Wedgwood China - any ideas on selling/giving away?

It’s a good lesson to all of us to use our stuff, isn’t it? I don’t keep much for ‘best’ - only larger bowls and things that are only good when I’m cooking for more people.
(I got divorced from my first husbandafter 27 years of marriage, and had to leave my house with what I could get in my car. There are some sentimental things that I miss, but I mostly replaced it all with vintage and secondhand that I’ve enjoyed acquiring overtime - everything has its own story!)

Ashcombe

Theatre companies might welcome them for their props department for when a period drama is being performed.

Great idea 💡

M0nica

it is just how it is. things go in and out of fashion. My parents had a beautiful full Noritake dinner service. It cost tem hundreds of pounds but they lived a busy social life and gave regular dinner parties, so it was well used.

When I was valuing the contents of their house for probate. I looked on ebay and found Noritake dinner services selling for under £50. That's life, but then when we started out who in their right mind wanted Ercol furniture, That is what your grandmother had, or large plant holders on stands.

I wonder what our children will be buying for their houses at great cost, that their children will not have if you pay them.

Yet plants on stands are apparently back in fashion now.

creakingandchronic

It's sad even on eBay they go for next to nothing. Wedgewood seems to be out of fashion, but oddly, Woods plain china is rising in price. Think of the plain china—green, blue, yellow, and white—you used to get in caravans and village halls. I love it and collect it, but it's very 'utility' and brings back happy memories.
I must admit it's a crying shame about lovely China. I go to auctions, and often the coffee, tea, and dinner sets do not sell. I have seen them offered at £5, but they still do not go.
A few years ago, I had a delightful set of plates, cups, saucers, a milk jug, and a sugar basin with a lovely, delicate violet decoration. I loved it, but even at a boot sale for £1, it never sold.
if i had the space, I would love to collect these delightful sets.

Is that from the fifties? I am sure our care homes had those in yellow, another home had one in blue. Plain, but had rings around the edges.

I have to say even though I don’t own a China dinner, or tea set, I love having afternoon tea served on China, tea seems to taste amazing served in a China cup.

Some time ago, having seen many beautiful china dinner services going for nothing in charity shops, I got out the Crown Derby and now I use it every day. It doesn't seem to suffer in the dishwasher but I don't put it in the microwave because of the gold edge. It's a bit incongruous in the kitchen (no dining room in the downzize) but I don't care.

I had a Royal Albert tea and coffee set which had sat unused since my daughter's christening ( she is now in her 50s ) . I contacted an auction house and they sold it for me but took a good bit in commission . I wanted the money to donate to Alzheimers research as the uncle who gave it to us was a sufferer. I ended up with about £100 to donate.
Do not give it to a charity shop as they have great difficulty getting much for any china .

There are a few companies specialising in matching people with spares/replacements

If you are at all handy, how about changing them into cake stands to sell?
If you have children/grands with loft space, tell them to take and put up there as heirlooms that might net them a bit in years to come - my mother threw her own mother's Ridgeway in the bin - think Claris Cliff

We gave ours to a local nursing home. They put on a posh afternoon tea for residents occasionally and said the residents love to have posh china.

Romola

Some time ago, having seen many beautiful china dinner services going for nothing in charity shops, I got out the Crown Derby and now I use it every day. It doesn't seem to suffer in the dishwasher but I don't put it in the microwave because of the gold edge. It's a bit incongruous in the kitchen (no dining room in the downzize) but I don't care.

Good for you 👍🏻

FranP

There are a few companies specialising in matching people with spares/replacements

If you are at all handy, how about changing them into cake stands to sell?
If you have children/grands with loft space, tell them to take and put up there as heirlooms that might net them a bit in years to come - my mother threw her own mother's Ridgeway in the bin - think Claris Cliff

I have two beautiful china cake stands, but no the tea set to go with them. I suppose I could donate to a tea shop.

Sue162

In the mid 1960s, my DH and I were given a dinner set in Wedgwood Ice Rose; a coffee set in Flame Rose and a Royal Doulton tea set in Tumbling Leaves. Sixty years later and we are desperately trying to reduce the huge amount of items we have acquired. We thought we would start with this china which we have only displayed, never used. I have tried the online companies but they are not interested, neither are auction houses. We would happily donate, rather than sell. Can any of you helpful Gransnetters come up with suggestions, please?

Weren’t you lucky? Why didn’t you use them if wedding presents?
Why not use them now?
Give them to me!😂
Failing that give them to a charity shop of your choice, someone will love them.

Mt61

I have to say even though I don’t own a China dinner, or tea set, I love having afternoon tea served on China, tea seems to taste amazing served in a China cup.

Agree😃

Smaller charity groups will take them, they fill them with sweets and wrap in cellophane for raffle prizes of xmas gifts. They are actually quite popular for that. They also use them for floral decorations depending on the shape of the cups. We are doing that at the moment use them for table decorations first then put them in the raffle. (make sure the winners are told you do not wish to have the cups, saucers and plates returned) We wrap one whole set up with a really pretty bow around, they look gorgeous in fetes too. You can put other things in them like smells, teabags or whatever.

Mt61

FranP

There are a few companies specialising in matching people with spares/replacements

If you are at all handy, how about changing them into cake stands to sell?
If you have children/grands with loft space, tell them to take and put up there as heirlooms that might net them a bit in years to come - my mother threw her own mother's Ridgeway in the bin - think Claris Cliff

I have two beautiful china cake stands, but no the tea set to go with them. I suppose I could donate to a tea shop.

Cake stands are very popular, any charity group of charity shop should take them.

What about charities that house the homeless? Adults or young people often have nothing.

People who plan vintage themed wedding might want them. Or maybe places like the National Trust. In our village all the tea shops serve afternoon teas on proper bone China tea sets so there is a need for them. Some use mismatched sets which I suspect might come from charity shops or donated.

Mismatched cups and saucers are the in thing had that yesterday at the crematorium and loads of other places recently

I get emails from our local auction house, with details of upcoming antiques and collectable sales. I counted twenty three full dinner services among the lots - Denby, Spode Italian, Minton, Wedgewood, Worcester to name a few. I’ll be interested now to see how many sell and what they fetched.

Royal Albert Old country Roses always seems to sell - I don't see why - and Denby isn't fine bone china, most of it's chunky & dishwasher-proof so I think that still sells.
I'm going to keep my Worcester & Shelley services, I have the cupboard space & maybe when most of the sets have been dispersed / turned into cake stands, they'll be saleable again. But mainly because I love them more than anything else I could acquire in their place.

I too have an Ice Rose dinner service (1960s wedding present). I loved it then and love it still. I’ve added many other pieces of Ice Rose, usually from charity shops and they’re all on display.
If you look in posh home magazines you will see that grand homes and palaces are full of very traditional old furniture, carpets and ornaments. The good old makes come back into style and become desirable again.

I sold Royal Doulton dinner & tea services to Chinasearch who paid me more than I paid new.

It is possible to break crockery and mosaic table tops. Example is tiles, but it can be done with nipped up crockery plate pieces. I've no pictures of mine, this is from the internet.

There’s a lady in Norfolk who makes lovely mosaic pictures out of broken crockery. She has an instagram page. Denby and Hornsea still sell.

My parents had a service they kept 'for best' and of course never used. I use my service all the time.