Blue Opaline Sheffield Silver Sugar Bowl
Antique Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Metal
Vintage 1920s English Porcelain
Porcelain
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Sheffield and Silverplate
Silver, Silver Plate, Copper
Late 20th Century Italian Delft and Faience
Ceramic, Wood
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Decorative Baskets
Porcelain
Antique Early 1900s American Belle Époque Planters, Cachepots and Jardin...
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s Italian Empire Sterling Silver
Silver
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Platters and Serveware
Stainless Steel
Vintage 1960s Italian Space Age Floor Lamps
Metal
Early 20th Century American British Colonial Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Antique Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Serving Bowls
Crystal, Bronze
Early 20th Century German Edwardian Sterling Silver
Silver
Antique Early 1900s English Edwardian Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Antique 19th Century French Rococo Vases
Glass, Opaline Glass
Finding the Right sheffield-silverplate for You
Sheffield silverplate is a durable combination of thin silver sheets and comparatively thicker sheets of copper that was used to create a variety of household objects for years. On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage Sheffield silverplate and other silverplate for all of your formal dining and entertaining needs.
A cutler named Thomas Boulsover, who worked for a cutlers company in Sheffield, England, accidentally invented what we now call Sheffield silverplate during the 1700s. While working on a decorative knife for a customer — the metalworkers guild had been tasked with repairing its handle — Boulsover mistakenly overheated the silver and noticed that the knife’s layers of silver and copper melded together, creating an impressive bond. This new material felt like silver but was substantially cheaper. It was then used to produce a variety of serveware, candlesticks, buttons, tea sets and more. For families that couldn’t afford the sterling-silver tureens that were used to serve soup in the upper-class English homes at the time, this was good news. They could impress guests with housewares that looked like sterling silver but actually weren't.
Today, just as pewter collectibles and sterling silver are popular with collectors at neighborhood flea markets, antique Sheffield silverplate housewares are sought after for their appearance and rich history. Sheffield silverplate can command high prices on the secondhand market.
Securing yourself a Sheffield silverplate piece is like acquiring a little bit of history. In order to identify authentic Sheffield silverplate, you need to look for one significant attribute of the material. A metalworker had to ensure that all of the exposed edges of a particular piece had to be covered with a rim of silver. If not, the middle layer, which comprised copper, would show through. This would reveal that the piece was not sterling silver.
Don’t just trot out your matching crystal, silver and porcelain once or twice a year. Make a habit of mixing high and low when setting the table. To pair with your everyday contemporary tableware, find antique and vintage Sheffield silverplate on 1stDibs as well as silverplate by goldsmith and tableware companies such as Christofle, Elkington & Co. and more.