6 High-Value Antique Silver Pieces That Buyers Always Search For

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Though silver hollowware has existed for centuries, it became more widely available after 1742 with the English invention of the Sheffield Plate technique, which fused silver with copper. Today, it remains a treasured heirloom often passed down from generation to generation—one imbued with both sentimental and monetary value.

As you pull out pieces to polish for any upcoming holiday gatherings, it’s worth paying especially close attention to these five categories. Not only will they shine up your tablescapes and home bars, they can also be worth a pretty penny!

Platters and Trays

The serving platter, introduced in the 1600s as a handleless “salver” used to present food that had been safely tested for poison to royalty, remains the most enduring form of silver hollowware. (Handled trays appeared in the late 1700s.) Today, value largely depends on whether a piece is sterling (92.5% pure) or silverplate. Sterling pieces range from $150 for tiny trinket trays to over $1,000 for large platters, while silverplate typically runs from $200 to $800. For a festive addition to any holiday cocktail gathering, consider stocking up on gallery trays, which are typically used for transporting drinks are are identified by a raised border around the edge.

Toast Racks

In the 1800s, meals in wealthy households were elaborate affairs, with even the humblest foods served in specialized vessels. At breakfast, toast was often presented in silver racks designed to separate buttered slices and prevent them from turning soggy. Today these elegant pieces are more likely to corral letters on a desk than bread at the table, and they typically fetch between $100 and $600 depending on age, provenance, uniqueness of design, and whether they are sterling or silverplate.

Candlesticks

Silver candlesticks remain a favorite way to bring elegance and warmth to a dining table. While decorative styles have shifted over the centuries, three core forms—column, baluster, and tulip—remain the most common. Today, vintage and antique taper holders range from $50 to $1,000 a pair, depending on age and level of detail. Simple Queen Anne–inspired designs (left, plaid ribbon) are often more affordable than ornate Baroque examples (back right).

Biscuit Boxes

During the Victorian era, the popularity of afternoon tea rose steadily in conjunction with the mass production of sweet treats served alongside the hot beverage. In upper-class households, these cookies (or biscuits, as the English call them) were stored in lidded barrel-shaped biscuit boxes, which protected them from breaking and going stale. Precursors to the American cookie jar, antique boxes from the turn of the century are typically valued between $250 and $500.

Jiggers

Fully kitted-out bar carts were a hosting essential in the 1950s and 1960s, and the standard 1.5 ounces of liquor (3 ounces for a double) was measured and poured into cocktails using a silver jigger. (The name—thought to be derived from a ship’s smallest mast, the jiggermast—was what British sailors playfully called their small daily rum ration.) Produced in the U.S. by storied makers such as Napier and Towle Silversmiths, vintage versions typically command $75 to $300. Expect to pay on the higher end for dual-sided “double” jiggers and rarer two-handled rollover styles.

Revere Bowls

Beyond famously alerting colonists to the impending arrival of British troops, Boston’s Paul Revere was an accomplished silversmith. In 1768 he designed a rum punch bowl commemorating the Massachusetts Assembly’s protest of the Townshend Acts. Its simple footed form with a shallow, flared rim became the model for what is now called a Revere bowl, since reproduced by countless makers. Today these versatile pieces, used for everything from trophies to bar snacks, range from $30 to $2,000, depending on age, size, material, and maker.

Start Your Collection!

The following dealers, some of our favorite resources when it comes to vintage silver, generously loaned pieces to be photographed for this story:

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