Copper is back! It has always been timeless, beautiful and stylish, but copper has definitely grown in popularity lately as a home accent color for the way that it brings a pop of warmth and beauty to any tint, tone or hue that you pair it with. Check out how well it goes with brass and pastels! Lots of homeowners are selecting copper finishes for their kitchen sinks and faucets, bath fixtures, cookware or dishes and home décor items too. And with the resurgence in popularity of the Moscow Mule cocktail, bars and restaurants are now fully stocked with copper mugs as well! My husband and I love using copper mugs at home for all kinds of drinks since it keeps them cooler longer (though I don’t recommend drinking hot drinks out of a copper mug since the metal may get WAY too hot to touch!)
Aside from the classic Moscow Mule recipe that consists of vodka, lime, ginger beer and mint, try out these delicious recipes from Sweet Simple Vegan for an Autumn Apple Cider Moscow Mule (hello, fall!) and Veggie Desserts for a Carrot Moscow Mule (that's basically like drinking a salad, right?)
You can't talk about vintage copper décor without mentioning Coppercraft though! Coppercraft Guild of Taunton, Massachusetts is one of the most popular and well-known copper companies, especially because their vintage pieces are known to pop up anywhere and everywhere and are a favorite of vintage collectors.
The Coppercraft Guild sticker label. Pieces can either have the sticker label, the logo etched into the base or in some cases might not have any labeling at all.
CG made a huge variety of items, including cookware, planters, wall art, moulds, jewelry, men’s accessories, barware and other home décor items. If you own a vintage copper piece, there’s a huge chance that it could be a Coppercraft! Aside from their beauty and durability, one of the main reasons why so many people collect items from this company is because Coppercraft Guild had a special processing step that allows the pieces to keep their shiny finish and not tarnish. This has made a lot of the vintage pieces still appear as if they’re brand new even though they’re around 40 years old!
A set of roly poly drinking cups.
A copper and brass watering can and a copper planter with cute little brass feet!
An assortment of other Coppercraft items, including vases, drink pitchers, serving trays, candleholders, dinner bells, planters and tea kettles.
In my research into this company there seems to be a lot of differing information on the dates that the company was in business, but it looks like they were started in 1949 and over the years that they were in business they were associated with and/or were a division or subsidiary of West Bend, Dart Industries, and Armor Bronze & Silver. Something that I didn’t know about Coppercraft that I learned while researching this post is that they were sold at home hostess parties, just like Tupperware products! Who remembers those? Our house was always stocked with different Tupperware products when I was little (I can still remember the large yellow canister that held the kibble for our cat Sanka!). Coppercraft products were toted around in suitcases lined with felt and each item was wrapped in a green bag. Just like Tupperware it was mostly housewives who hosted the parties for friends, family and neighbors and the pieces were all set out and also used as serving pieces for food and drinks for the parties as well. This way the samples could be seen and tested in person and then the party guests could order their own pieces out of a catalog. A lot of people reminisce about the cherries jubilee dessert that was made and served out of the Coppercraft chafing dish that capped off the party and was the highlight of the sales pitch! Here’s a vintage ad for Coppercraft Guild:
Coppercraft Guild ad photo courtesy of sheilazellerinteriors.com.
The text reads: "We need each other. We are looking for people like yourself to represent an established company selling a prestigious product through party plan sales. We feel Coppercraft Guild of Canada offers the most complete product line of solid copper and home accessories sold in Canada. Plus a hostess plan and recommendation program that is second to none in direct sales today. And we care. We care about each of our people the way any close family does about each of its members."
And here's a little booklet that came with the original pieces and detailed some of the care instructions:
Unfortunately the company closed its doors sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s, and it’s rumored that this is because of a falling out between the two original founders. Whatever the case is, these gorgeous pieces continue to pop up and make great accents to any style of home décor!
Click here to view all Coppercraft Guild and all other copper items currently for sale! You can also click here to shop all copper dollhouse miniatures as well.
Do you have any Coppercraft Guild items in your home? Which ones? What about your moms or grandmas? Did anyone sell Coppercraft or know anyone who did? Share your experiences in the comments!
(Please note that email addresses submitted in order to leave a comment are kept private and are not shown to the public.)
All imaging and written copy on this site is original and the protected property of The Mustard Dandelion™ brand. Image sources for the Moscow Mule recipes are the 'Sweet Simple Vegan' and 'Veggie Desserts' blogs.
Copyright © 2022 The Mustard Dandelion™
I sold Copper craft in the mid to late 70’s. I did this as a 3rd job as my full time hours were cut and I needed to pay rent. I sold some of the pieces in a garage sale. Still have many pieces. Used the burnished baskets for bridesmaids flowers in my wedding. Still have the nested mixing bowls, fondue stand, and others.
I sold Coppercraft Guild in the late 70’s. I held on to many pieces which includes the chafing dish and double boiler, among others. All are in very good shape – I never sold them and they were in my original kit and my pieces used for demonstration at my shows. I have been looking for the recipe for the cherries jubilee for years, that I served at every party I ever had! I thought there was orange marmelade along with the cherry pie filling, but maybe I’m wrong. I see the post above says it’s just the pie filling…. Can anyone verify if there was any orange marmelade in the recipe? I am excited to find this website and these comments!!
To Pam: I would suggest eBay – that’s probably the easiest. Etsy requires you to set up a shop, but if you want to sell them locally you could also do Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, and those are also all good resources for checking on the value of certain items.
My mother in law has a lot of copper craft , a lot still in boxes . Have no idea value or heat place to find out . My husband wants to sell them , any suggestions where? Thank you
I was recruited by my cousin in the late 70’s to sell Coppercraft Guild. We were required to purchase the brown case filled with select pieces for display and demonstration at the home parties. As mentioned, each piece had it’s own green or blue felt bag to protect it in the case, and we set up a cloth draped display with these items, including lighted candles in the candleholders. I recall making the cherries jubilee in the fondue pot (I still have that and a covered casserole dish!) by flaming canned cherry pie filling with brandy for the dramatic finish before serving it over angel food or pound cake that the hosted provided. As an introvert, conducting these shows and booking parties took me way out of my comfort zone, but it built my confidence. In a small community, however, the bookings became too difficult to obtain and I didn’t last long in this venture. I did make back my investment in the display kit and I kept the pieces for a long time, but after multiple moves over the years, I gradually dispensed with most of it. I imagine people scoring these finds at Goodwill and thinking they have a vintage treasure!