How to determine the value and sell a set of mid-century Rosenthal china
January 4, 2015 4:32 PM Subscribe
I have a pretty substantial set of vintage Rosenthal china that I think was part of Raymond Loewy's design work there in the 1950s. I bought it probably 15 years ago on eBay and I don't know the exact pattern but I'm thinking about selling it. Pics inside.
It's part of the Form E series that I believe Raymond Loewy designed. The bottom of the tea cup has this seal and here is the bottom of a dinner plate. It's a really lovely pink and grey rose pattern (cup, plate) but I can't find anything like it online to get a good sense of value. I've never used it and am thinking about selling it but I'm not sure where I would find a buyer. eBay? An auction house? Like I said, it's a large set, 10 dinner plates, side plates, cups and saucers, bowls, platters, serving bowls, spoon rests (!), a tea pot, cream and sugar, cheese dome (!!). It's the kind of thing you'd definitely want to sell as a set. What's the best way to do this?
It's part of the Form E series that I believe Raymond Loewy designed. The bottom of the tea cup has this seal and here is the bottom of a dinner plate. It's a really lovely pink and grey rose pattern (cup, plate) but I can't find anything like it online to get a good sense of value. I've never used it and am thinking about selling it but I'm not sure where I would find a buyer. eBay? An auction house? Like I said, it's a large set, 10 dinner plates, side plates, cups and saucers, bowls, platters, serving bowls, spoon rests (!), a tea pot, cream and sugar, cheese dome (!!). It's the kind of thing you'd definitely want to sell as a set. What's the best way to do this?
Best answer: Is it Margaret Rose? If so, you can get a sense of what Replacements is selling those pieces for at retail. They won't offer you that price to buy from you, of course, but it gives you a ballpark amount to think about.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:37 PM on January 4, 2015
posted by jacquilynne at 6:37 PM on January 4, 2015
Response by poster: YES! That's it! I just found another piece that has the R. Loewy stamp and Modell on it but Jacquilynne nailed it!
posted by otherwordlyglow at 6:52 PM on January 4, 2015
posted by otherwordlyglow at 6:52 PM on January 4, 2015
eBay will be a bit of work and you won't have a great time if you have no feedback there, but that would be the most $. (Replacements pays a fraction of what they sell for, somewhat understandably.)
Peeking through completed sales on eBay says you have an advantage in that it is not a popular pattern, so anybody desperate for it will have to suck it up and pay what you ask -- disadvantage: you may wait a long time for that buyer to come along.
posted by kmennie at 7:06 PM on January 4, 2015
Peeking through completed sales on eBay says you have an advantage in that it is not a popular pattern, so anybody desperate for it will have to suck it up and pay what you ask -- disadvantage: you may wait a long time for that buyer to come along.
posted by kmennie at 7:06 PM on January 4, 2015
Response by poster: Sheesh, now that I've pulled the whole set out of storage I'm kind of falling in love with it again but really have no need for a a huge setting like this. I've never sold anything on eBay though I did list something else there today for the first time just to see how it went.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 7:52 PM on January 4, 2015
posted by otherwordlyglow at 7:52 PM on January 4, 2015
Oh, my grandmother had a set from the Form E series (the one you linked to first). I loved it!
She also had another complete set of 73 pieces (gravy boats, soup cups etc) that I inherited that I didn't love so much despite it being a beautiful set. So I sold it and bought something I really wanted.
This is how I sold it on ebay.
Good luck!
posted by Kerasia at 9:04 PM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
She also had another complete set of 73 pieces (gravy boats, soup cups etc) that I inherited that I didn't love so much despite it being a beautiful set. So I sold it and bought something I really wanted.
This is how I sold it on ebay.
- Washed, dried and arranged all the pieces on a dining table.
- Took photos of the whole lot; a photo of one piece from each different lot (one dinner plate, one tea cup etc); and a photo of the makers mark/seal on the bottom.
- Researched the pieces and wrote a paragraph or two about the set, the maker, and how long it had been in our family.
- Loaded the ad on Ebay. I paid for extra photos, heading etc. I presented it like a premium sale.
- Put the maker and short description of the set in the title
- Highlighted any wear or chips. I think I had one one item that had a small chip and other that had more wear then the rest. I made sure that these were noted in the text and photos.
- Chose a substantial but fair starting point (my starter price was around $180)
- Offered to post, even though the set was inherently fragile. Included cost of lots of bubble wrap in postage estimate.
- Sold it for $437 plus postage. Packed it real well. Was compliment for my packing in my ebay feedback.
Good luck!
posted by Kerasia at 9:04 PM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Just to follow up, I got a quote back from Replacements and it really was laughable. I mean I guess it's all supply and demand but still, it seemed ridiculously undervalue. On the plus side, I found out what the mystery pieces were. What I had been calling a cheese dome is a butter dish, the odd tear-dropped shaped dishes that I thought might be spoon rests (but why?) are nut dishes, and the tiny footed dishes that I thought might be salt and pepper and in fact, salt dips. Salt dips!
Now that it's all unpacked I'm loathe to repack for anyone else so maybe I'll just try to use it and love it.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 9:11 PM on January 8, 2015
Now that it's all unpacked I'm loathe to repack for anyone else so maybe I'll just try to use it and love it.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 9:11 PM on January 8, 2015
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posted by trillian at 4:53 PM on January 4, 2015