ebay is quick and easy. Or replacements.com.

Thanks - but who do I go to to find value?

you could check out antiques guides at your library, kovel's has a new one out every year. you can see what they are going for on ebay as well. don't be holding out for top dollar if you want to move them on their way.

thanks! I have my work cut out for me - but its worth it.

Go to either website and type in the maker's mark on the bottom of the china and figurines. Replacement will give you the "book" value, eBay will give you the price for which you might reasonably expect to sell, or pay for, an item. For example, on a Shelley China cup you would see one of the following manufacturer's mark on the bottom of the cup:

On a Royal Doulton figurine, you might see the following:

You can look at like items on eBay. Good luck I can't find anyone to buy my stuff. You might check an auction place or a antiques dealer. Personally I think eBay has taken the value out of glassware because its made it so easy to find and there's just not that much demand anymore .

Donate it to a charity shop and let them have the money.

Unfortunately, no one wants this kind of thing these days. Is there a tea room in your area that perhaps would buy the cups/saucers. I have a large tray from a tea service which I use all the time. Donated the teapot etc to Goodwill.

Was at a estate auction recently, and it seemed they were getting better prices than I thought they would for such things. I bought a box of glassware for $10.00

(obviously over paid) as I donated most of it to the thrift shop.

Donate.

Donate. Don't look for the perfect place, just donate. You can spend ten hours on this project and even at minimum wage, you won't "recover" the money if you paid yourself for the time. Six year old little girls don't play dress up and tea party any longer......this stuff ends in dusty antique shops ( even those barely exist now) where it lies around for years in the "smalls" section. Decades actually.......

Thank you all. I plan on donating most if not all of the items, but sometimes antique stores downplay value so they don't take items. There are many items passed down from family that I have and will definitely pass along. Small china figurines that collected dust in mother in laws house would only do the same in mine and my children's. The silver and glassware etc I have will stay for more generations to appreciate. I am so happy that you all took the time to help out.

If you like mysteries to solve, identifying china with the help of google image search, or the many collectors' websites, can be fun for a rainy day. Start with the marks on the back and good photos of each object. Upload your photos to google image search. For example, some ironstone plates from the 1950's sell for $3-$10 each, while some fine Limoges china may sell for $150 per plate. There are many, many baby boomers who search replacements.com and silverqueen.com for missing pieces of their china patterns. But if going through your mother's friend's things would be a burden, then donate and let someone else discover things they love.

Ever watch "Antiques Roadshow" it's a favorite of mine. Many items are really not worth a lot of $$, but occasionally a painting or something is worth big $$.

It seems also in that business, prices fluctuate up and down. I've often heard comments that "3 years ago it was worth $$$, but today only $$ and visa versa.

Kind of like the stock market.

No offense taken Kkeith - I appreciate everyones input.

I may be interested in some of the pieces, if you'd be willing to send some photos/details on what you have. :)