For Sale: A Tiffany Sterling Silver “Tin Can”

Would you buy a $1,000 silver object that looks just like an ordinary tin can? It’s part of Tiffany’s new collection of luxury home and accessory items that are sterling silver copies of everyday items. If you don’t want the can, how about a $9,000 ball of yarn? Or a $10,000 bird’s nest? Or an “inexpensive” $425 silver protractor that can actually be used? Tiffany is not the first to make ordinary things in new and more expensive materials to decorate a house. A few years ago, the paper bag-shaped vase designed by the famous artist Tapio Wirkkala and made by Rosenthal China was a sophisticated joke. But it cost less than $50. Tiffany is copying an earlier idea. They made popular jewelry shaped like a solid gold whistle, a sterling silver padlock and a pretzel in past years.