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Question:
Hello, I would like to know an approximate value of a piece. It is a 2-tiered plate server. It is stamped on the bottom as follows: " CeramaStone by Red Wing, HEATHERSTONE, hand painted, 227 ". The colors are brown tones with a dark brown around the outer edges of both plates, and in the center of each plate a flower /or stem and flower petals in brown and white tones. Thank you for your kind consideration, Mary Backstrom
Answer:
Ceramastone is the name of the shape or line, and Heatherstone was one of six patterns made in the Ceramastone shape. Ceramastone was introduced in 1966 and was produced for only about a year before Red Wing Potteries closed in 1967.
Collectors refer to your two-tiered server as a tidbit tray. Tidbit trays were not included in brochures for Red Wing dinnerware patterns but they are shown in Gift & Novelty brochures. The brochure states the tidbit trays were available in "Assorted Patterns", which implies the buyer could not specify a desired pattern. Tidbit trays were assembled using overruns and remaining pieces from discontinued patterns using hardware obtained from a supplier. They were made in one, two and three tiered versions and if memory serves me well there were also also a few four tiered tidbits trays made. A dinner plate was usually used for the base, with smaller plates or bowls used for the upper tiers. Because they were not included in dinnerware pattern brochures, many collectors consider tidbit trays to be nothing more than plates and bowls ruined by a drilled hole. Others consider them to be a legitimate accessory since they were assembled at the Red Wing factory. Values for tidbit trays tend to be rather low, usually in the range of $10 to $25.
Larry