While many collectors today seek the colored-glass lampshades for which Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) is famous, there is another Tiffany creation that is highly desirable but lesser known: the Tiffany desk set. Made from 1900 until the 1930s in 20 different patterns, the desk sets were crafted in bronze and adorned with such ornamentation as zodiac symbols, grapevines, and nautical motifs. The sets were made up of anywhere from 6 to 25 pieces, including such objects as inkwells, blotters, stamp cases, calendar holders, blotter ends, and letter openers.

“Some people will collect each piece individually until they have an entire set in one pattern, others will collect pieces from any pattern they can find,” says Donald W. Harford, of Vos Antiques, in Falmouth Foreside, Maine (207/781-2960). Harford has seen the price of Tiffany desk sets rise dramatically in the last few years, a fact he attributes to their high quality. “Tiffany objects are popular because they are so choice,” says Harford, who currently has a 6-piece set in the Zodiac pattern, priced at $1,700. “A few years ago, you could get an entire 6-piece set for $500,” he recalls. “Now you might pay that amount just for an inkwell.”

Pattern names for the Tiffany desk sets include: Zodiac, Grapevine, Nautical, Heraldic, Chinese, Ninth Century, Art Deco, and American Indian. Each piece of an authentic Tiffany desk set will be stamped Tiffany Studios. Prices for Tiffany desk sets range from $400 per piece to $5,000 or more for a set.

For more information about Tiffany desk sets, a good source is Tiffany Desk Treasures: A Collector’s Guide, by George A. Kemeny and Donald Miller (Hudson Hills Press, 2002).

Photo courtesy of Vos Antiques