The 5 Most Sought After Sterling Silver Tea Sets

• Posted on 18th May 2026
• in Antique Silver, antique silver buyers, Antique Silver Tea Set, antique sterling silver
• by Alan

Sterling silver tea sets represent elegance, tradition, and memorable gatherings. These beautiful pieces add charm and value to any home while making tea service feel more refined and special. They are available in many sizes, shapes, and decorative patterns, with each set reflecting the unique craftsmanship and design style of its manufacturer. Because of this, sterling silver tea set prices and value can vary greatly. This depends on a lot of things. From the quality of the set, to how old it is, to what manufacturer developed the pattern.

If you are in the market for a tea set, or if you have one that you would like to sell, check out some of the five most sought after sterling tea sets.

Most Valuable Sterling Silver Tea Sets

1. Gorham Chantilly Grand Sterling Tea Set

In 1895, famous Gorham designer, William C. Codman, designed the Gorham Chantilly Grand sterling silver tea set. William C. Codman was a designer at Gorham for 30 years and he patented 54 other flatware patterns, beyond the designs he did for the Chantilly Grand sterling silver tea set.

While there were many patterns, all with varying degrees of popularity, none of those patterns were as enduring and desired as Chantilly. Today, Gorham Chantilly remains one of Gorham’s most famous flatware patterns, and the company continues to produce matching flatware in both sterling silver and silver plate.
Gorham created the pattern in the elegant Louis XV style. Within three years of introducing Chantilly, the company earned national recognition as the “runaway favorite” design.

2. Steiff Sterling Silver Tea Set – Rose Pattern

The Stieff Company earned recognition for producing high-quality silver products with exceptional value, beautiful hand chasing, and detailed Repoussé work. Steiff introduced its most famous pattern, the Maryland Rose, in 1892. The Maryland Rose pattern later became known as Stieff Rose. The Steiff Rose sterling silver tea set typically has four, beautiful and ornate pieces. Because of the ornate designs and intricate patterns, the Steiff sterling silver tea sets are very desireable and sought after, one of the most famous in the antique tea set world.

3. Plymouth Sterling Silver Tea Set by Gorham

Gorham Manufacturing Company is one of America’s largest manufacturers of sterling silver items and sculptures. Through the years, they have developed many patterns and sets that have become highly desired throughout the world. The Plymouth Sterling Silver Tea Set is one of the many patterns by Gorham that has reached that extremely desired level. The complete sterling silver tea set typically has a coffee pot, teapot, cream jug, covered sugar bowl, and waste bowl. The pattern was developed in 1911 and consists of a clean, simple and elegant design. When trying to purchase a Plymouth sterling silver tea set, the quality and value is always more when there is clearly no damage or tarnish to the tea set.

4. Georgian Rose Sterling Silver Tea Set by Reed & Barton

The Georgian Rose Sterling Silver Tea Set by Reed & Barton is a mid-20th century sterling silver coffee and tea service set. In 1962, Reed & Barton released this pattern to complement the Savannah flatware collection. The company designed both patterns with polished surfaces, floral accents, and elegant scrollwork to reflect traditional Georgian style. The five-piece collection includes a sterling silver coffee pot, a teapot, a creamer dispenser, a covered sugar dish and a oval silver serving tray.

For more than 150 years, the Reed & Barton produced sterling silver of exceptional quality. Reed & Barton operated between 1824 and 2015 as a prominent American silversmith manufacturer based in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. While operating, they produced goods such as sterling silver and silverplate flatware.

5. Tiffany Repousse Tea Set – Ivy Pattern

The Tiffany Repousse Tea Set in the ivy pattern is a rare pre-Civil War five piece silver set that was developed by Tiffany & Co. The pattern consists of richly detailed repousse of winding ivy leaves and additional decorative accents. The background of the design is fully textured with minute detail. Additionally, all of the handles and spouts display a woody motif that is accompanied by oak leaves and acorns.

Each piece in the ivy pattern repousse tea set features an engraved crest with a shield, a boar’s head, a sword entwined by two serpents, and a banner displaying the words “Est Nec Astu.”” The set typically includes a large coffee pot, a medium tea pot, lidded creamer, lidded sugar and a waste bowl. Collectors rarely find Pre-Civil War era silver on the market, especially pieces crafted by important makers like Tiffany & Co..

Conclusion

If you have any of the sets listed above, it is important to note that the full sets will fetch more money than an incomplete set and that extra pieces are a plus. Furthermore, the condition of your sets is key in getting the best price. Monograms tend to devalue a set. With those notes in mind, as a leading Sarasota antique buyer, we are happy to take a look at any antiques that you may have for appraisal and value. Our expert team is well-versed in many different antiques from all over the world.

We buy antiques of all variety and we have the most successful record of buying antiques in cities like Tampa, Englewood and Palmetto . If you want to know the value of your antiques, bring them in for appraisal and we can tell you all about the sets that you have.