Look For This Rare '80s Kitchen Utensil Brand At Thrift Stores

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If you happen to have inherited a set of vintage silverware or flatware from your grandma or great-grandma, you may want to get it out and take a look at the maker and pattern. If it has the name "Lunt" written on it, it's worth a closer look. If it has a design with a shell shape flanked by comma-shaped curling leaves and its maker's mark reads "Lunt Stainless 18/8 Japan," you've found something even more remarkable. It's flatware made for a limited run in the '80s called Hillsborough by Lunt Silversmiths, and it's definitely something to look for at the thrift store. The pieces from this pattern can be worth quite a bit.

When people think about thrifting vintage kitchen items, they usually think of 1960s Pyrex dishes or special vintage cookware brands. We don't often think of simple stainless steel flatware as something with great value. When it comes to vintage or antique utensils that most people find valuable, they're often silver. But some non-silver flatware can be quite valuable due to scarcity or the company that originally produced it. Because the Lunt Silversmiths company went out of business in 2010 and its limited release of this pattern, the Hillsborough set of flatware has become extremely collectible.

The Hillsborough flatware pattern by Lunt was only produced from 1980 to 1985, and it was most likely used for special occasions (the style was elaborate and old-fashioned-looking), rather than for everyday use. Generally, in the '80s, people still followed "formal" and "informal" dining rules. The set included not only a traditional five-piece place setting, but up to 22 additional serving-ware pieces as well. If you're lucky enough to find a complete set at the thrift store, you should absolutely take it home.

The beauty of searching for the Hillsborough flatware pattern at a thrift store is that many people might overlook the pieces as just run-of-the-mill flatware, which can increase your odds of finding some. And it might be worth your while to look through the flatware at your local Goodwill, considering a 15-piece incomplete set on eBay sold for over $100. A five-piece place setting sells on Replacements, Ltd. for $236.95! Even if you don't plan to flip it for a profit, a set of Hillsborough flatware is a great vintage piece to have as a keepsake. You can use your 1980s Hillsborough flatware at your next gathering as the perfect complement to serve up vintage dishes that are suddenly cool again.