Noritake China

[mitchjav]

DW has a collection of Noritake China inherited from her mom. She's trying to decide whether to attempt to sell it or donate it. Haven't inventoried the pieces but there's enough china to fill 2 good size boxes. Have done some online research and it seems to be Noritake pattern N224, but the mark on the back is a little different from any of the mark's I've seen online (it says "Noritake" above an "M" surrounded in a wreath" with the words "Handpainted" and "Nippon" below) - all in green)

Anyhow, antique stores she's asked say they don't really buy china nowadays because it doesn't sell. We don't really want to deal with packing it all up and shipping it to one of the online services that purchase china. From what we see
online wouldn't get more than a couple of dollars a piece - but there's that nagging feeling that maybe something valuable is in there...

Any suggestions as to the best way to proceed?

 

[Sunset]

A photo would help.

Did you see the news story of the person that bought a garage sale $35 bowl, that sold at auction for $700,000 !

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertain...over-dollar700000/ar-BB1eLAqG?ocid=uxbndlbing

 

[braumeister]

That mark, assuming it's genuine, indicates pre-World War II manufacture, so it probably has value to someone. The problem is getting connected to the person who might want it. You might wind up using eBay.

https://www.invaluable.com/blog/noritake-china-value/

 

[mitchjav]

OK - Pictures attached

 

[38Chevy454]

Old china dinnerware is nearly worthless nowdays. Except for some rare cases, it is difficult to get any real value out of a collection of china. My suggestion is keep searching and try to determine exactly what you have, to see if there is any real value. Otherwise you have three options: sell cheap, donate, or just use in your house as everyday use.

 

[John Galt III]

I think you just have to get lucky. I was able to sell some well-known china pattern, 1960's, can't remember what it was, on Craigslist, for about $60, I think. Six person setting. The person buying it traveled 40 miles to pick it up, and seemed to know he was getting a good deal. I was happy to even get a buyer. He was the only one interested in it, after a month of it being listed.

 

[cathy63]

It's pretty china, but there are multiple listings on eBay for about $5/piece plus shipping and you can buy it at replacements.com for about the same amount; so I don't think it's particularly rare or valuable. Since it says "Nippon" instead of "Japan", it was probably made before the 1920s. After that, pieces imported to the U.S. had to be marked in English.

A few years ago I inherited a set of Noritake china that's stamped "Occupied Japan" and I thought that might be valuable, so I did some research on it. I found out that the ordinary plates and serving pieces really have no special value. There's just so much of it around, and even the old stuff tends to survive in good condition because people don't use it every day. If I had something like salt and pepper shakers, napkin rings or a vase, it might be worth more.

 

[braumeister]

When my mother died I was faced with a similar situation.

Like you, I couldn't see packing everything up carefully and paying shipping costs, so I needed a simpler option.

Eventually I had a trip scheduled and arranged to drive through North Carolina to stop at the Replacements Ltd. building near Greensboro and drop off the lot. Had to wait about an hour while they examined everything and then took their offer.

 

[Aerides]

Noritake's site has a link to an appraiser - prices start at $19, but it might be worth it to pick out the best piece (think a platter or jug, or at least a dinner plate) to get them to tell you? You'd probably at least be given the pattern name and true age. The real value of the fee is to help you make a decision one way or the other.

https://mearto.com/ceramics-and-por...tm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=invblogmearto

I found out that the ordinary plates and serving pieces really have no special value. There's just so much of it around, and even the old stuff tends to survive in good condition because people don't use it every day. If I had something like salt and pepper shakers, napkin rings or a vase, it might be worth more.

Exactly, plates and cups - utility pieces - have little value, because what people want are things to display, or use for a special thing, a centerpiece.

 

[ivinsfan]

You can go to replacements.com and get a bid from them. The worlds biggest China retailer. I did this a bunch of stuff my Mom had.


The bad news is I ended up donating everything because once you figure in the shipping costs, there is zero money coming back to you. Plus they grade the china upon receipt so in theory you could lose money.


If you can stop by in person like Brau, that's the only things that works.

 

[Souschef]

When my MIL died, I tried to sell her vintage china. It would cost more to ship it than we would get for it.
My late wife had a complete set of Noritake china, and I gave it to a coworker who never in her life had a matched set of china in her life.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Older china sets, made prior to widespread use of microwaves (1970's-1980's?), is probably not microwave safe. Or for that matter may not be dishwasher safe either. The younger generations now-days don't want dishware like that. And older generations already have china sets sitting in cabinets gathering dust because they never have
occasion to use them.

 

[travelover]

One can go to eBay and do an advanced search. Check the box for "sold items" and you can see what similar pieces actually sold for.

 

[iloveyoga]

Your china is really pretty. I love dishes and therefore I have several sets of my own, including two sets of Christmas dishes. I realize most of it is worth very little.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

We have Noritake china that we bought about 20 years ago from a consignment shop for ~$120 for a 12-place set and all of the accouterments. I like it a lot (the pattern is "Regina"), but don't expect to be able to sell it for anything when the time comes to downsize.

This thread made me go look: It was manufactured between 1953 and 1960. Some of the offerings on eBay have actually sold, and for not inconsiderable money!

 

[calico1597]

I had service for 12 of the Noritake Savannah pattern from a 1971 wedding. Serving bowls, platters, the whole mess. Only used a handful of times. I lucked out getting $125 for it because someone had just bought a china cabinet and wanted to put something in it.

I had service for 12 Christmas dishes, took me 3 years to get $5 for them. I started at $25.

 

[Bamaman]

I have china from a previous marriage, my wife's china, my mother's china and two sets of Christmas china we seldom use. We had a huge set of sterling silver that was taken in a burglary and replaced for 20% of the original cost. And we also have numerous sets cut crystal on display in two huge glass cabinets.

Unfortunately, our 3 children don't have formal dining rooms and they do no entertaining of any kind. Typical millennials. While we cherish our things, liquidating such stuff may be a burden of sorts on our children to liquidate.

People of today just seldom do any formal dining which makes china & silver worth little.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Agree if I cant dishwasher and microwave it, its a nogo. Ebay sensitive to shipping, or donate i think are the 2 common answers. My mom purchased a bunch of highend Wedgewood on ebay for pennies. It seems the world is glutted with china.

 

[Souschef]

Agree if I cant dishwasher and microwave it, its a nogo. Ebay sensitive to shipping, or donate i think are the 2 common answers. My mom purchased a bunch of highend Wedgewood on ebay for pennies. It seems the world is glutted with china.

Exactly. My sister has a collection of Wedgewood in storage under the house. Nobody seems to want it.

 

[brett]

Our friends inherited a great deal of crystal ware and sterling place settings/serving bowls etc.

They were told to keep the crystal and use it every day. There are apparently warehouses full of it that cannot be sold.

Silverware...the only way they got value was to have it melted down and sold for the metal value.

Got to be masses of ornaments, china, etc coming on to the market over the next few years. How many children want all those treasured items that their parents or grandparents collected for years. Not ours!

 

[Souschef]

Our friends inherited a great deal of crystal ware and sterling place settings/serving bowls etc.

They were told to keep the crystal and use it every day. There are apparently warehouses full of it that cannot be sold.

Silverware...the only way they got value was to have it melted down and sold for the metal value.

Got to be masses of ornaments, china, etc coming on to the market over the next few years. How many children want all those treasured items that their parents or grandparents collected for years. Not ours!

I gave a large collection of Reed & Barton silverware to my son and DIL. They were thrilled to get it, tossed their stainless flatware, and polished all the pieces.
They had never had anything that nice and really appreciated it, but that is the exception.

 

[Boose]

Bamaman, I'm a Gen X-er and I don't even like to fuss with dishes I can't microwave or put in the dishwasher. I grew up with Corelle (harvest gold trim, don'tcha know) and eventually bought my own set of white Corelle after some cautionary experiences putting vintage plates in the microwave.

Mitchjav, you might be able to sell the set on a forum like Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor, for less fuss than Ebay.

 

[MichaelB]

We have china. Our 3 children have said “no thanks”. One spouse said “I’m interested” but was quickly shushed. My mum had many pieces of china and crystal, most dating back generations, but no full sets. When I inventoried them all and asked around, the grandchildren all chose one or two pieces, mostly to remember her. No further interest. Everything else was chosen by her boomer children, with some multiple claims. Seemed to me more of a competition.

This stuff takes up space, which the younger generation doesn’t have, and may not ever. Large formal dining rooms with china cabinets just aren’t part of modern home design.

Our pre-millennial children didn’t grow up seeing this when they were young, so it’s not part of their culture. I imagine they’ll want something of ours, but they seem much more practical right now, more interested in the Nespresso machine and seltzer maker.

I have built a nice collection of memorabilia from past generations, and I do hope they keep those things and continue to pass them along.

 

[REWahoo]

I inherited several place settings and a few mugs and serving pieces of a funky 1950's stoneware pattern - Franciscan Starburst. They have been stored away in the attic for years and I'm not sure how many I have or what shape they are in but I don't think they have seen much wear and tear. Ebay sales show a few of the oddball pieces are selling for $100 or more.

Franciscan Starburst: Sold

 

[Amethyst]

We really need new plates. I think I should search on-line for all this cheap-cheap-cheap high-quality china I'm always hearing about, which "nobody will buy."

I'll set a ceiling of $100.00 for 8 place settings, and report back on how well I do.