Haviland are well known as suppliers of china to some of America’s most illustrious households. Even presidents have eaten their dinner from those elegant plates!
But despite this acclaim, much of Haviland’s china was produced for people of more modest incomes. And the firm produced a huge range of designs – somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 different patterns.
So if you have some Haviland china at home, how do you know if it’s valuable? And what kind of price might it fetch if you decided to sell?
That’s what we’re here to find out! We’re going to look at 16 of the most valuable pieces of Haviland china to have come to the market in recent years. And we’ll find out what it is that makes them so special.
Ready? Let’s find out more!
Most Valuable Pieces of Haviland China Worth Money
1. 65 Piece Dinner Set, Nosegay Pattern
In some cases, the sheer quantity of china helps boost the price of a dinner service. That’s the case with this pretty set, dating from the 1920s. It boasts no fewer than 65 separate pieces.
It includes a dozen each of teacups, saucers and dinner plates. There are half a dozen salad plates. And there are eight side plates and eight bread and butter plates too. There’s no tea pot, but there’s a creamer and sugar bowl with lid.
It also includes one large and one small platter, a relish dish and two smaller serving bowls. Everything, in fact, for a beautiful table at your next dinner party!
The pattern consists of small, colorful bunches of flowers on a white ground. The 24-karat gold trim makes it extra special.
This pretty dinner set is on sale online for $1,500.
2. Hand-painted Chocolate Pot
Sometimes a piece of Haviland china is valuable because it is rare. Collectors will pay a premium to own a piece that few others will be able to get their hands on.
That’s the case with this lovely chocolate pot, made some time between 1900 and 1909. It’s beautifully decorated with sprays of pale blue flowers on a creamy white ground. And there’s lots of gold embellishment, particularly on the handle, lid and spout.
It’s in excellent condition – another key element in fetching a high price. This has no chips, cracks or manufacturing defects.
If you’d like to add it to your collection, you can buy it online for $270. And a pot in the same design, with six matching cups and seven saucers, sold in 2022 for $990.
3. Set of 12 Salad Plates, Imperator Pattern
If you’re looking for some seriously impressive china on which to serve your salad, it doesn’t get much better than this set.
The Imperator pattern is still being made today, but it was inspired by a design from the Haviland archives. It harks back to classical Greece, with a frieze of acanthus leaves and garlands. This sits between two narrow bands decorated with the typical Greek geometric pattern.
If you like bling, you’ll love this set. It’s veritably dripping with 24-karat gold. And there are twelve plates, all stamped “Théodore Haviland, Limoges, France” on the base.
There was no information on the date of this particular set. But one collector was happy to snap it up at just under the asking price of $3,400.
4. Christmas Rose Pitcher
This lovely pitcher is a rare find. The Christmas Rose pattern, showing a pale pink rose alongside holly leaves, was produced in small quantities. Any pieces in the pattern inspire hot competition amongst collectors, but the pitcher is particularly rare.
This beautiful example measures 8 inches tall by 8.5 inches across (including the spout and handle). It has a diameter of 6 inches. It had no cracks or crazing when it was offered for sale online in 2022. There was, however, a small chip at the back of the rim, near the handle.
While condition is usually all-important for china, in this case the rarity of the pattern trumped this minor flaw. The pitcher sold for $950.
5. Christmas Rose Teacup and Saucer
If you love the Christmas Rose pattern, you’ll love this teacup and saucer. Like all pieces in this pattern, it’s a rarity. And this one is even more unusual than most. The heavy gold embellishment around the rim of both cup and saucer is virtually unheard of.
The gold has dulled over time to a beautiful warm yellow, indicative of its age. But there’s no wear to the gilt, and no cracks or chips to the china.
The cup and saucer have been together since they were crafted. They both bear the number 22645 painted on their base.
An online buyer bought them for a total price of $950 in 2022.
6. Pedestal Compote Bowl
This handsome compote bowl dates to the earlier part of Haviland’s history, from the mid to late nineteen century. It is a spectacular way to serve up compote – a thick fruit spread – and would grace any breakfast table.
It is embellished with plenty of gold. And both the bowl and base are decorated with garlands of dusky pink roses. The bowl is 6.5 inches in diameter and the base bears the stamp “G. H. Field, Haviland, Limoges”.
This beautiful and unusual item sold online in 2022 for $958.
7. Baltimore Rose Cake Stand
Baking has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. And that has meant that antique cake stands have become particularly prized by collectors.
This one, in Haviland’s Baltimore Rose pattern, is almost too beautiful to cover with a cake. And that means, of course, that it gives the lucky owner the perfect excuse for just one more slice!
It stands 3 inches wide, and the plate has a diameter of 8 inches. It was in perfect condition when it was sold online in 2022, with no chips, cracks or repairs. Its beauty and rarity meant that one buyer was happy to pay $1,000 to become its new owner.
8. Ice Cream Dessert Set
This striking dessert set dates from around 1882. It consists of a large platter together with eleven square plates.
The design features a cobalt blue border decorated with white enamel flowers, with gilt leaves and twigs. The center of each piece is white with a blue tint.
Each one is marked on the base with CFH GDM for Charles Field Haviland and Gerard, Dufraisseix and Morel. The importer has also added their own mark in gold – “Waight Tyndale and Van Roden Importers, Philadelphia”.
The set might be both beautiful and unusual, but its condition wasn’t perfect when it came up for sale in 2022. Only three of the plates were unchipped, and the platter also had a large chip at one end.
But even with these issues, feverish bidding saw it sell for an impressive $1,033.
9. Two Drop Rose Trios
Trios are a popular way to buy vintage china. They consist of a teacup, saucer and small plate – the perfect combination, in fact, for afternoon tea.
This pair of trios is decorated with Haviland’s Drop Rose pattern. It uses the familiar colorway of dusky pink roses set off by a gilt trim. But in this case, there is also a lovely border in duck egg blue.
Each item was stamped to the bottom “Haviland France” and “Haviland & Co. Limoges”. Both trios sold for $1,100 in 2022.
10. Drop Rose Covered Vegetable Dish
The lovely Drop Rose pattern also features on this vegetable dish. It’s both beautiful and practical, with a decorative lid to keep your greens steaming until it’s time to dish them up.
It measures about 10 inches at its wides, including the two carrying handles. These, together with the handle of the lid, are all in gilt.
It was manufactured some time between 1900 and 1919. The base bears the number 16936. And like the two trios in the same pattern, it’s stamped “Haviland France” and “Haviland & Co. Limoges”.
It came up for sale online in 2022, when it fetched the princely sum of $1,200.
11. Feu de Four Oyster Plates
Haviland’s oyster plates are amongst the most collectable of the firm’s pieces. This set of eight plates is in the Feu de Four pattern, which features poppies and seeds.
The name Feu de Four references the four stages of the innovative production process. The design was applied with a transfer, then fired on before the glaze. The result is a softer, slightly hazy look that was both difficult and expensive to achieve.
Each plate has a diameter of 9 inches. One was chipped, but they were otherwise in good condition when they sold online in 2022. They fetched a price of $1,400.
12. 12 Piece Place Setting Dinner Set
This wonderful dinner service includes everything you need for a party of twelve. There are 94 pieces in total. And they are all decorated with a delightful pattern of pink and green flowers and foliage, with a gilt border.
Not all the elements of the set were in perfect condition when it came up for sale in 2022. One platter, for example, had quite a lot of cracks.
But the quality and beauty of the china nevertheless meant that a buyer was happy to snap it up. The purchase price? $1,699.
13. Turkey Oyster Plate
If you want to eat your oysters like a President of the United States, this is the plate for you! The Turkey design was patented by Haviland in 1880, after it had originally been made for the White House.
The president in those days was Rutherford B. Hayes. Word of the design got out, and with many requests for copies, Haviland set about producing more. This was never a large scale production, however, and today, examples are few and far between.
That’s why, when this one came up for sale in 2022, a collector was happy to pay around $1,800.
14. 86 Piece Dinner Set, Mount Vernon
This large dinner set by Haviland is in the beautiful pattern known as Mount Vernon. It features a stylized floral design with dark yellow as the primary color and accents of pink, blue and green.
There are no fewer than 86 pieces here. These include 12 each of dessert plates, large and small bowls and cups and saucers. There are 10 dinner plates and six luncheon plates. And there are serving bowls, platters, vegetable bowls and a gravy boat.
There’s a creamer and a sugar bowl to go with your tea cups too.
But such a large set comes at a price. It’s currently on sale for $2,575.
15. 90 Piece Dinner Set, Michele
The Michele pattern is from a slightly later incarnation of Haviland, having been made in the 1950s. But there are still obvious similarities to earlier examples in the pink floral design and gilt trim.
All the pieces here are in excellent condition – although a few are missing. It started life as a 12-person setting, but today there are only 11 dinner plates, salad plates and cups.
There are 12 soup bowls, lunch plates and 5-inch plates, and saucers, though. There’s also a creamer and a lidded sugar bowl for tea. And there are two platters, a vegetable bowl, a gravy boat, and a tureen with a lid.
All this can be yours for $1,250.
16. Three Piece Tea Set, Schleiger 257F
This delightful tea set is in the Schleiger pattern, a riot of pink roses with gold handles and spouts.
It comprises a tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl with lid. Finding all three pieces together and in good condition is rare. In this case, there’s some minor wear to the gilding, but everything is otherwise in good order.
The set sold online in 2022 for just under $2,400.
Time for Tea?
That’s the end of our look at 16 of the most valuable pieces of Haviland china sold in recent years. We’ve had great fun tracking down these beautiful objects – and gasping at the prices they’ve achieved!
Whether you’re a collector, seller, or just curious, we hope you’ve enjoyed our review. And perhaps those delicate cups and saucers have inspired you to take time to enjoy tea and a scone!