Not Pyrex, Not Le Creuset: The Elegant Kitchenware Hiding On Thrift Store Shelves

When you're combing the shelves of a thrift store, you're probably trained to look for flashy brands like Pyrex or Le Creuset, but you should also keep your eye out for pieces from Stieff. In its heyday, the company went by many names, but it was known for making kitchenware such as forks, knives, spoons, and serving items made from sterling silver and, eventually, pewter. These kitchenware items are often stamped with distinctive crowns, lettering that reads "Sterling 925," or even the brand's name, which will easily let you know whether the unassuming silver spoon you picked up beneath a collection of rusty forks is worth big bucks.

What became the Stieff Company, or the Kirk-Stieff Company, began as the Florence Sterling Silver Company in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1892. That same year, before changing names to the Sterling Silver Mnfg. Co. and back to the Baltimore Sterling Silver Company, it released its first line of patterned flatware known as the Hand Chased Rose (or Baltimore) collection. This line of sterling silver flatware was designed with intricate roses and floral patterns adorning the handles of teaspoons, knives, cake servers, ladles, and more, each detailed piece rendering Stieff a vintage brand that feels more like art than kitchenware. In the same floral theme, the company eventually came out with collections named Chrysanthemum and Corsage, too. Today, pieces from this early Rose collection go for thousands of dollars, from about $2,000 for a 20-piece set to roughly $14,000 for a 109-piece set.

After producing flatware as the Baltimore Sterling Silver Co. for nearly a decade, the company changed its name again to the Stieff Company in 1904, which stayed the same until another name change in 1979 to the Kirk-Stieff Company, following a merger with a competitor. Over those 60+ years, the company produced dozens of kitchenware collections, including the Princess and the Forget-Me-Not patterns in the mid to late 1910s, along with the Raleigh Tavern pattern in 1940, and a line of pewter flatware post-WWII in the 1950s, among many more. Today, a 40-piece set from the Princess collection goes for roughly $9,500, while a 2-piece set from the Forget-Me-Not collection goes for over $700, easily making Stieff a vintage kitchen brand that's the ultimate thrift store find.

Despite over 100 years in business, the Stieff-branded company didn't make it past the early 2010s. By the late 1970s, silver prices became unstable, which not only made the production of pieces difficult, but also sales. In 1990, the Kirk-Stieff Company was purchased by Lenox/Brown-Forman, which turned its focus away from sterling silver kitchenware. By 1999, the original Baltimore factory shut its doors, and by 2007 the company was sold for the final time to Lifetime Brands Inc. As of today, all Stieff/Stieff-Kirk patterns are out of production, which makes them a valuable find (sort of like these vintage bottles that are worth a fortune today) when browsing thrift stores, antique shops, or estate sales.