Collectable Silver Accessories
These collectable silver accessories span domestic trifles and novelty pin cushions crafted in sterling silver and silver plate.
Collectable Silver Accessories
Collectable silver accessories include small personal items and desk ornaments produced across the Victorian, Edwardian and mid-twentieth-century periods. The most frequent discoveries on this page are novelty pin cushions modelled as animals, footwear and furniture, alongside sewing tools and pocket cases.
Forms range from functional caddy spoons and vesta cases to whimsical miniatures shaped like chairs, swans, pigs and frogs. Makers utilised silver, silver plate, ormolu and secondary materials such as velvet, fabric and corozo nut to finish these small decorative objects.
How They Were Made
Silversmiths employed techniques such as stamping, casting and chasing to shape sterling silver and silver plate into intricate forms. Novelty pin cushions incorporate fitted velvet or fabric inserts to hold pins safely within the metal framework.
Enamelling, stone-setting and gilding add colour and texture to specific pieces like thimbles and chatelaine cases. Makers combined metalwork with organic elements like tortoiseshell and corozo nut to construct small containers and snuff boxes.
Collectable Silver Accessories Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for collectable silver accessories 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.
Listings feature items from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, using sterling silver, silver plate, ormolu, velvet and tortoiseshell.
What Varies in Quality
The survival of original internal materials, such as velvet upholstery in pin cushions or fitted cased settings, distinguishes finer examples from altered or incomplete pieces.
Sampson Mordan·Adie And Lovekin·William Neale·Dee And Fargus·David Andersen·Charles Horner·Walter And George Myers·Hermes Paris
The Collectable Silver Accessories Glossary
- Vesta case
- A small pocket container designed to hold matches, often fitted with a striking stripe on the base. These cases frequently feature engraved decoration or figural shapes.
- Caddy spoon
- A short spoon used for measuring tea leaves from a caddy into a pot. Many examples display figural bowls shaped like jockey caps or leaves.
- Chatelaine
- A decorative belt hook worn with suspended chains carrying everyday household tools like scissors and thimbles. Ormulu and silver mountings were common.
- Assay mark
- A stamped symbol indicating the purity of the metal and the testing office. British pieces typically show a lion passant and town mark alongside the date letter.
Collectable Silver Accessories: Frequently Asked Questions
What were silver pin cushions used for?
Victorian and Edwardian households kept silver pin cushions on dressing tables and desks to hold pins for sewing and tailoring. Their novelty shapes made them decorative ornaments as well as functional items.
Craftsmen modelled them as everyday objects, animals and furniture to appeal to collectors and gift buyers.
How do I date a silver accessory?
British silver pieces carry hallmarks that include a date letter indicating the exact year of assay. Additional maker marks and registry numbers help narrow down the period of production.
Unmarked items or foreign pieces rely on style, material and manufacturing techniques for dating.
What is a vesta case?
A vesta case is a small pocket box used to carry safety matches before the widespread availability of lighters. They typically feature a hinged lid and a striated base for striking matches.
Victorian examples often display intricate engraving or figural designs.
How should I clean silver accessories?
Silver accessories benefit from gentle cleaning with a specialist cloth to remove tarnish without damaging fine engraved details or fabric inserts. Harsh dips can ruin fitted velvet pads in pin cushions.
Store pieces in dry conditions away from direct sunlight to preserve delicate enamel and organic materials.