Opinion on these Blue Willow Plates?

Hey Everyone,

I hope you are all well. I was just wondering your opinion on these plates. Do you think there is any age to them, I am branching out into different areas of antiques...I know mainly clocks and radios. I was considering buying these plates, they are not very expensive...but since I am not in possession of them, these are the only photos I have.

Thanks guys, your help and information is always helpful and greatly appreciated.

 

Without seeing the bottoms, there's no way of telling.

If you want them because you like Blue Willow and want to use them and they fit your budget then buy them.

If you want to buy them as an investment, then you need to do more research.

https://www.ebay.com/gds/Blue-Willow-China-Buying-Guide-/10000000178258801/g.html

 

Hey Judy,

Thank-you for your reply and the link. I agree that research is very important and will certainly look into these more. I will likely buy them because I like them, but am curious to learn more. I only have a photo of the back of one plate and it does not yield any kind of makers mark. Please forgive me if this is a silly question, but is an unmaked piece considered undesirable?

 

You're welcome CGB.......wish I could be of more help.

Not necessarily undesirable. This particular one looks like it has some age. Evidently it hung on someone's wall. They wires look pretty old to me, but I can't date them.

Another Board member might be able to ID the maker by the base.

A few years back, all Blue Willow flew out the door of the shop where I was located in Georgetown, Ma.

Many makers......Japan, England & USA

Buffalo China from the States was always one of the more desired. England too.....Japan not so much, but it did sell.

Some sold because it WAS Blue Willow, and some sold because it was blue and white.

Wait for others who will have more knowledge and better opinions.

 

Thanks again Judy. The base did look old to me too.

It must have been interesting working in an antique shop, I have always wanted to do this...though living in Melbourne, Australia antiques seem far more scarce than in America, Europe ect. Most of our antique stores and mostly full of new or reproduction items.

Thanks again for your replies.

 

And hello to you again also CGB........

Besides working at the shop, I also had my own merchandise.

The shop was a former 1860 home that originally belonged to a doctor.

How many change of hands it had through the years, I do not know. The owners, when I was with them, had purchased the RE from someone who had sold furniture.


What made our co-op somewhat unique was the fact that the several rooms in the home had a different dealer. Some specializing, some not.

I never specialized in anything.....bought whatever I thought I could make a "buck" on!

I always had a "full" house (rooms). I loved and still do, like to go to shops where they are full. I like to dig...seek and find so to speak.

If I can see everything at a glance, it doesn't usually interest me.

Of course, if at a glance a dala is being sold, well, then that's a different story.......but more than likely it would be more than I'm willing to pay. I have been very lucky in my dala acquisitions.

I was with the owners for 40 years+.

During that time, the house was full of dealers. I rented two rooms....most everyone rented just one, but some rooms were quite large.

People complimented the shop because of it's size. And being 3 floors. The attic was off limits tho...the owners used it for their own storage.

The owners sold the RE recently (just a few weeks ago), so I'm not longer there. It was a great time in my life.

 

Great story Judy. Looks like a nice place. Sorry it closed.

 

Wonderful to know a bit more about your antiquer background, @judy . And the house looks beautiful.

@CGB_Spender , I noticed some cracks in the last picture. Those will inlfuence the value.

 

The blue willow pattern has been made for over 200 years though there can be slight difference in the pattern which can indicate the maker (I think I have a book on blue willow, I'll have a look when I get a chance). Blue willow are my everyday dishes but English and new-ish.

You might look very closely for any tiny impressed marks on the bottom of the platter for a maker, sometimes difficult to see. The flat bottom of the platter usually indicates a fairly early date and the wear around the base looks like genuine wear. However the damage also looks like genuine wear. Generally speaking, damage will devalue ceramics. If something is very rare or unusual or by a specific maker the damage will matter less but it can be devastating for resale on most things.

I have a houseful of broken and battered ceramics that I've amassed as a research collection and some of it hasn't been cheap. It's worth looking at sold prices to get an idea on yours. Here is a similar platter in good condition that sold.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Bl...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Here is some info on the pattern, it's origin and the "blue willow legend".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_pattern

 

Me too Pearl!

 

Well, I don't know what happened to my reply.

When I hit edit, the message is there, and I saved it.....more than once.....(smile)

EDIT................

So....I just noticed that in faint letters, it says to "expand".

I did and my message is part of the "quote".

Not the most tech person here.....obviously!

 

And for gosh sakes - do not replace those wire hangers. They put pressure on the plates and can cause more cracks. Nasty things.

 

I am not a specialist, but aren't those Mexican Sanborns plates?
It's a network of restaurants that exists since 1930s. The distribution of pattern looks very similar to me.
http://www.animalgourmet.com/2014/10/20/una-historia-de-amor-y-un-sauce-en-sanborns/

 

The willow pattern was made by many companies in many countries however it originated in England in the 18th Century roughly based on Chinese designs.

 

Not the only one, Judy. Do you remember when I posted something umpteen times because nothing happened when I clicked on post? Turns out it did, over and over.

 

Thank you for that AJ.......(can't say I remember it though)

 

Thanks everyone for your input and replies, I enjoy getting the different points of view. I am not terribly worried about value in these as I really do like them and intend to keep them as a display, and as advised, will not be using wire hangers...they will sit nicely in a cabinet.

I paid $40US for the 3 plates and I think that is pretty good, these days this kind of money does not buy much

I did take some pictures of the bottoms of the other two plates as I picked them up today.

I will do some research of my own when I get some time this weekend, but for those who are interested, here are the pictures.

 

Wow, that is some great background information Judy. You must have seen some interesting items over the 40 years and sold some too I am sure. I am 32 and have only a few years of collecting behind me so I have much to learn. It sure is great to hear from people like yourself.

 

Thank you CGB......it's been fun at the very least.'

No matter how much buying and selling one does, one continues to learn.

That's what makes this business so very interesting.

Once you're hooked.............

Enjoy the experience!!