4 Pc Antique French Sterling Silver Tea Coffee Service Start Price USD 2,600.00 Current Price USD 2,600.00 Time Left 9 days 2 hours 33 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, November 18, 2008 End Time Saturday, January 17, 2009 Location New Jersey -Gateway to the Big Apple! See more about '4 Pc Antique French Sterling Silver Tea Coffee Service' Description Fine 4 Pc Antique French Sterling Silver Tea Coffee Service Set TETARD 1874 grams A wonderful, very high-quality, four-piece tea service in thick and heavy silver with carved (rosewood?) handles and notched knopfs, from the renowned French silversmiths, Tetard Freres of Paris! A very fine old set, in the best of French tradition. Maison Tetard was as important as Puiforcat in its day and had a long history of exceptional silver smithing and gold medals won at 19th century world fairs. Their work is renowned for its elegant sculptural forms, as seen in this set. A well balanced, graceful set with large tea pot and coffee or hot water pot, a covered sugar bowl and creamer, all in .950 pure silver. The interiors of the sugar and creamer are covered with gold ... vermeil... simply the finest silver made.Each piece of the set is fully hallmarked (lids and bases) with the French Minerve 1, signifying for the finest quality of silver at .950 purity (Sterling is .925/1000.). The underside of each bears the hallmark of Tetard Freres. In the best French tradition, this is heavy, very solid silver, weighing in at over 4 pounds! Total weight for the set is an impressive 1,874 grams (1.87 kg., 66.1 oz., 60.25 troy ounces).Coffee or Hot Water Pot: Height c. 8 3/4 in. (22 cm.), Width with handle c. 7 1/2 in. (19cm.), Weight 650 grams (22.9 oz., 20.897 troy ounces)Tea Pot: Height c. 6 1/3 in. (16 cm.), Width with handle c. 9 1/8 in. (23 cm.), Weight 645 grams (22.75 oz., 20.74 troy ounces);Sugar Bowl: Height c. 4 1/2 in. (11 cm.), Width with handles c. 6 in. (15 cm.), Weight 415 grams (14.64 oz., 13.34 troy ounces);Cream Pitcher: Height c. 3 1/3 in. (8 cm.), Width with handle c. 5 1/8 in. (13 cm.), Weight 164 grams (5.78 oz., 5.27 troy ounces) The service is in excellent condition, ready to use. The coffee and tea pots are in fine condition, with nothing more than the appropriate micro-scratches from use and tea stains inside the teapot, which can be cleaned. The sugar bowl has two small, dings (1 -1.5 cm.) toward the bottom, under one of the handles. Its lid fits quite tightly. The creamer has a tiny ding toward the bottom, below the spout, which is barely visible. Nothing serious, but these small flaws can be easily restored by your local silversmith if desired. The wooden knops are notched, not cracked, just in case you wondered. The set displays beautifully! A valuable silver tea service worthy of the finest collections of French silver, ready to dress the finest dining room and a certain heirloom for generations to come! Investment silver. Return PolicyWe guarantee each of our items to be as described and offer a 3-day notification of return option for a full refund, less shipping costs, which are not refundable. See the Ruby Lane Terms of Sale for details. If you are uncertain, please ask questions before purchase.Shipping/Handling/Insurance Policy:Buyer pays shipping, handling and insurance costs. Insurance is required. US SHIPPING: We prefer to ship via USPS Priority Mail. Faster shipping is safer for your treasures! But, if you prefer another kind of shipping, please inquire before purchase. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: Depending on size and insurance value, we use USPS International Express Mail (EMS), USPS International Priority Mail and USPS Registered Mail; UPS for over-size items. All Customs duties, taxes, bank and currency exchange fees are the full responsibility of the buyer. Please do not ask us to falsify Customs forms.Other Information:PAYMENT: We prefer PayPal. Please send PayPal payments within 3 days of receiving shipping costs.New Jersey Buyer: Please add additional 7% for NJ Sales Tax, or provide a copy of a valid resale certificate. Check out my other items!Be sure to add me to your favorites list!Please visit our Mezzetin Antiques gallery! Place a Bid!