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Help identifying antique tea set

3 years ago

This has been in my family over a century an appears to be bone china. It is hand painted. There is no stamp on it and I cannot find anything similar online. I am hoping to sell it. It has not been used.


Comments (18)

  • 3 years ago

    Show a close up of the pattern and the bottoms.


    HU-449543458 thanked linda campbell
  • 3 years ago




  • 3 years ago

    It's pretty. My experience is that nice china sets are pretty cheap. If they have a name you recognize, they're worth a bit more. Unless you can find a specialist who can identify this as particularly old, rare or nice, you'll be lucky to get much more than $50 bucks for a set that size. I'd just use it. Run it through the dishwasher. It will fade over time and gold trim will disappear, but why not?


    Serve ice cream in it.

    HU-449543458 thanked Sigrid
  • 3 years ago

    I can't help you with an identity or value, Have you tried a Google Lens search ? I disagree with the previous post; I see no reason to destroy an antique tea set, regardless of the value.

    HU-449543458 thanked woodrose77
  • 3 years ago

    @woodrose77 I didn't interpret @Sigrid as recommending deliberately destroying something but rather to actually use it in the manner in which it was intended OR to find new ways to use it rather than have it sit unused.


    I am not sure it matters in terms of usage whether you handwash or run through a dishwasher but if it does then why not and get enjoyment from the objects.


    The reality is that most people's lives do not include serving tea for 8 from a pot. It simply isn't part of anyone's lifestyle. There are imaginative ways to repurpose stuff that one still likes.


    However it is unlikely that this set has any value beyond the sentimental or beyond whatever use you would have in terms of an equivalent object.

    HU-449543458 thanked Helen
  • 3 years ago

    Helen, the OP wants to sell the tea set, not use it. I think it's rude to tell someone that a family heirloom is not worth much, so use it and throw it in the dishwasher to ruin it more quickly.

    If the Op doesn't need the money, perhaps they could donate the set to a charity.

    HU-449543458 thanked woodrose77
  • 3 years ago

    @woodrose77 - The reality is that the teaset isn't worth much and there are even threads in which people have said that many places aren't willing to even take them because of space limitations and that they don't sell.


    I am not sure why it is rude to inform someone that essentially selling something isn't worth the trouble. I have loads of these kinds of tchotchkes which I inherited from my mother and grandmother so I have some first hand experience in this. If someone wants to deal with the hassle of dealing with selling something to make $25 then go for it.


    There is a glut of these things becaue the boomers who had them are dying or downsizing and even the boomers didn't use them or used them rarely so they didn't break. My grandmother's LImoges extensive china service is worth nothing versus the Russell Wright stuff that I own because of supply and demand although the RW was cheap stuff when the Limoges stuff was considered to be the height of elegance.



    HU-449543458 thanked Helen
  • 3 years ago

    Why is it rude to offer my opinion about the value? I'm not an expert, I could be wrong about this particular set, but I've inherited a LOT of china because no one else in the family wants it. At some point, it's more of a white elephant than a family heirloom.


    If it's not worth much and donated to charity, it will probably be bought by someone who isn't going to treat it with much care.


    Lots of people don't want to handwash fine china, so it sits in a box in the attic. Better to use it, enjoy it, and if it gets worn out in the dishwasher, but the owner enjoys it, that's better than sitting in a box for the next generation to not use.

    HU-449543458 thanked Sigrid
  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Turn each piece upside down. There should be a mark on the bottom. Some have no marks, but most do. We need a photo of that mark.

    HU-449543458 thanked Sherry8aNorthAL
  • 3 years ago

    ...if it COULD be sold for 50 bucks, that's not nothing.

    HU-449543458 thanked Fori
  • 3 years ago

    We need pix of the bottoms whether there is a mark or not.

    tj

    HU-449543458 thanked tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Dishwasher detergent and the extreme heat will most certainly destroy the applied design on china - esp. gold. No problem with making more use of it, but I would definitely not put it in a dishwasher. Hand washing is not really the major hassle some might make it out to be.

    I think some of the issue is that beverages like tea and coffee today are served in larger amounts than in the past - people use big mugs, etc.

    That green is a lovely color and I'd think someone might want it for display, if nothing else.

    And it doesn't necessarily need to be only for tea - it could be used to serve soups, desserts, etc....

    HU-449543458 thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
  • 3 years ago

    I appreciate all of your comments!!! Thank you.

    My sister has an even more beautiful set with no mark, either.

  • 3 years ago

    It's certainly pretty. I think it's somewhat in the famous Sevres style? But less obnoxious. :)


    Nothing on the base of the pot or creamer huh?

    HU-449543458 thanked Fori
  • 3 years ago

    If it's hand painted and old, it might be worth something.

    HU-449543458 thanked Sigrid
  • 3 years ago

    It does look hand-painted...

  • 3 years ago

    Easy to tell if china is handpainted as you take a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe and look for the tell tale dots or brush strokes as applicable.


    Also there are many hand painted china pieces that were done by amateurs as it was a hobby that was quite popular among ladies of that era. It is unlikely that a lady would have done this extensive tea set as the pieces I have seen are single decorative items - bowls, trays, platters and vases.



    HU-449543458 thanked Helen
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