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I have what appears to be a piece of Redwing dinner ware that was a gift to my parents around 50 years ago. It consists of a large serving tray that has a metal rod base supporting it with two matching handles on the base it is also set up for two candle type heaters beneath it, along with that goes a large glazed matching carafe with cork and glazed stopper this also has a base of heavy wire that has provisions for heating candles or oil. It was given to my parents a gift from a friend of theirs that I barely remember and my siblings were saying just dump it but I had to check it out on the web and am glad I did as I do enjoy older things that have a history behind their manufacture. Any help you gould give me of if would be greatly appreciated. If a photo or 2 would help just let me know . Thanx Paul W.
Answer:
Paul, it’s a good thing you didn’t listen to your siblings. Dumping these beauties would have been a real shame. You have two wonderful and valuable pieces of Smart Set, a pattern from the 1950s. Smart Set was Red Wing’s first pattern in the Casual shape and was introduced in 1953. Production continued into the late 1950s. While Smart Set is not a rare pattern, the classic 1950s design is very popular with collectors and commands good prices. Most everyday serving pieces can be found with relative ease, but accessory pieces such as yours are much harder to locate.
You have a 20 inch platter and a beverage server with cover, as well as the accompanying wrought iron stands. The platter and server are valuable on their own, but together with the stands they are worth significantly more. Over the years many of the stands were lost or discarded by their owners; today they highly sought by collectors looking to build a complete set.
You don’t mention the condition of your items but from the photos they seem to be in excellent condition. Chips, cracks, stains, etc reduce the value significantly but your items appear to be very clean. The stands seem to be in excellent condition (no rust or tarnish) and they still have the little rubber feet that fit on the end of the legs. Assuming excellent and complete condition, the Smart Set covered beverage server with stand and the 20 inch platter with stand are each worth around $150 to $200.
Larry