Sterling Silver Pheasants
Sterling silver pheasants bring the shoot into the dining room as table ornaments, menu holders and heavy cast figures.
Sterling Silver Pheasants
When you search for sterling silver pheasants, you are looking at figural decorative objects and functional dining accessories shaped as game birds. The most common forms on this page include place card holders, menu holders, and table ornaments.
These pieces cross several periods, appearing in Victorian, Edwardian, and mid-century British designs. You will also find related silver items such as letter openers, pepper pots, pin cushions, and brooches featuring the same bird motif.
Makers produced both single figures and matched pairs, often cast in realistic poses with detailed feather work. They served as conversation pieces for formal dining tables as well as personal accessories.
How they were made
Silversmiths primarily used sterling silver, shaping the birds through casting, hammering, and detailed hand-chasing to render the plumage. Some pieces incorporate coloured enamel or guilloche enamel to highlight the wings and body.
Functional items like menu holders and place card holders combine solid silver figures with small clips or mounts. Smaller accessories such as pin cushions integrate velvet, silk, or fabric into the silver framework.
Sterling Silver Pheasants Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for sterling silver pheasants 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 on this page span from the late nineteenth century through the 1960s, featuring both solid cast figures and enamelled accessories.
What varies in quality
Quality rests heavily on the crispness of the chasing and the naturalism of the bird's pose. Superior examples show distinct, individual feather engraving rather than smooth or soft casting.
Weight and gauge of the silver also separate standard production from finer work, particularly in cast figures and pairs where balance and proportion matter.
Edward Barnard And Sons·Nathaniel Mills
The Sterling Silver Pheasants Glossary
- Sterling silver
- A silver alloy containing 92.5 percent pure silver and 7.5 percent other metals, usually copper, to add durability.
- Chasing
- A silversmithing technique where metal is worked from the front with punches to sink the surface and define details such as feathers.
- Guilloche enamel
- A decorative technique where translucent enamel is layered over engine-turned metalwork, showing a repeating geometric pattern beneath.
- Place card holder
- A small desk or table accessory designed to hold a card bearing a diner's name, often formed as an animal or bird.
Sterling Silver Pheasants: Frequently Asked Questions
How were silver pheasants used on the table?
These figures typically functioned as decorative table ornaments or served a dual purpose as menu holders and place card holders during formal Victorian and Edwardian dinners.
Hosts placed them around the dining table to hold cards naming guests or listing the courses being served.
Are sterling silver pheasants solid or hollow?
Larger table ornaments and cast pairs are generally solid cast silver or heavy constructions designed to stand firmly on a tablecloth.
Smaller items and utility pieces may use lighter gauge silver or incorporate weighted bases to maintain stability.
How do I date a silver pheasant?
Dating relies primarily on the hallmarks stamped into the silver, which indicate the assay office, date letter, and standard of the metal.
Stylistic details, such as the flat cast forms of the Edwardian period or the cleaner lines of mid-century pieces, also help narrow down the decade.