The Vintage Dishware Brand With White House Ties That's Still Worth Collecting Today

Dish aficionados maintain brand alliances like few others, with many even seeking prized pieces crafted in the days of yore. But a relative few labels have even been in operation for long enough for their items to approach anything that could fairly be called vintage, making them even more precious. Lenox is one such company, dating back to 1889. It would become the first American-made dinnerware served in the White House a few decades later, replacing French and English makers.

The custom set, which cost $240,352.80 in 2025 dollars and featured the presidential seal (that's the eagle one) in 24-carat gold, eventually succumbed to the same broken fate that plates can face in everyday homes, and ultimately had to be swapped with Lenox and other replacements over the years. (Incidentally, here's what to do if you break a plate at a dinner party, State or otherwise.) The last update tapped a different domestic manufacturer in 2015, and more recent refresh efforts stalled due to time and budget restraints. But you can still pick up some legacy china for your own home.

Modern Lenox sets start at $70 for a single place setting that includes a dinner plate, an accent plate, a pasta bowl, and a mug in a garden motif; not cheap, but still quite a bit more affordable than the White House original's inflation conversion. The same quantity in all kinds of different styles starts inching up the dollar signs, so you can mix and match designs for a unique tablescape. Larger, coordinated collections are also bundled in groups of 46 to serve four for about $450.

If the trademark Lenox rang even the faintest bell outside of its presidential history, the recognition was probably for its spice village. Lenox started making spice village collections that included two dozen petite vessels fashioned after darling, doll-like houses to hold your cinnamon, saffron, and all manner of oregano in 1989. They were discontinued in 1993. Obsessives could only hunt for the erstwhile bits of functional decor until they were finally re-released in 2025, and they're now available once more in a few different configurations.