Skip to main content

Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

British

Spode is one of the oldest and most distinguished of the great pottery companies of Staffordshire, the time-honored home of English ceramics. The firm’s blue and white bone china transferware is a timeless classic. Spode dishes compose the sort of elegant dinner service that most of us envision on a traditional holiday table.

The company was established in 1770 in Stoke-on-Trent by Josiah Spode, a friend and neighbor of another estimable English ceramist, Josiah Wedgwood. The Wedgwood firm first came to prominence for its tableware, which quickly gained favor in aristocratic households throughout Britain and Europe.

Spode was particularly known for two technical achievements in the firm’s early decades. The first was to develop a standard formula for the making of bone china — a type of porcelain (made with a mixture of bone ash, minerals and clay) that is dazzlingly white and so strong it can be used to create very thin translucent plates and vessels.

The other advancement was to perfect the making of transferware. That process involves the transfer of pictorial images inked on tissue paper — such as the garden scenery in the famous Willow dish patterns — onto ceramics that are then sealed with a glaze. 

From the 1820s onward, Spode enjoyed tremendous success both in Britain and elsewhere owing to the beauty and vitality of its decorative imagery. By some counts, Spode created more than 40,000 patterns in the 19th century.

In 1833, following the sudden death of Josiah Spode III, business partner W. T. Copeland took over the company and changed its name to Copeland Spode (it later changed again, this time to W. T. Copeland and Sons). Collectors regard Copeland-marked pieces as Spode china. The Spode brand was revived in 1970.

Many favorite Spode patterns — among them Blue Italian, Indian Tree, Greek and Woodland — date to the company’s early years. Spode’s most popular pattern, Christmas Tree, was introduced in 1938.

Prices for antique and vintage Spode china vary widely, based on the size of the service, its condition and the pattern. An antique dinner service for 12 people or more, in good repair and complete with cups and serving dishes, will generally cost between $10,000 and $20,000. Such Spode services become heirlooms — a proud and timeless addition to a family’s table. And as you will see on these pages, Spode’s rich and varied wares offer a visual feast in and of themselves.

Find Spode serveware, ceramics and decorative objects on 1stDibs.

to
20
75
52
19

Use search to find more

15
15
8
3
61
14
3
6
2
1
1
5
1
74
42
20
20
10

Use search to find more

42
501
422
406
385

Use search to find more

Creator: Spode
Antique Spode Coffee Can, Ironstone Kakiemon Pattern 2117, Circa 1820
Antique Spode Coffee Can, Ironstone Kakiemon Pattern 2117, Circa 1820

Antique Spode Coffee Can, Ironstone Kakiemon Pattern 2117, Circa 1820

By Spode

Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire

This is a good stone China (Ironstone) coffee can made by the SPODE factory in the early 19th Century, circa 1820. The coffee can is well potted with cylindrical shape and a loop handle with the distinctive Spode kink to it. The piece is beautifully decorated with hand painted enamels in the chinoiserie Kakiemon style, pattern number 2117. It has the Spode Stone China blue printed...

Category

Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Ironstone

Small Creamware Tureen with Brown Grapes Decoration England Circa 1820
Small Creamware Tureen with Brown Grapes Decoration England Circa 1820

Small Creamware Tureen with Brown Grapes Decoration England Circa 1820

By Spode

Located in Katonah, NY

This charming small creamware tureen showcases the "Brown Grapes" pattern, a refined Neoclassical design. Crafted at the Spode factory in Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, ci...

Category

Early 19th Century English Country Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Creamware

Georgian Spode Pen Tray 0r Lidded Box Ironstone Willis Pattern 2147, circa 1810
Georgian Spode Pen Tray 0r Lidded Box Ironstone Willis Pattern 2147, circa 1810

Georgian Spode Pen Tray 0r Lidded Box Ironstone Willis Pattern 2147, circa 1810

By Spode

Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire

This is a good stone China (Ironstone) Pen Tray or Box with lid, made by the SPODE factory in the early 19th Century, circa 1810. This piece comprises a base and a lid both made fro...

Category

Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Ironstone

Spode Antique Coffee Can, Hand Painted Tobacco Leaf, Circa 1820
Spode Antique Coffee Can, Hand Painted Tobacco Leaf, Circa 1820

Spode Antique Coffee Can, Hand Painted Tobacco Leaf, Circa 1820

By Spode

Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire

This is a very good stone China (Ironstone) coffee can hand painted in the tobacco leaf pattern, number 2061, made by the Spode factory in the early 19th century, English Georgian period, circa 1820. This coffee can or cup made from Ironstone China is beautifully decorated with hand painted enamels in the very distinctive tobacco leaf pattern, pattern number 2061. The decoration also has very good hand gilded detailing. The upper rim has a dark ochre brown hand painted finish in the manner of 18th C...

Category

Early 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Ironstone

Spode & Copeland Pair of Cups and Saucers for Plummer Ltd NY, 1900-1936
Spode & Copeland Pair of Cups and Saucers for Plummer Ltd NY, 1900-1936

Spode & Copeland Pair of Cups and Saucers for Plummer Ltd NY, 1900-1936

By Spode, Copeland Spode

Located in Clifton Springs, NY

Pair of cup and saucer sets features multicolor abstract flower decors on lightly textured, semi-transparent fine porcelain blanks. The rims are decorated with thin marigold yellow rims, and the cups' handles are adorned with a single graphic accent in the same yellow color. The cups and saucers were created by Spode & Copeland for Plummer Ltd, New York. W. H. Plummer & Co Ltd. operated in 1st half of 20thcentury as a high-end retailer or department store in New York, NY, specializing in antique and modern English china, crystal, and silverware. It was located on 7&9 East 35th Street, New York, and opened the 2nd retail location on 696 5th Avenue, New York, in 1936. Cups and saucers are marked with green underglaze manufacturer backmark "Spode Copelands China England...

Category

1930s English Regency Revival Vintage Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Porcelain, Ceramic

Spode, Rare Antique Gilt Porcelain Low Scent Jar, Pattern No. 671, circa 1805
Spode, Rare Antique Gilt Porcelain Low Scent Jar, Pattern No. 671, circa 1805

Spode, Rare Antique Gilt Porcelain Low Scent Jar, Pattern No. 671, circa 1805

By Spode

Located in Chatham, ON

Antique - SPODE - Georgian period - exceptional and rare - twin handled gilded porcelain large 'Low Scent Jar' - decorated with pattern number 671 - unsigned - illustrated on page 28...

Category

Early 19th Century British Georgian Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Porcelain

Early Spode Red Greek Pattern Tile
Early Spode Red Greek Pattern Tile

Early Spode Red Greek Pattern Tile

By Spode, Josiah Spode

Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL

A Neoclassical red transferware tile made by Spode 1806-1810, with the ‘Refreshments for Phliasian Horseman’ pattern. Sir William Hamilton’s Collection of Etruscan, Greek and Roman antiquities, first published in 1766 by Pierre d’Hancarville, was a landmark publication in English design. It intended to disseminate the Antique style through its engravings of Attic pottery. The catalog’s faithful reproductions of Classical vases led British potteries, including Spode, to adapt or even copy the ancient art for modern life. These Spode Greek pattern tiles reflect the major influence of Hamilton’s catalog on English Neoclassicism. The central scene was taken directly from the catalog. This tile can be dated to a narrow window of production in the Spode factory, 1806-1810. During that time, Spode used a technique known as the “Pluck and Dust” method to print in red transfer designs onto creamware. Using this method, source prints were transferred overglaze using tissue imprinted with a very faint rendition of the design outlined in sticky oil. The decorator applied the tissue to the object then carefully “plucked” or pulled it away, leaving the sticky oil design behind. Then, a finely-ground enamel color was “dusted” onto the surface, sticking to any areas that had the oil. A final firing at a low temperature in the enamel kiln made the pattern permanent. The Pluck and Dust technique improved upon bat-printing and enabled larger designers to be transferred. It was short-lived, however, as under-glaze transfer printing soon took over as the preferred method for producing transferwares. Dimensions: 5 in. x 5 in. x 1/4 in. Condition: Excellent. Slight chip to the upper left corner measuring approximately 0.9 cm. in length. Provenance: The Collection of Nancy and Andrew Ramage Jonathan Horne...

Category

Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Earthenware, Creamware

Spode Porcelain Botanical Dessert Dish, Spiderwort, After Curtis, Circa 1810-182
Spode Porcelain Botanical Dessert Dish, Spiderwort, After Curtis, Circa 1810-182

Spode Porcelain Botanical Dessert Dish, Spiderwort, After Curtis, Circa 1810-182

By Spode

Located in Downingtown, PA

Spode Porcelain Botanical Dessert Dish, Spiderwort, After Curtis, Circa 1810-1820 This Spode porcelain dessert dish is of deep, shaped oval form drawn to a point at either end, each...

Category

Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of Antique Spode Topographical Porcelain Cobalt Blue Border Shrimp Bowls
Pair of Antique Spode Topographical Porcelain Cobalt Blue Border Shrimp Bowls

Pair of Antique Spode Topographical Porcelain Cobalt Blue Border Shrimp Bowls

By Spode

Located in Philadelphia, PA

A very Fine pair of Spode porcelain shrimp bowls. With rich gilding, underglaze cobalt blue borders, and hand painted topographical scenes at their centers. One scene depicts f...

Category

Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Porcelain

Copeland Spode Aesthetic Movement Comport or Cake Stand
Copeland Spode Aesthetic Movement Comport or Cake Stand

Copeland Spode Aesthetic Movement Comport or Cake Stand

By Spode, Copeland Spode

Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL

An 1870s Spode Aesthetic Movement comport in cream-colored earthenware with a beautiful transfer-printed pattern of birds and butterflies. After Japan was forcibly opened to Western...

Category

1870s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Earthenware

Fine 4 Pc, Spode Porcelain Rust and Gilt Personal Tea Service C. 1820
Fine 4 Pc, Spode Porcelain Rust and Gilt Personal Tea Service C. 1820

Fine 4 Pc, Spode Porcelain Rust and Gilt Personal Tea Service C. 1820

By Spode

Located in Atlanta, GA

Spode (English, founded 1770), circa 1820. An extremely fine quality and rare personal tea service in rust and gold. The surfaces are decorated in an imari style pallet - laurel leaf...

Category

Early 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Porcelain

Set of 12 English Porcelain Botanical Plates, Spode, circa 1900
Set of 12 English Porcelain Botanical Plates, Spode, circa 1900

Set of 12 English Porcelain Botanical Plates, Spode, circa 1900

By Spode

Located in New York, NY

Set of 12 English porcelain botanical plates, Spode, circa 1900.

Category

Early 20th Century Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Rare and Fine Antique English Spode Ironstone Kakiemon Decor Warming Dish
Rare and Fine Antique English Spode Ironstone Kakiemon Decor Warming Dish

Rare and Fine Antique English Spode Ironstone Kakiemon Decor Warming Dish

By Spode

Located in CHARLESTON, SC

Exceedingly rare antique English Spode ironstone Kakiemon decor warming dish. A/F slight clips to leaf near handle. Pattern number as recorded o...

Category

Early 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Ironstone

8 Spode Aesthetic Movement Hand Painted Blue & Ivory Floral Dessert Plates
8 Spode Aesthetic Movement Hand Painted Blue & Ivory Floral Dessert Plates

8 Spode Aesthetic Movement Hand Painted Blue & Ivory Floral Dessert Plates

By Spode

Located in Great Barrington, MA

This set of 8 Spode Copelands dessert plates are perfect for a dessert course at an intimate dinner and also likely to be used as display or cabinet p...

Category

Early 1900s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Porcelain

Spode serveware, ceramics, silver and glass for sale on 1stDibs.

Spode serveware, ceramics, silver and glass are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Spode serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original serveware, ceramics, silver and glass by Spode were created in the Regency style in europe during the 19th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider serveware, ceramics, silver and glass by Coalport Porcelain, Chamberlains Worcester, and Samuel Alcock & Co.. Prices for Spode serveware, ceramics, silver and glass can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $49 and can go as high as $17,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $976.

Questions About Spode Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Spode pottery dates back to the 1770s and the originator of the company, Josiah Spode. Josiah Spode was born in 1733 and learned the trade by working for other local potters until 1775 when he established his own company. Find a collection of expertly vetted Spode pottery from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Spode Copeland is a brand of fine antique porcelain from Britain. The Spode company started in 1776, and was bought by the Copeland family early in the 1830s. Browse a collection of Spode Copeland porcelain pieces from top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 20, 2024
    To tell if a Spode is vintage, do some research using trusted online resources. Start by comparing the brand mark on your piece to images shared online to get a rough idea of the timeframe during which it was produced. From there, you can look at catalogues and references to identify the pattern and get a clearer picture of its manufacturing date. If your piece was made 20 to 99 years ago, it is vintage. Older pieces are antiques, while newer ones are contemporary. Should you run into any difficulty, a certified appraiser or knowledgeable dealer can help you with the dating process. Explore a collection of Spode pottery on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 22, 2024
    Whether you can put Spode china in the dishwasher varies. Some pieces are dishwasher-safe and will be marked as such on their backs or bottoms. Other pieces cannot be safely placed in the dishwasher. If your Spode china doesn't have a dishwasher-safe marking, err on the side of caution and hand wash it only. On 1stDibs, find an assortment of Spode china.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 16, 2024
    Most Spode is bone china. During its early decades, Spode was the first to develop a standard formula for the making of bone china, and most of its pieces made after this innovation are examples of bone china. However, particularly early on, Spode did make other types of pottery, such as earthenware. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Spode china.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Yes, Spode pottery and homewares are still being made. Spode is an English brand founded by Josiah Spode and is credited for perfecting the techniques that were crucial to the future success of English pottery. Spode pottery can be purchased through authorized retailers, such as 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 15, 2024
    Whether Spode is made in England or China depends on the piece. Spode continues to manufacture some of its iconic china at its workshop in Stoke-on-Trent, England, which has been in continuous operation for more than 250 years. However, some lines now originate from factories in China that adhere to the brand's strict quality standards. On 1stDibs, shop a wide variety of Spode pieces.
  • 1stDibs ExpertNovember 20, 2024
    Yes, some Spode pottery is worth something. Spode is one of the oldest and most distinguished of the great pottery companies of Staffordshire, the time-honored home of English ceramics. The firm’s blue and white bone china transferware is a timeless classic. Spode dishes compose the sort of elegant dinner service that most of us envision on a traditional holiday table, and as a result, pieces produced by the maker are often in high demand. Potential selling prices of Spode pottery vary based on type, style, pattern, age, condition and other factors. If you'd like to know how much items in your collection may be worth, consider using the services of a certified appraiser or knowledgeable antique dealer. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Spode pottery.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 13, 2024
    Whether Spode Christmas dishes can go in the microwave varies. Many of the British maker's dinnerware is dishwasher-safe as well as microwave- and freezer-safe, but not all its pieces are. As a result, you should look at the markings on the bottom of your dishes and consult the care instructions that accompany them for advice on how to safely use them. Find a large selection of Spode porcelain and ceramic wares on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 8, 2024
    No, Spode Christmas Tree is not still made in England. In 2006, the British maker began producing its iconic holiday china in Malaysia. Pieces made prior to 2006 originated at the company's workshop in Stoke-on-Trent, England. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Spode china from some of the world's top sellers.