Question:
I’ve got twelve of these pieces. I’ve looked around and I’ve seen that they are bean pot trays according to some and also sold as plates in the Village Green set. They are roughly 8.24" wide (10" to the outside of the handles). The only marking is Red Wing USA on the bottom of each piece. What might they be worth and do I have 12 bean pot trays or a set of plates? Eric

Answer: You have dinner plates from the Provincial pattern, one of several patterns made in the Village Green shape. The confusion arises because in two sister patterns this item is called a casserole stand.

The Village Green pattern was introduced in 1952, followed a couple of years later by the Delta Blue pattern. Casseroles in three sizes were made for each pattern. These casseroles had no handles, so a handled carrying tray or stand was made for each casserole size. The stand was optional and was sold separately from the casserole.

In 1963 or 1964 the Provincial pattern was introduced. This pattern was a hybrid that mixed rust-colored tableware in the Village Green shape with cookware (pots, casseroles, baking dishes) that was essentially an update of the Provincial Cooking Ware set from the early 1940s. These casseroles had a large stick-like handle so no carrying tray was needed. Instead Red Wing brochures show two styles of dinner plate for the Provincial pattern – the traditional round plate and a handled plate that would be called a casserole stand if it had been decorated with Village Green or Delta Blue colors. These rust-colored handled dinner plates were made in only one size, not three like the casserole stands.

I haven’t seen many Provincial handled dinner plates but I also don’t sense a large market for them. I would estimate the value for one of these plates in excellent condition to be around $25.

Larry