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 Attic Treasures and Family Heirlooms - What are they worth?
Experts provide tips for identifying, valuating china, crystal, Sterling

by Kathryn Wiese
Retrospective Modern Design
Mid-Century Dinnerware

It sounds like an easy question: Can you tell me the value of my grandmother's china? Or crystal? Or sterling? Every day, dealers listed in Set Your Table are asked to provide value estimates yet the answer is not as simple as it seems.

"First, know the question you're asking," says Miriam Levy, owner of Chinatown, Salt Lake City, Utah. "Market value differs, depending upon the owner's intent."

"That intent usually falls into three categories, she adds:

  • valuation for replacement and insurance purposes
  • resale to dealers and
  • resale to market buyers."

"I wish there was an easy formula that dealers universally agreed upon. But you can contact three dealers about value and you are certain to get three different answers," says Levy, who worked for a china matching firm in southern Texas before starting her own business.

Of the three valuation categories, replacement value is the easiest to determine. Levy suggests visiting the web sites of dealers listed in Set Your Table, searching for a pattern and then averaging the prices. For insurance appraisals of particularly valuable items, the International Society of Appraisers web site at www.isa-appraisers.org lists certified appraisers by location.

Determining value for resale to dealers or to potential buyers is more complicated.

The easiest option is to sell to dealers but don't expect dealers to offer full market value, says Mara Fulghum Sprott, owner of Fulbreit China Locators, Memphis. Dealers know their price limit. "Remember, we have to pay bills and run a business."

Fulghum Sprott, who specializes in Haviland, Homer Laughlin and Metlox, does not have a magic price she will pay for replacement dinnerware. However, she considers these factors:

  • condition,
  • current availability in her inventory,
  • supply and demand for the pattern and
  • variations and lines on the items (gold or platinum rim, shapes, etc.).

Levy says the most she will pay for a pattern is 50 percent of market price. "That's my threshold, depending upon demand and condition. For china, I think one-half of market price is considered the top price paid by experts in the industry."

Crystal: Identify the Pattern

When customers contact Levy about crystal, they often don't know the pattern. She assists with crystal identification and asks customers to provide the following information:

  • color of the crystal,
  • measurements,
  • close-up photograph or tissue rubbing,
  • condition and a detailed description of a piece with a stem (i.e. a water glass, not an iced tea glass).

For 100 percent accuracy, she encourages people to send the stemware (with a packing list via insured mail) to a reputable crystal reseller. Levy and many dealers provide the service for free but collectors should always contact the dealer to discuss the item before shipping, she adds, since the dealer may be able to identify the pattern by phone, internet or by mail.

As with china, the condition of the crystal makes a big difference in determining value, Levy adds. For instance, was there a gold or platinum rim but now it's worn? If so, dealers can't offer as much money for the piece.

Rim chips or rim chips that have been filed down also lessen that value of crystal.

Fulghum Sprott agrees: "Condition, condition, condition! We are so particular. I don't pay anything for an item with chips, cracks, worn decals or knife marks."

To get top dollar when reselling china, crystal or flatware, Fulghum Sprott suggests placing an ad in the local newspaper. There may be more details to arrange and you may have to wait for the items to sell, but you have control over what people are willing to pay and what you are willing to take.

The Sterling Solution

Pricing flatware can be yet more complex. Collectors should first determine if the flatware is sterling or silver plate. Many dealers don't buy silver plate or pieces with monograms.

As with crystal, people often have difficulty identifying a sterling pattern. Beverly Bremer and her staff at Beverly Bremer Silver Shop, Atlanta, research and value sterling serving pieces and place settings daily.

For accurate identification, Bremer suggests people photocopy the front and back of the piece, note any markings on the back (trademark or other information) as well as the condition of the item, including patina.

"A place setting is a knife, fork, salad fork and teaspoon, " Bremer says. "It's ideal to have these items for a strong valuation."

However, sterling sets do not have to be complete to be valuable since sterling flatware comes in many shapes and sizes. Teaspoons and forks come in several sizes, while oval soup or dessert spoons are often seven inches long and salad forks are traditionally six inches in length.

Sterling is a better investment that silverplate since sterling holds its value. Buy sterling, even it you have to purchase one piece over several years, Bremer suggests.

While dealers agree that condition, availability and demand are key to determining value for tableware, they do not agree upon the value of price guides.

Levy says price guides are not the best source of information.

Price guides are usually high and consequently, they create unrealistic expectations. They are often prepared by people who aren't in the marketplace, people who are writers, not dealers.