Van Bergh Silver Plate Co Victorian Style 6 Piece Tea And Coffee Service Appraisal

Van Bergh Silver Plate Co. Victorian Style 6-Piece Tea and Coffee Service

This is a comprehensive six-piece silver-plated service set, likely manufactured by the Van Bergh Silver Plate Co. of Rochester, NY, which operated from approximately 1892 to 1925. The set includes a tall coffee pot, a stout teapot, a covered sugar bowl, a cream pitcher, a waste bowl, and a large footed display tray. Each hollowware piece features an ornate Victorian/Neo-Renaissance aesthetic with heavy repoussé work depicting scrolls, acanthus leaves, and floral motifs. The handles and spouts are cast with similar decorative flourishes, and the lids are topped with decorative finials. The construction is 'quadruple plate,' a process involving a higher concentration of silver deposition onto a base metal (typically copper or white metal), ensuring greater durability and depth of luster than standard plating. The large oval tray serves as the base, featuring an etched central reservoir and a heavily decorative scalloped rim that matches the service pieces. Regarding condition, the set appears relatively well-maintained with high luster; however, close inspection suggests minor surface scratches consistent with age and polishing, as well as light oxidation or 'tarnish' in several of the more intricate recessed areas of the repoussé. There are no immediate signs of significant 'bleeding' (where the base metal shows through the silver), which suggests the plating remains largely intact. This set exemplifies the high-quality industrial craftsmanship of American silver plate from the late 19th to early 20th century.