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

Question:

I found a set of Red Wing dinnerware in Village Green at a local thrift store. With the exception of a small chip in one of the dessert plates everything else is in mint condition. The set includes; 8 plates, 8 dessert plates, 8 dessert bowls, 8 saucers, 8 coffee cups, a creamer and sugar container, a larger bowl (maybe a fruit bowl?) and a platter.  I have attached a picture.  I was just curious what a set of this size and condition might be worth.

Thank you for your time!

Ann Courtney 

Answer:

Current market prices for Village Green items as follows.  All values assume excellent, undamaged condition.

Dinner plate:  $10-15

Bread & butter plate:  $8-10

Sauce dish (small bowl):  $8-10

Cup & saucer:  $10-15

Platter:  $20-25

Nappy (veg bowl):  $20-25

……….Larry

Question:

I love the color Orange and this quickly caught my eye at a Garage Sale yesterday. Talked the guy down to $10 for it. Not interested in selling but he said it was Red Wing so I wanted to see if you can confirm. If so, I would like to know more about it also. It has the 565 on the bottom.

Thanks!

Answer:

The photo shows an orange coffer server from the “Plain” pattern and is part of the Red Wing’s large Gypsy Trail line.  The 565 coffee server was one of the items available when Gypsy Trail was introduced June 1935 and was still in production when the line was discontinued in the mid 1940s.  Orange is probably the most common color for the 565 coffee server but they can be found in at least a dozen different colors.  Other potteries made similar coffee servers but only Red Wing servers were marked 565 on the bottom.  Value for an orange 565 server in excellent condition is around $25.

Larry

Question:

 I’d appreciate any information on this snack set(?).   Pattern?  Name of the shape/set?  Age?  Value?   The cup has a 3 3/8″ top diameter, 1 7/8″ bottom rim outside diameter and stands 2 5/8″ tall.  The unusually shaped folded over rim plate measures about 10 1/2″ X 11″.  It has a chartreuse exterior.  The interior has a slight circular depression for the cup – but the ring is much more noticeable on the backside – see third photo.  There’s an impressed mark on the back which looks like /08 – maybe 708? 

Thank you very much for any assistance.

Bill

Answer:

The photos show a Party Plate and Cup from the Party Line pattern, which was produced in the late 1940s.  Your plate is shape 108 and the cup is shape 111.  The impressed mark on the bottom of the plate is 108.  Twelve different shapes numbered 100 through 111 were made for the Party Ware pattern.  These shapes were available in three exterior colors (Chartreuse, Gray and Metallic Brown) and were decorated with four different fruits (grapes, pear, apple or cherries).  Thus a buyer had many different combinations of colors and fruits from which to choose.  The unique shape of Party Ware made it difficult to store in the kitchen cupboard and the pattern is not easy to find today.  Value for this plate and cup would be $30-40.

Larry