Question:
Hello~ I was referred to you by Christine Boone, of the Wisconsin Pottery Association. I have recently acquired through an estate sale, a beautiful set of Red Wing Smart Set dinnerware. I realize that this pottery is collectible, but do not know how to value it. I wish to sell the set and have posted it to my online shop. The set is in excellent condition with no chips, discoloration or cracks.

SET INFORMATION: Red Wing Smart Set Dinnerware/Pottery 35 Piece Handpainted Set Service for 6 plus Serving Pieces 6 Dinner Plates 6 Bread and Butter Plates 6 Soup Bowls 6 Cups 6 Saucers 2 Serving Bowls 1 Salt and Pepper Set 1 Cream Pitcher 1 Sugar Bowl with Lid Photos attached.

MAKERS MARK: Red Wing USA (On underside)

I have posted this set for sale at: www.gerean.etsy.com for $875.00. I came about this price by researching the prices of individual "Smart Set" dinner plates being sold online for between $80 – 90.00 each. How did I do on the pricing? WHere else should I consider selling it? Sincerely, Gerean Pflug

Answer: I do not attempt to advise people on how to sell their Red Wing items because there are too many variables involved. Top dollar vs quick sale, time commitment, patience, seller’s location, location of potential buyers, rarity – these are some of the factors that would influence my advice to a seller. Please see the FAQ link at the top of this page for a section about selling Red Wing.

Smart Set is popular with Red Wing collectors and with collectors of memorabilia from the 1950s. Like most collectibles, values seem to be down from what they were a couple of years ago. Are dinner plates actually being sold online for $80-90, or it that merely an asking price? There can be a big difference between those two values. In my opinion the value of an item is what a willing buyer would likely pay for it, not the price a seller places on it. A Smart Set dinner plate is worth around $20 in my estimation, not $80-90.

You have a very nice Smart Set collection. It would make a great starter set for somebody looking to build a complete set. The matching number of plates, bowls, cups and saucers help make the set attractive to potential buyers. The larger serving bowls are fairly scarce but the rest of the items are common. In my opinion your $875 asking price is very high; I doubt anybody would pay that much for this set. But then again that’s just my opinion. And here is where those variable factors come into play. If you want to be paid top dollar and are willing to be patient, a buyer may come along who is willing to pay your price for such a nice set. But if you are in a hurry to sell, then I think $875 is much too high. Even half that price would be towards the upper end of the value range, in my opinion.

Larry