Novelty Silver Gift
These novelty silver gift pieces are playful desk accessories, tableware and personal items crafted to amuse.
Novelty Silver Gift
When you search for a novelty silver gift, you are looking at whimsical items that combine silver with practical utility or playful form. These pieces range from desk accessories and napkin rings to bottle openers and baby rattles, reflecting a lighter side of craftsmanship.
The versions you are most likely to meet on this page span several eras from the Victorian and Edwardian periods through to the mid-century. They often take the shape of animals, sports equipment or everyday objects rendered in miniature or imaginative ways.
How they were made
These items were fashioned primarily from sterling silver or silver plate, frequently combined with organic materials like mother of pearl, horn and hoof. Artisans shaped metal through casting, mounting and engraving to achieve realistic textures and details.
Specialised forms such as button hooks, table lighters and desk weights required precise metalwork and assembly. Maker techniques ensured that moving parts or functional elements remained sturdy despite their decorative appearance.
Novelty Silver Gift Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for novelty silver gift 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.
Several pieces are modelled as horse hooves, dog rattles and golf balls, proving that past generations enjoyed a very specific brand of desk humour.
What varies in quality
Quality in these items rests upon the crispness of the casting and the fidelity of the miniature form. Finer pieces display sharp detail in fur, feathers or equipment, whereas simpler examples rely on basic shapes with minimal engraving.
The integration of secondary materials like mother of pearl teethers or horn mounts also dictates the grade of the piece. Superior examples maintain balanced proportions and secure fixings between the silver and organic elements.
Hermes Paris·Wallace
The Novelty Silver Gift Glossary
- Sterling silver
- An alloy containing a high proportion of pure silver mixed with other metals for durability. It is the standard material found across many of these items.
- Silver plate
- A thin layer of silver applied to a base metal core. This technique allowed for larger or more complex novelty objects at a different cost.
- Vide poche
- A small tray or dish designed for emptying pockets of coins and keys. These often appear in golf or equestrian themes.
- Vesta case
- A small portable box used for holding matches. Many period examples feature distinctive hinged lids and engraved decoration.
- Teether
- An infant's toy designed to be chewed during teething, often paired with silver rattles and mother of pearl components.
Novelty Silver Gift: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a novelty silver gift?
A novelty silver gift is a functional or decorative object shaped in an amusing or unusual form, such as an animal, boat or sports equipment.
These pieces were typically produced as presentation items, desk accessories or personal items for affluent households.
How were silver rattles used?
Silver rattles served as comforting toys and teethers for infants, often combined with materials like mother of pearl.
They frequently doubled as christening presents given by family members to mark a birth.
How do I identify Edwardian pieces?
Edwardian novelty items often display refined detail and stylistic influences from the early twentieth century, including sporting motifs and miniature watering cans.
Checking hallmarks and registration numbers helps confirm the specific decade of manufacture.
Where were desk accessories placed?
Desk accessories such as paperweights, pen wipes and table lighters sat on writing tables in studies and libraries.
They combined decorative novelty with everyday utility for the Victorian or Edwardian writer.