One of our readers contacted me looking for an appraisal. Two sets of sterling flatware had been stolen from his home in Annapolis, Maryland. Both were Towle sterling sets. One was in the Old Master pattern and the other (if I heard him correctly was a set of Auvergne, a pattern created in 1905 which is no longer in production.
Towle a New England firm went through many name incarnations. The name Towle was first associated with the firm, originally owned by the Moulton family, when it changed hands to be purchased by their two apprentices in 1857 and became Towle & Jones. The name changed to A.F. Towle & Son in 1873. .
Eventually the company’s name was changed to Towle Silversmiths. Some of the most popular patterns include: “Candlelight” created in 1934 and “Marie Louise” created in 1939, which became the official sterling silver pattern for U.S. embassies worldwide,
The pattern Old Master introduced 1942, is still being made today. A five-piece place setting retails for $700 and is sale priced on the Towle website for $525. A set for eight with four serving pieces retails for $8,400 and is sale priced at $5,400. The replacement value is easy to verify.
Auvergne on the other hand is no longer in production and is not easy to find. I visited several replacement sites, and while you can put in a request, there are no published prices. It may take years before a complete five-piece setting service for eight can be acquired. On the basis of the value of the sterling and rarity, I’d put the replacement value at $12,000.
From a practical standpoint, a young couple starting out will probably want the more common pattern because it is easier to find, but if a pattern is rare, buyers will pay a premium.
