Software
Houzz Logo Print
webuser_726499726

Selling China, Crystal & Sterling Silver

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

Looking to sell a full set of Golden Chantilly China- gold trim, Crystal Gold wine glasses and sterling silver set. Its really a gorgeous set. Located in the South Suburbs of Chicago!


Also going to try consignment but don’t want to sell a few of the set as its worth is in that it’s a full set.

Any thoughts on finding the original worth and fair resale pricing?







Comments (41)

  • 4 years ago

    Look the patterns up on Replacements.com. Resale on these items is really a crap shoot these days. Formal tableware has lost favor with this generation so 'value' is very much eye of the beholder. Most here would tell you they couldn't give theirs away.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Nobody wants those things anymore. There is almost zero value there. $50 for the wholr set. Maybe. Silver only has value as melted down metal.

  • 4 years ago

    On the contrary. There is a market. I have bought replacements for a few pieces my kids broke at https://www.replacements.com/
    And when my mother's silverware was given to a local church instead of to me, as promised, I bought replacements on eBay. To me they still reminded me of Mom. You can gift or donate them or sell on ebay. Don't expect much, but at least you'll know they are wanted

  • 4 years ago

    A consignment shop will not break up the sets. They want to get top dollar, also. Unfortunately, style has changed. Entertaining is so much more casual. Brides no longer register for china and silver. Gone are the days when brides received breakfast china and dinner china, plain silver for casual and a more ornate pattern to match the china. The trend is towards current and disposable, dishwasher-safe. Trust me-it’s not my trend! But it is reality. Is there no one in your family who would want these?

  • 4 years ago

    I, too, use Replacements.com, but to buy, not sell!

  • 4 years ago

    I believe people do still use fine china and sterling silver but for holidays or special event entertaining. Maybe once a year

  • 4 years ago

    Since you said where you are located, I am guessing that some of your post is hoping people on here might be buyers. Good luck with that.

    For current values, go on eBay, search for those patterns, and see what they have been selling for. It is true that social customs have changed and people aren't using the way they used to fine China, real silver (that cannot go in the dishwasher) and delicate crystal. But don't take this forum's advice, get some hard numbers by going on eBay and seeing actual selling prices for these things.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    You’ll be able to sell it, but likely not for great value.

    About 4yrs ago, I bought a pristine set of beautiful all-white 1963 Noritake (read: able to ”pass” as more contemporary than it is). A service for 12, including mutliple serving bowls/platters cost me $100. I found it randomly via the Nextdoor app…and picked it up from a neat lady (original owner) that lives 5min away. It was an impulse buy for sheerly sentimental reasons at the time; it reminded me of family and happier, safer times. You may need to get similarly lucky with someone feeling nostalgic.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Was just reading that young people (eta: some but by no means all, or even most) have rediscovered dinner parties and the joys of sitting down to a nice table, thanks to Covid lockdowns. Not sure what profession Verbo is a "pro" in, but I doubt its appraising fine china. Not all sets are created equal - as with any antique, fashions come and go and so values will rise and fall and rise again, depending on current tastes. My opinion (fwiw) is that yours is a particularly lovely design that would fit in with current contemporary color schemes. The dishes would fit right in with my gray-gold-white in new apartment. It's fun to mix glam with casual - so I'm sure they will find a good appreciative home. Whether you get rich though - I dont know. Definitely talk to your local appraisers.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I looked up ”Golden Chantilly China”. What you pictured isn’t it. Find out what yours actually is called in order to market it better. Check the various websites mentioned in this thread to see what current prices are.

    I have not seen at all that “young people have rediscovered dinner parties and the joys of sitting down to a nice table, thanks to Covid lockdowns”. What I see is everyone looking for the easiest, simplest least-amount-of-work in every aspect due to the stresses of today’s life. It’s almost a bit tone deaf to think that young people want fancy china and sterling silver. If they have small children at home they have enough on their hands not to take on hand-washing and delicate breakables. If they are too young to have children yet, the odds are low they have the disposable income and storage space for such things, what with crippling student debt and the cost of housing.

    As to the advice ”Definitely talk to your local appraisers”, I have not seen an appraiser give an appraisal for free except at community events where they sometimes will offer that, but not since Covid quarantine. If you want an appraisal, be prepared to pay a fee for the appraiser’s time. They need to make a living too.

  • 4 years ago

    The silver pattern looks about 40 years older than the other stuff. (Not that it's bad, it just doesn't match the china well.)


    At least put the China set up on Craigslist or FBmarketplace before Christmas. It's perfect for that. Don't expect much for it.


    The sterling at least has some intrinsic value and is worth something unless it's actually plate...

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Oh come on. Nowhere did I say "all" young people, or even "most." The young people I know frequent thrift stores and flea markets and love cool old things at a reasonable price....but it can't be just ANY old thing. Some dish sets are indeed kind of blah or frumpy looking. This one is quite stylish. Everyone has dishes to eat on, so not sure why "storage" would be an issue if you are actually using them vs storing them in a cabinet. No, OP will likely not get rich, but on the other hand that comment on the top "nobody wants these things" is ridiculous. A resale shop generally can appraise or at least give you good idea of value.

  • 4 years ago

    Only adding that the idea of young people rediscovering formal dinner parties is kind of laughable. Not that I've seen. Can they enjoy them, sure, but to pull it off and put one on, not so much. Some folks like to entertain in every generation, but it isn't aspirational anymore. Perhaps marketers are thinking they can start a new trend and sell us more stuff by bringing all that old style aspirational entertainment advertising. However, since granny still has it sitting in a cupboard from it's first or second go around as a trend, I doubt this one will work out or last. I laughed so hard when polyester, platform shoes and leisure suits came back!! I love formal entertaining, but have rarely been in a social set that would even come to such a gathering if invited. Or who to invite. Folks with kids rarely go out nowdays. In my day, babysitters were much more common and parents less concerned about leaving their kids home to go out. And kids either ate separate or learned real fast how to navigate a formal dinner setting. I ate many a meal in the rec room on a tv tray as a kid, while the grownup had a sit down. Many of my friends nowdays involve the kids in everything, so that's one reason formal dishware and linens have gone out . . .

  • 4 years ago

    Covid has actually accelerated the direct opposite of formal dinner parties. No people in your home. No formal anything. The dining toom table is already all but extinct, and the breakfast table is on the endangered list.


    People want big giant islands that are just cluttered high dining tables, where you eat in your yoga pants and barefoot. Lunch, you eat over the sink, in about 5 minutes, so you can get back to the interminable Zoom meetings with the sweatpants topped with a dress shirt for the camera.


    Formal anything is dead. You've got boat shoes and shorts showing up to the plush chairs of the symphony concert. There are hardly any ”jacket and tie” restaurants anymore. Thrift stores don’t even want formal china anymore. They can’t sell it. It goes to the salvage crusher.

  • 4 years ago

    I can only speak from my personal experience. when my parents passed away several years ago i was left with the task of disposing of their personal effects. My parents left 2 sets of fine china, Sterling silver, lots & lots of Waterford crystal ( stemware, vases, decanters, candy dishes, etc. etc. ) beautiful artwork & sculptures, ad infinitem. I kept a few things for myself. mainly artwork & a sculpture, but had no use or room to store everything. I donated what I could to charity since there was no market for most of the items ( sad , but true ) i gave some art to friends, most of the consignment stores weren’t interested , saying that there was little demand for them, even though I live in what would be called a high income area.

  • 4 years ago

    Here we go again. Who said anything about "formal" dinner parties. Well I spoze if in your universe clearing the clutter off the island and eating at a table with other people and using a matching set of china(instead of styrofoam takeout containers) is "formal " then, OK, so be it. Just don't invite me to dinner at your place because I'm pretty sure I'm busy that night.

  • 4 years ago

    Your china is Bavarian - Golden Chantilly by Jaeger. Very pretty, but I'm not the right person to try to appraise it for you or suggest a market. Good luck>>>>

  • 4 years ago

    Replacements is not representative of a particular china's value. People will pay much to replace a few pieces of a set they already own and are attached to. Old china sets have don't have much value right now, same for Waterford crystal and silver settings (who want's to polish it anyway?). Some young people still like fine dinner ware but the styles are very, very different now. Most don't want the old fashioned stuff. We have a George III breakfront bookcase that was a small fortune when we bought it and we'd be lucky to get half of what we paid for it now. Same with some excellent Biedemeier pieces. It is what it is.

  • 4 years ago

    Replacements.com buys china, silver, and crystal. Obviously, you won’t get retail value, but it has some advantages. You won’t have random, unscreened people in your house looking at the items or casing your house. You won’t be cheated by a bad check. The sale will be quick and clean. Consignment shops take a significant portion of the sale, too.

  • 4 years ago

    $50.


    At most.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    When considering selling to Replacements or other online buyers, make sure to take into account the cost of shipping the China, silver and glassware. Not only are these things very heavy, but the China and glassware must be packed very well to prevent breakage.

    Here is a link to Replacements’ page on how selling to them works. The seller is responsible for shipping, and takes on all risk not only for damage, but also that Replacements could decline to buy after the items are shipped to them.

    https://www.replacements.com/sell-to-us/purchasing-guidelines/

  • 4 years ago

    As with most beautiful old China it will need to be hand washed after use. Who wants to do that?

  • 4 years ago

    FYI … in addition to my comment above, I donated most of the high quality furniture, china, crystal, etc. to our local American Cancer Society “Discovery Shop”. I was pleased to find out that nearly everything, including at least a dozen etchings, paintings, furniture etc. was sold within a few weeks. I photographed everything, made lists of everything donated & obtained a receipt for tax purposes.

  • 4 years ago

    I had to handle my parents estate a couple years ago. The very knowledgeable guy who ran the estate sale for me told me that stereotypic women's type things--think china, silver, crystal, fancy tablecloths etc.--are not at all desirable in today's market because (a) women are much busier than they used to be and are no longer in the situation of having time to entertain their friends with all the fancy stuff and (b) no women have the time to take care of all of the fancier stuff.


    I'd agree with him, and I'll admit I have all of this fancy stuff myself from the era when I married which was when every bride registered for the china and sterling. My own fancy stuff hasn't been used at my house in years.

  • 4 years ago

    I use my fancy stuff everyday at every meal. Why not? If it's so "worthless".

  • 4 years ago

    Watch for the price of silver to increase, then sell it for scrap. That's my plan!

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Exactly KL - why buy boring Ikea dishes when you can get a classy set for same $ or less. It occurs to me that this debate is just another manifestation of the deep cultural/class divides in the US. Actually the so-called creative class covers a wide range of income levels, but they (we) do share kinda same or similar outlook and tastes that are distinctly different from the mainstream Houzzz frequenters. Had to laugh at the supposed horrors of washing dishes by hand. Ive not gotten the memo that I'm supposed to abhor that. Maybe if I had a dishwasher I would have LOLOL. Wont fit in my 500 sf urban apartment with 9x11 kitchen.

  • 4 years ago

    There is a Facebook group called ”Beautiful Table Settings.” On Tuesdays, I think, you can post items for sale. However, you cannot post a price. If anyone wants to buy it, they DM you with an offer. At least, I think that is the way it works. That would give you another outlet for selling it.

  • 4 years ago

    @Debbie Downer - you picked an apt name for yourself.

  • 4 years ago

    "Had to laugh at the supposed horrors of washing dishes by hand."


    In these days of highly efficient dishwashers, washing by hand is an environmental no-no. It is wasteful of both water and power.

  • 4 years ago

    I wonder what CC is thinking...it's CCs post.

  • 4 years ago

    Environmental shaming! Some people wash by hand because they don’t want to tear out an otherwise useful kitchen to remodel and add a dishwasher. No one on the forum ever talks about the trashing of counters, cabinets, sinks, appliances, etc. when they want to “update”. Not everyone has $50000 to remodel. Not everyone can afford to hire a plumber to replumb the house and install a $1200 dishwasher. Some prefer it because they live alone and would take three days to fill a full load. One of my friends uses it as her soothing time of day to unwind. I bet I could find many things in Shamer’s life that I consider “environmental no-no’s “.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    What Cheri said about Replacements.com. Absolutely people will pay up for a couple of pieces they may be missing from grandma’s set. But those prices do not translate to full sets.

    You might find someone who inherited a formal dining room china cabinet (with familial guilt preventing them from selling it) and simply needs something to set inside so it’s not empty. Maybe.

    I inherited my mother-in-law’s china 25 years ago. We use it at Christmastime and that’s it. I’m 66.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Formal tableware has lost favor with this generation so 'value' is very much eye of the beholder.

    I think this has always been true. It's like clothing /shoes, furniture, or so many other things: you pay so much for them new, but if you want to resell them, you're going to get pennies on the dollar. Consumer goods don't "hold value". That's why so many of us frugal people are into "buying used".

    Nobody wants those things anymore.

    Disagree. I love my 8-9 sets of china. I enjoy setting a pretty table.

    When my daughter married, she registered for everyday dishes only ... and she's constantly borrowing from me.

    I have bought replacements for a few pieces my kids broke at https://www.replacements.com/

    I've visited their retail store ... if you're driving down 85 through Greensboro, you'll see lots of signs, and it's a fun visit. They buy-low and sell-high, but you can get pretty much anything you want from them.

    A consignment shop will not break up the sets.

    But Replacements.com will.

    Was just reading that young people have rediscovered dinner parties and the joys of sitting down to a nice table, thanks to Covid lockdowns.

    It's unfair to stereotype any group of people.

    The very knowledgeable guy who ran the estate sale for me told me that stereotypic women's type things--think china, silver, crystal, fancy tablecloths etc.--are not at all desirable in today's market because (a) women are much busier than they used to be and are no longer in the situation of having time to entertain their friends with all the fancy stuff and (b) no women have the time to take care of all of the fancier stuff.

    It's painting with a broad brush, but -- overall -- it's probably true. Add that restaurants are much more common (pre-Covid, at least), and it's easier for friends to "go out to lunch" rather than for one person to host.

    Environmental shaming! Some people wash by hand because they don’t want to tear out an otherwise useful kitchen to remodel and add a dishwasher. No one on the forum ever talks about the trashing of counters, cabinets, sinks, appliances, etc. when they want to “update”.

    Not many kitchens these days -- even in apartments -- lack dishwashers.

    I've brought up the environmental cost of replacing perfectly good countertops, etc. many times on this board.

  • 4 years ago

    I know someone who bought as much nice china as she could from local thrift shops to use for her daughter's wedding reception, which was held in their yard. Maybe $100 got her enough for 50+ guests.

  • 4 years ago

    @kl23 - as I mentioned near the top of this thread, I expect that the OP was not really looking for pricing feedback. She was hoping to get a buyer from this forum. The OP also commented on a thread in the Houzz Antiques & Collectibles Forum that was more of an advertisement - it doesn't have the sentence in this OP asking for any thoughts on the pricing. Since she did not activate her messaging (which I doubt she realized she had to do), and there are no comments from posters of "I am interested, PM me", I am betting she is gone.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    ^^^ This is probably correct, but I've enjoyed the thread immensely.


  • 4 years ago

    Yeah, it's still a common issue. In fact, when I posted my Thanksgiving heirloom table layout on my FB page, I got a random message from a friend of a friend asking me if I wanted hers, she was downsizing . . .

  • 4 years ago

    @Remodelling - sorry, wasn't trying to shame anyone. Was just responding to a snarky comment from another poster by pointing out a perfectly valid reason for the declining interest in dishes, glassware and cutlery that need handwashing.

  • 4 years ago

    sterling silver spot price is $19 per ounce. this is the value of your silver set. The Jaeger golden Chantilly china 1964-1970 looks to be a floral pattern with the least demand. It's worth about $100. Selling individual place sets could get you $20 to $30 each by those who wish to increase there own number of place sets or have broken items.

    The crystal glasses are nice and worth more than the china but I can't identify them and more information is needed. Mid century?