Question:
I have a complete set of Red Wing dinnerware I inherited from my mother It is a set of 12 & has everything including potato dish, vegetable dishes, platters, coffee server, water server. The numbers start at 112, 337. I am thinking of selling this set at an auction and would just like an estimate of what I should expect for an asking price. Thank you, Arle Reetz

Answer: Do you plan to sell this as one lot or piece by piece? Will this be sold at a general interest auction, an antique consignment auction, or at an auction targeted to Red Wing collectors? It is difficult to advise without knowing anything about how or where you plan to sell this set.

The pattern is Desert Sun and it was made in the early 1960s. There are collectors of Desert Sun out there and if the pieces are in excellent condition this set would be very attractive to those collectors. But you have to connect with those collectors, not with the general public, if you want to realize higher prices. There are several auctioneers in the upper Midwest who are experienced in selling Red Wing and know how to promote their auctions to Red Wing collectors.

The plates and bowls all feature the orange and brown sunburst pattern against a white background. Those pieces are from the Desert Sun pattern. But the hollow ware (pitchers, bean pot, salt & pepper, etc) are glazed in solid colors and do not have the pattern. They have "soft tan" exteriors and "bittersweet" covers (Red Wing’s names for these colors). These solid colored items were made to go with two different patterns: either Desert Sun or Flight. The Flight pattern features flying ducks on the plates and bowls but uses the same hollow ware as Desert Sun. Flight is extremely popular with collectors and these solid colored pieces are difficult to find. Red Wing dinnerware collectors joke that sellers consider these pieces to be Flight but buyers try to get them for Desert Sun prices.

If I was selling this set I would definitely NOT sell it as a single lot and I would be sure to get it before an audience of Red Wing collectors. The solid colored hollow ware should be listed as being from the Flight or Desert Sun patterns and I would sell them individually. The pieces that have the Desert Sun pattern must be listed as Desert Sun of course, and I would break them up into small groups (perhaps two or four place settings per lot). A Flight teapot sold to the right audience would be worth $250 to $500. The covered beverage server and water pitcher are worth a couple of hundred dollars apiece. The price you could expect to get depends very much on how you sell the set. Sold as a single lot at a local general interest auction, the set would likely not sell for much; perhaps $100 or $200. Sold in several lots to the right audience, the set could bring in well over $1000. These value estimates assume the pieces are in excellent, undamaged condition. Any damage reduces the value significantly.

Larry

The Red Wing Collectors Society Members only Auction is at our Convention, July 8-10, 2010 in Red Wing MN. If you would like to learn more about submitting your pieces to our auction please contact Stacy Wegner, executive director at director@redwingcollectors.org or 800-977-7927.