Tea cups and saucers age and material question

Hello!

These cups and saucers are pretty standard size ... have no handles ... saucers smooth on inside - like a very shallow bowl .. hand painted with no painted or impressed marks on the underside.

Their lack of handles leads me to think that they are pretty old as I think I read that handles started to come into fashion in the 1800's (please, correct me if I'm wrong)

I bought a set of four and three of the saucers are darker than the cups ... more very light beige than creamy white ... does this mean anything?

How can I tell if these are soft paste porcelain?

There was also a waste bowl (cracked and badly discolored) which had what looked like a "21" "16" in pink depending on how you held it (the 2 or 6 was mostly a spiral) on the underside.

There was also a matching rectangular shape teapot and lid with a very fine hairline crack partially up the side.

Was it a big mistake to break the set up and not bring the waste bowl and teapot home too? I can go back and pick them up tomorrow, if I did err big-time!

Thanks for any observations and or suggestions!

 

Those are very pretty, QG. I would have brought the other pieces home, if only for the meager markings (assuming they weren't expensive, of course.)

 

Go get them!

 

Thanks for looking ladies!

So, what you're telling me is that these actually are old pieces and that the damage would not bring the value down to almost nothing? I'm probably going to have to pay about $15.00 for the pot and bowl ... maybe a few dollars more.

 

They are old London shape tea bowls with saucers from the first half of the 19th C however unless something has changed they don't bring much money as they are fairly common.

 

I'd grab them for the history and education, especially as they may help you find more. I'd also haggle hard. There's more value in teapots.

 

Well, no teapot for me. I had all hopes of going, but my sciatic nerve had other plans. Boo Hiss!