Question:
I was handed down a complete red wing lute song dinnerware set when family members passed away. It appears the set was for 10 or 12 people with every thing from serving bowls to relish trays to tea cups and saucers. There are approx. 135 pieces with this set and i was looking to put a value on the set. the set is in very good condition. I think 2 pieces are chipped but everything else is excellent. any info would be helpful. thank you so much. E mailing me a response would be the best way to contact me as I just stumbled across this site searching for info. Thanks Jeff

Thanks for the input, i looked at the collection again. accessory pieces include complete relish tray, s&p shaker, covered teapot,2 covered serving bowl, 3 lg serving bowls, 4 smaller serving bowls, 3 lg serving platters, 3 sm serving platters, covered sugar bowl, creamer pitcher, butter dish, a split serving dish of some sort (has a divider in the middle) and the table setting is for 12 people including dinner plates, cups & saucers, 2 smaller sized plates, 2 different size bowls

Answer: The term "complete dinnerware set" does not clearly define exactly which items are included in a collection and is not useful for making estimates of value. People have varying definitions of a "complete set". To me the term means a collection that includes a complete place setting for at least 4 plus every accessory piece made in that pattern. To others it simply means the basic table setting pieces. And there are other variations between those two extremes.

The most valuable pieces of a dinnerware pattern are the accessories because they are more difficult to find. Many more plates and bowls were produced than casseroles, pitchers and gravy boats. Basic place setting pieces in the Lute Song pattern are worth $5 to $15 each. But a Lute Song teapot, covered beverage server, or 6-piece relish dish is worth $150 to $250 or more apiece. Other Lute Song accessories like the butter dish and ash tray also have considerably more value than common plates and bowls. Your collection of 135 pieces quite likely includes some of the more valuable items, but they are not identified. If all but two of the 135 pieces are in excellent, undamaged condition then I’d guess the value of the collection to be at least $500. But it could be substantially more depending on how many of the more valuable accessory items are included in the set.

Larry

Response to additional information: The complete 6-piece relish dish and covered teapot add significant value to this collection, and other pieces that have been more fully described also add value. The covered bowls are casseroles and the split dish is a divided vegetable dish. A few pieces are missing (beverage server, gravy boat, celery dish, ashtray) but otherwise you have nearly all of the pieces made in the Lute Song pattern. Very nice! With this additional info I would double my initial estimate for this collection to around $1000.