Question:

Hello,

I recently inherited some Lotus Dinnerware in Gray, all are in excellent condition. I’ve been able to find the bronze and the chartreuse on the net but none of the Gray anywhere on any site, Is this a rarer color? If so is the value higher than the other colors?  I have the following pieces:

Desert Dish - 8
Salad Bowls – 2
Saucers (no cups) – 8
Bread/butter -7
Salad plates – 8
Dinner Plates – 7
Soup bowls (I think they have a handle on each side) – 5
Gravy boat – 1
Serving Bowl -1
Salt & Pepper shakers – 1
coffee pot – 1
covered casserole – 1

I’m also wondering if some pieces are harder to find. Thank you Tammy

Answer:

Lotus is one of many Red Wing patterns made in the Concord shape.  Lotus flatware (various plates, bowls and covers) featured the hand painted Lotus artwork on a white background.  Lotus hollowware (pitchers,salt & peppers, creamer, sugar bowl, gravy boat, etc) was available in three solid colors: Metallic Brown, Chartreuse and Gray.  Tea and coffee cups were the only items that included a both the Lotus decoration and the solid exterior color.  Other Concord patterns also utilized these solid colors.  Five patterns were available with gray hollowware.  Thus a gray Magnolia casserole could be turned into a Lotus casserole by merely switching the covers.  And gray items without covers such as creamers and gravy boats could belong to any of the five patterns.  While sets of Lotus dinnerware with gray hollowware may be less common than sets with metallic brown or chartreuse hollowware, gray Concord hollowware is not necessarily rarer or more valuable than the other colors.   

As for difficulty in finding various pieces in the Lotus pattern, there are several factors.  Place setting pieces (bowls, plates, cups & saucers) are easier to find than accessories because more of them were needed to compose a set of dinnerware. A sevice for eight required 8 place settings but only one creamer, sugar, coffee pot, gravy boat, etc.  Lotus was introduced in the late 1940s and made through 1957.  New items were introduced to all Concord patterns over the years, and the later items are generally are more difficult to find because fewer of them were made relative to other pieces in the pattern.  The egg plate, spoon rest, two supper trays, and coffee cup (not tea cup) are some of those items. There was also a series of vases and planters decorated with the Lotus pattern (as well as the Magnolia and Blossom Time patterns); these are also not easy to find.

The values below assume excellent, undamaged condition.  Any damage will reduce the value by at least 25-75% depending on the extent and location of the damage.

Sauce dish (dessert dish):  $5-10
Cereal bowl 6.5 inch:  $10-15
Saucer:  $5
Bread & butter plate 6.5 inch:  $5-10
Salad plate 7.5 inch:  $7.50-12
Dinner plate:  $15-20
Cream Soup bowl, no cover (two handles on sides):  $7.50-12
Gravy boat:  $15-20
Nappy (vegetable bowl):  $15-25
Salt & pepper:  $15-20
Beverage server (coffee pot):  $50-60 if cover included; $15-20 if no cover
Casserole with cover:  $25-35

Larry