Question:
Hi, I have been the joke of the family for years about my Red Wing "splurge." I guess you could call me obsessed the day my Mother, Sister and I went to the Red Wing store in Red Wing, Mn. It was in the late 1960′s and I was newly married. I really got carried away. I couldn’t decide on a specific pattern, so I bought four separate patterns that sort of went together. I just looked at the Master Index and I’m sure of three. They are: HEARTHSTONE BEIGE—- HEARTHSTONE ORANGE—HEARTHSTONE and HEARTHSTONE BLEU. I have four placesettings of each with every single extra such as soup bowls, etc. I also have all the serving pieces inc. coffee pot, S & P shakers and lots more.

The joke part is that I never used them! They are all packed in boxes in my basement. I’m not even sure of all that I have. Now I am in the process of "scaling down/back." Years ago I saw like a piece here and there for sale, but never a whole set. I’ve made calls and I can’t seem to find the right place to show or sell them to/at.

I remember having another set that is all one color–sort of an orange. It is mainly a dessert set with again–many extra pieces such as ramekins, etc. It has been years since I’ve looked at them however, I am going to take them all out this next week to see exactly what all I have.

Red Wing Dinner Ware
Adobestone 3 place setting: Which each includes dinner plate salad/desert, bread and butter, cereal bowl

Greenwichstone 3 place settings

Hearthstone Beige 3 place settings

Hearthstone 4 place settings

Hearthsone Orange 2 place settings

Charstone Bleu 2 place settings

In addition in the pictures there are pictures of 2 platters, Picture, cream and sugar, salt and pepper and 2 small bowls.

Is this anything you would be interested in talking, writing, or looking at? I can guarantee every piece is in perfect condition.

I am located in Omaha, Nebraska so you can understand the price of mailing or shipping them would be a lot. Where are you?

Let me know if you ARE interested in knowing more info or giving me more info about "what I can do with them."

How much would this collection be able to be sold at? Anne

Answer: Ceramastone was the final dinnerware line produced by Red Wing before the business closed in 1967. The photos that you sent separately show place settings of all six patterns in the Ceramastone shape as well as several other pieces from various patterns. The six patterns are Adobestone, Greenwichstone, Charstone Bleu, Heatherstone, Hearthstone Orange and Hearthstone Beige.

In addition to the place settings the photos also include the following items:
Charstone Bleu: salt & pepper, platter, casserole
Greenwichstone: butter dish
Heatherstone: platter, sugar & creamer, gravy boat, covered beverage server
There appears to be a 9 inch vegetable bowl for each of the six patterns, although I cannot be certain of the sizes because they are not all in the same photo.

The Ceramastone patterns are fairly difficult to find today because they were producted for only a short period. The two patterns with decorated pieces, Charstone Bleu and Heatherstone, are more popular with collectors than the others.

Selling your place settings may be a challenge. Collectors trying to assemble a complete set of a pattern usually seek 4, 8 or 12 place settings of their pattern. For five of your patterns you have 2 or 3 place settings – not enough to fill a collection but perhaps too much to fill in gaps of a collection. But then again you may find a collector who wants to add a couple of additional place settings. The other miscellaneous pieces would be of interest to a collector seeking that particular piece.

As for value, I’d estimate a place setting of Charstone Bleu or Heatherstone would be worth $30-50 to the right person. The other patterns I’d place at $25-35 per place setting. The veg bowls, platters, sugar, creamer, etc are worth $15-30 each.

It’s impossible to properly advise another person on the best way to sell their items for the highest possible price. So much depends on your individual circumstances and how much work you are willing to do. Please see the FAQ section at the top of this page for advice on selling Red Wing.

The Red Wing Collectors Society offers a couple of opportunities to buy and sell Red Wing. The annual convention is held in July in Red Wing, MN, and it includes a Thursday evening auction and Saturday show and sale. The auction is for members only; the show and sale is open to the public but you must be a member to sell. There is also an annual MidWinter event held in February in Des Moines, Iowa. A private consignment auction is held during this event and it is open to the public. Dinnerware seems to sell quite well at this auction and it is relatively close to your home in Omaha. This year’s MidWinter has already taken place and it won’t come around again until February 2011. But in my opinion this would be a good choice for selling your place settings and other items.

Larry