meals, weddings, end-of-year celebrations). Here are a few free options:
- Ask friends and family for caps after a bottle of champagne.
- Ask restaurant owners and wine merchants, who are often happy to give away what they'd throw out.
- Take part in swap meets between collectors.
- Join an online community to trade your duplicates for caps you're missing.
Removing a cap without damaging it
To preserve a cap's value and appearance, a few simple steps are enough:
- Gently remove the wire cage (the muselet) without bending it.
- Never fold the plate: keep it perfectly flat.
- Avoid rinsing it with hot water or scrubbing hard, as this can dull the colors.
- Let it dry naturally, then store it away from direct light.
Key concepts to know
Once you have a few caps in hand, three concepts come up again and again among collectors:
- The producer: the champagne house that created the cap (a big brand or a small grower).
- The series: a set of caps released by a producer around a common theme or the same year.
- The variety: the small differences in color, shade or detail between two similar-looking caps, which can affect their rarity.
CapsCote, your ally for a good start
It's not easy at first to identify an unknown cap or estimate its value. That's exactly what CapsCote is for: the site helps you identify your caps and find their rating for free. You can also create your online collection, precisely track what you own, spot your duplicates to trade with other members, and launch targeted searches to complete your series.