There may be a RWCS Chapter near you
Learn more on our Chapters Page.
Join RWCS Today
Membership is only $35 a year and includes six full-color newsletters and exclusive, members only, online content
Renew Today
Question:
I inherited a very large collection of Village Green dinnerware that was originally purchased in 1955 at Gump’s, a San Francisco luxury store. I am considering selling the entire collection, comprised of 16 dinner plates, about 30 small bread and butter plates, 20 saucers, 11 cereal bowls, and a large assortment of serving pieces, plate covers and miscellany. The odd numbers are a result of the loss of one box of items but there are still plenty of pitchers, beverage servers, casseroles, covered and divided vegetable plates and platters. Would you suggest that I sell the collection as a lot or break it up? This was the gentleman’s "rustic ware" for outdoor parties. From what I hear, they were quite some parties! Thank you Sue
Answer: It is difficult to advise others on how to sell because circumstances differ for each of us. It depends on several factors and only you can determine which is more important to you. Do you want to maximize the amount received? Or is it more important to sell it all quickly? How much work are you willing to put into the sale? Etc, etc. More info on this subject is available in our FAQ section.
That said, if I were to sell this collection I would do so by the piece or by groups of related pieces. Because the numbers of plates, bowls, cups and saucer vary so widely this really isn’t a dinnerware set but instead is a collection of Village Green items. The mixed numbers would likely not be attractive to somebody looking to build or add to a set of Village Green. And you’ll realize highest return on the accessory pieces by selling them individually rather than all together. If a collector seeks a certain piece, he or she is not likely to pay much more than the value of that piece if additional items are included in the sale.
Larry
