Tiffany & Co. Holiday China: What It's Worth and What to Check

The Tiffany Holiday pattern is discontinued, and complete sets draw strong bids. Here is how to identify Tiffany & Co. china and barware and what makes a set worth more.

SebastianCharles Auctions

Tiffany & Co. china shows up in a lot of Minnesota dining rooms, and the Christmas pattern shows up more than any other. If you have a cabinet full of it, you may have more money on the shelf than you think. We recently sold an 87 piece Tiffany & Co. Holiday china set for $9,500, against an estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. Here is how to tell what you have and what makes a set worth consigning.

Tiffany & Co. is not Tiffany Studios

People mix these up all the time. Tiffany & Co. is the New York retailer Charles Lewis Tiffany founded in the 1800s, the company behind the blue box. Tiffany Studios was a separate business his son Louis Comfort Tiffany started in 1902, and it made the leaded glass lamps and Favrile glass. Tiffany & Co. sells china, silver, crystal and jewelry. If your plates say Tiffany & Co. on the back, they came from the retailer. If you have a lamp, read our guide to consigning a Tiffany Studios lamp instead.

The Tiffany Holiday pattern

The pattern most people call "the Tiffany Christmas china" is Tiffany Holiday. It has a white background with red ribbons tying together bundles of pine cones, pears, acorns and red ornaments, a look inspired by Victorian Christmas tables. It was made in Japan, and Replacements, Ltd. lists it as made from 1993 to 2019. It is now discontinued.

That last part matters. Once a popular pattern stops production, the only way to build or finish a set is the secondary market. Families who have used it every December for 20 years want to replace broken pieces and add to their service. Replacement retail prices show the demand. Replacements lists a Holiday dinner plate at about $800 and a 16 inch platter at about $3,200. Auction prices run well below retail, but they show why a full set draws serious bids.

Tiffany made other holiday patterns too. Tiffany Garland has a cream background and was made in England. White Garland, Ornaments and Tiffany Holly also turn up. Check the backstamp to see which one you have. A 44 piece Tiffany Holiday Garland set sold at Brunk Auctions for $2,200 against a $400 to $700 estimate, so these sister patterns sell well too.

Other Tiffany & Co. china worth a look

The Holiday pattern gets the attention, but Tiffany has sold hundreds of china patterns. These are the ones we see most often:

• Band patterns. Gold Band, Blue Band, Platinum Band and Palladium are simple, elegant and easy to sell as complete services.
• Tiffany Audubon and Tiffany Blue Box, both well known patterns with steady buyers.
• Tiffany Private Stock. Hand painted in Paris by Atelier Le Tallec, which began working with Tiffany in 1961. Tiffany absorbed the workshop in 1990 and closed it in 2014. Look for "Tiffany & Co. Private Stock Hand Painted Made in France," often with a painter's initials.
• Este Ceramiche. Italian trompe l'oeil fruit and vegetable pieces made for Tiffany from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s, marked "Este Made in Italy for Tiffany."
• Older English china retailed by Tiffany. Royal Worcester, Minton and Cauldon all made services for Tiffany. These carry both the maker's mark and a Tiffany & Co. New York mark.

Tiffany barware

Barware is the other half of the Tiffany entertaining cabinet, and sterling pieces can bring strong prices. We sold a Tiffany & Co. Art Deco sterling silver cocktail shaker for $4,000, against an estimate of $800 to $1,200. Look for marks like "Tiffany & Co. Makers Sterling Silver" and "925-1000" on the base.

Elsa Peretti designs are another strong category. Peretti signed with Tiffany in 1974, and her sterling Thumbprint and Bone pieces still have a following. They are marked "Tiffany & Co." with "Elsa Peretti" and "925." Tiffany crystal, like decanters and barware, carries an etched Tiffany & Co. signature on the base.

Sterling always has a silver value underneath it, but a Tiffany sterling piece is almost always worth more as Tiffany than as weight. For more, see what Tiffany & Co. sterling is worth.

What makes a Tiffany china set worth more

• A complete service. Full place settings for 8 or 12, with serving pieces, sell better than odd lots. Count everything before you call.
• Serving pieces. Platters, teapots, sugar and creamer sets and covered dishes are harder to find than plates.
• Condition. Check every piece for chips, cracks and crazing. Run a finger around each rim.
• Trim wear. Gold and platinum trim wears off in the dishwasher, mostly from pieces rubbing together. Worn trim cannot be restored, so a hand washed set holds its value better.
• Original blue boxes. If you still have them, keep them with the set.

How to get an estimate

You do not need to pack anything yet. Take a photo of the full set laid out on a table, a close up of the pattern, a clear photo of the backstamp and any chips or wear. Count the pieces by type, such as 12 dinner plates, 12 salad plates and 12 cups and saucers. Then send it all through our free estimate form. Sebastian reviews every inquiry personally and will tell you what your set should bring and whether it belongs in a national auction or a local sale. You can browse more results on our auction highlights page.