Question:
I am in posession of my late mother’s treasured set of Redwing Capistrano dinnerware. The set includes:

13 cups
14 saucers
8 desset/cereal bowls (6′ X 5 1/2")
12 dessert plates (6 1/2" diam.)
12 salad plates (7 3/4" diam.)
8 soup bowls (8 1/4" X 8" X 1/2" tall)
12 dinner plates (11")
1 platter
1 covered butter dish (perfect condition)
1 gravy boat (perfect conditon)
1 creamer (perfect conditon)
1 sugar bowl w/lid (1 very slight chip on inside rim) and a very slight chip on the back end of the swirl)

My choices seem to be: Garage Sale (Ugh!) No takers @ $200.00 for the whole set! Replaements Unltd. Redwing Trading Post (.com) E-Bay Using my own detailed pics (with the relatively few chips), what is my best option? Carolyn

Answer: It appears you are seeking advice on how to sell this set. I am not familiar with a couple of the selling options you’ve listed and do not know your situation, so I cannot say that one route is better for you than the others. eBay is an obvious option but involves significantly more work for the seller and doesn’t guarantee a sale. But it also reaches wide audience and could potentially fetch a higher price. A local auction house may be a possibility if it attracts Red Wing collectors. An antique dealer may purchase your entire set but will not offer retail prices. Consignment shops are another option. Consignment sellers are also becoming more prevalent on eBay; you simply drop off your items and let the consignment seller handle the rest. Of course the seller takes a cut of the sale so you realize less in return. Each option has pros and cons. You need to weigh the factors and decide what is most important to you — quick sale of all items, little or no work, or highest possible price realized.

For the most part the pieces you’ve listed are common, not the sort of pieces a collector seeks to build a complete set. Again, you’ll need to decide whether to sell all of it at once (probably to somebody starting a collection) or to sell it in small lots or by the individual item (probably to a collector looking to fill holes).

Larry