Antique Sheffield Candlesticks
These antique sheffield candlesticks bring the substantial weight and warm reflection of old silver-plated copper into a room.
Antique Sheffield Candlesticks
When someone searches for antique sheffield candlesticks, they encounter items designed to hold wax tapers or support multi-light branches for illumination. The inventory on this page ranges from simple pairs of single sticks to large suites and three-light candelabra.
The objects span periods from the eighteenth century through the Victorian era and into the twentieth century. Forms include chambersticks with small pans, telescopic columns that adjust in height, and table lamps converted for modern use.
Stylistic influences mirror the major design shifts of their times, appearing in Georgian neoclassical lines, Regency proportions, and ornate Victorian decoration. Most examples rely on old sheffield plate or later silver plate over copper cores, alongside solid sterling silver pieces.
How they were made
Makers fused a thin sheet of silver to a thicker copper ingot through heat and pressure before rolling the combined metal into sheets. This old sheffield plate technique meant the copper core could show subtly at exposed edges or wear points.
Workers shaped the sheet metal by hand or pressed it using dies, assembling components like circular bases, fluted columns, and removable sconces with solder. Later nineteenth-century items often utilised electroplating over metal bases instead of the earlier fused plate method.
Solid sterling silver alternatives were cast and hallmarked with standard town marks, showing purity levels distinct from plated items. Details such as crests, palm tree motifs, and lyre-shaped branches were added to enrich the overall form.
Antique Sheffield Candlesticks Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for sheffield candlesticks among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
One towering nineteenth-century suite reaches thirty inches tall, turning a standard dining table into a formidable forest of silver light.
What varies in quality
The distinction between ordinary and superior pieces rests on the crispness of the chasing and the retention of the original silver layer over the copper. Heavy gauge metal provides structural stability, preventing the columns from leaning or wobbling.
Superior items retain complete suites of matching components, such as original detachable nozzle sconces and corresponding branch attachments for candelabra. Telescopic mechanisms in better examples operate smoothly without slipping from their set height.
Matthew Boulton·Blagden Hodgson And Co·Thomas Bradbury And Sons Ltd·Elkington
The Antique Sheffield Candlesticks Glossary
- Old Sheffield Plate
- A composite material made by fusing silver and copper together, characteristic of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century production. This method precedes modern electroplating.
- Sconce
- The removable pan or nozzle fitted at the top of a candlestick to catch dripping wax. It lifts out easily for cleaning.
- Telescopic
- Describing candlesticks with columns that slide up and down to adjust the overall height. These often appear in Georgian and Regency designs.
- Chamberstick
- A low candlestick set in a shallow pan with a small handle, designed for carrying around a house at night. They frequently include a tiny conical snuffer.
- Candelabra
- A branched lighting fixture holding multiple candles on a central shaft. They range from three-light configurations to large suites.
Antique Sheffield Candlesticks: Frequently Asked Questions
What are antique sheffield candlesticks made of?
These items are predominantly constructed from old sheffield plate, which fuses a layer of silver to a copper base. Later Victorian and twentieth-century examples often use silver plate, EPNS, or solid sterling silver.
The underlying metal frequently shows hints of copper through the silver on high points or edges where decades of polishing have worn the surface down.
How do I know if they are old sheffield plate?
Old sheffield plate items often reveal a thin seam of copper along the cut edges or undersides of the base where the two metals were joined during manufacturing. They belong mainly to the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Electroplated items introduced later do not display this characteristic copper line, as the silver coating covers the entire finished object uniformly.
Can I use modern candles in them?
Most antique sticks accept standard taper candles, though variations in the diameter of the nozzle or removable sconce can occur due to hand-manufacturing. Checking the inner width of the cup ensures a secure fit for the wax taper.
Using fitted beeswax or paraffin tapers prevents wobbling while keeping the melted wax safely contained within the removable metal sconce.