Hobbies And Interests
Condition
Condition is the most important factor in determining the value of dishware. Chips and cracks lower the value, no matter how old or rare the piece may be.
Crazing is the fine network of lines that appear on the surface of older pieces, usually more evident on the underside where glazing has been subject to more wear. One should expect to see crazing on older pieces.
Worn edges and undersides are also expected. If a plate or dish is from the late 1800s, it should show some signs of wear. But this is best described as slight deterioration in color around the edges and surface wear on the underside.
Marks
Manufacturers marked their dishware on the bottoms of the dishes and serving ware. The arrangement of the information and the information itself can indicate age, origin and manufacturer.
The ability to read and understand china markings is a skill in itself. Even experts keep plenty of research books on hand when it comes to using marks as identification.
A few simple tips, though, can help. Dishes marked with the country of origin, seen below the manufacturer's mark, were likely made after 1890. If the words "Made in" followed by the name of a country appear on the bottom, the piece was probably made after 1914. If the word "Trademark" is seen, the piece is probably English and made between 1855 and 1880.
Materials
Dishes can be porcelain, bone china, majolica, ironstone or pottery, to name a few of the materials used in the manufacture of serving ware. Identifying the material of dishware can aid in determining its value.
Pottery is opaque and porcelain is translucent. A porcelain plate held up to the light appears to glow. Porcelain is also cooler to the touch. If pottery breaks, the crack is linear and the plate will likely break into large pieces. Porcelain chips and breaks result in smaller shard-like pieces.
Majolica is pottery, but glazed with tin enamel. Majolica serving ware is ornately decorated, but the glaze chips with wear, revealing the clay body of the dish. Though a desirable collectible, majolica is more commonly used for decorative pieces.
Tapping a piece of ironstone should produce a clear ringing sound, a kind of "ding." Ironware is heavy and difficult to break. Older pieces, though, may show fine crack lines.
Bone china is a type of porcelain. The manufacture of this type of dishware includes using bone ash, hence its name. It is very fine, delicate china and has an ivory color.
Value
The value of a dish or set of dishware is determined by the market. Market price is determined by three factors: condition, rarity and desirability.
Desirability is the most difficult to quantify. It includes such aspects as the provenance or history of the piece, the shape of the dish and coloring, its decoration or theme, and a buyer's need.
Rarity refers to availability. With dishes, there may be plenty of a certain kind, but if they are handed down through family, and so rarely seen on the market, this makes them more valuable to buyers. Complete sets in good condition are also a rarity, as use tends to cause breakage and loss.
Condition, as discussed earlier, is the most important factor. No matter how rare a piece, or how pretty, or on whose table it sat, if the piece is chipped and the color worn off, and the piece has seen repairs, the value can be greatly reduced.
Pricing
Determining the monetary value of an antique dish or set of dishware takes research. All the factors need to be weighed, and even then, the price is temporary.
The Homer Laughlin China Company produced Fiesta ware from 1936 to 1973. The earlier pieces are, of course, more valuable than later pieces. An excellent condition Fiesta plate in red, ivory or cobalt may go for as much as $50 to $60 on the open market; the same piece with a chip will be reduced to $10.
If Fiesta ware is "out of style," that is, not a mainstream collectible craze at the moment, or if the secondary market is flooded, that $50 may go as low as $30 or $25.
But if a buyer needs that one piece to complete her collection, the price goes up.