Featured Silverplate...

A recently acquired late 19th-early 20th century Danish mother-of-pearl bowl spoon with a silverplate handle - it would certainly be worth more if silver, but frankly I like this one because of the Dragestil engraving, and even the honest wear to brass base metal isn't unattractive to my eye.





Have seen several posts here recently dismissing silverplate as worthless, and thought it might be useful to point out that silverplate can often have considerable value. There will always be silver snobs who thumb their noses at anything less than sterling (even lower standard silver), but anyone who truly appreciates silver will understand value is also in design, quality and desirability.

There is varying, and sometimes quite good value in silverplate - for example, in American silver, the extravagant and novelty Victorian pieces can bring very good prices, small figural pieces like napkin rings can sell in the hundreds, while later 20th century novelty cocktail shakers can bring thousands. Grape pattern flatware still brings good prices though not as high as they used to, and the often unmarked 1909 'Antique Egyptian' (Scarab) pattern sells very well, especially if marked 'Cafe Opéra' for the restaurant E.H.H. Smith originally had the pattern designed for (recent sales: service of 47 pcs,/$2200.00, single spoon/$122.50), other hotelware/serviceware can also bring in decent prices, depending on piece and the establishment where used (I once sold a dozen fairly modern Anheuser Busch forks for almost $200.)

High quality French silverplate by Christofle, Ercuis, etc. often brings better prices than some comparable sterling by other manufacturers; silverplate pieces by the German WMF and the Austrian Wiener Werkstätte bring excellent prices, based on the beautiful design work, as with the British silverplate designs of Christopher Dresser;and Old Sheffield Plate (fused plate) continues to maintain a very good value. Given a choice of the same item in solid silver or silverplate, would certainly prefer the silver, but while there is definitely a good amount of silverplate that has very little value, to just denigrate an item because it's 'only plated' isn't necessarily a good idea...

Silverplate aesthetic era pitcher by Tufts, sold for $2200:




Silverplate Jugendstil champagne cooler by WMF, sold for $4495:




Silverplate Secessionist basket by Wiener Werkstätte, sold for $2981:




Silverplate Christopher Dresser designed egg cup stand by Hukin & Heath, sold for $5935:




And this silverplate Christopher Dresser coffee pot that sold for in 2014 for £97,250: https://www.lyonandturnbull.com/news-article/auction-result-unique-christopher-dresser-coffee-pot-reaches-£97250

~Cheryl

 

Although I do not have anything as nice as those you’ve displayed, I have an appreciation of silverplate, I also wish more people would. It’s reassuring to have someone of your standing in the silver community remind us of its beauty.

 

Hear, Hear! Thanks for bringing this up, Cheryl. The vast majority of my flatware collection is plate and much of it in the late 1800's "aesthetic" style designs. I bought them because I love them, not because I thought I could make a killing by scraping them at some point.

My impression is that it's the disappointment of buying something for resale - because the buyer/reseller thought what they had was sterling - and finding out that it's "only plate" that brings out the "silverplate is worthless" feelings. Which I guess I can understand if that's what happened. But your examples (and many others ) prove that buying the right silver plated things that don't depend solely on metal value for their appeal, can be quite profitable!

 

Well said Cheryl Love your spoon!
I pick up pieces that I like, polish them up and they look wonderful! This is my newest piece, no idea who or where it was made as it is unmarked, some of the plating has worn away but to me is a thing of beauty I use it for Hersey's Kisses!

 

Absolutely, Cheryl, and a gorgeous spoon. I agree, the wear is no problem in this case, part of its history.
I have loved WMF Art Nouveau literally all my life, elderly relatives always had WMF silverplate and pewter pieces, which my mother dismissed because she hated Art Nouveau (and I mean hated). At home our weekday cutlery was Christofle.

You're right, that often seems to be the case, and I understand the disappointment they feel.