So you think you can appraise
Back in the good ol’ days, when I watched TV on a more regular basis (“Still a much slimmer chunk of time by national comparison,” she said, in a way intended to make her feel superior), I loved catching episodes of PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow.”
I don’t have an obsession with antiques but I do have some interesting things leftover from my grandmother’s life. Despite being raised by her, many of her treasures were a surprise to me when I returned to the Home Place as an adult.
Some had been tucked away in high cupboards, other things were revealed to eyes newly able to appreciate real craftsmanship.
Thus the interest in the PBS show that features people hauling in everything from costume jewelry to enormous wardrobe cabinets, all hoping to hear their particular antique is worth a gazillion bucks.
Down to the last person, they all express delighted surprise to discover Grandpa’s baseball card collection would pay for retirement.
There’s the rub, isn’t it? All these lovely antiques, worth ever-so-much money…but who’s lining up to buy? Of course, I know it’s not all about dollar signs for everyone — indeed, most folks claim they wouldn’t think of selling.
Like my little plates. I have no idea what they might be worth, if anything, but I am very interested in finding out something…anything…about them.
Four little plates, all in a row
For years, this little set was stuck on a corner display shelf, covered in wheat field dust and ignored. When I took possession, I put them in a more visible spot. But aside from cleaning them regularly, the little plates (each one measures about four or five inches across) are still under-appreciated.
I always thought, “These are what I would cart over to an appraisal by the Antiques Roadshow experts” as I carefully wiped off dust and the stray pet hair.
Last week, it hit me — there are lots and lots of people who know plenty about antiques. Maybe some of them read my blog, or someone who knows someone…why not post pictures and see what happens?
So here I go. I’m hoping for at least some information about the genesis of these little darlings, which always seemed like “story” plates to me — the pictures representing some Swedish tale.
If you can tell me anything, please, please do. Or send it to someone who might be able to weigh in. Let’s see if this experiment works.
And, no, I would never sell them. That’s what I would say on the show, with just the proper hint of righteousness. But it’s true, I wouldn’t. I love them, too and these plates meant a lot to my grandmother. I am hoping someone can tell me why.
This is the back, excuse the remnants of wall putty. Each plate has an individual number on top, over the edition number, I assume
Remember that clicking on a picture gives you a better view. Which, by the way, you can’t so when this blog is still in email form…you have to open the link by hitting the blog title.
If you have additional questions about the plates, please email me at sheilahagar@wwub.com.
My favorite
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Royal Copenhagen issued a series of 3.25″ diameter plaquettes that mostly feature scenes of Denmark. They were made of faience (earthenware) rather than porcelain, and transfer printed in traditional Copenhagen blue and white. They have a pierced foot for hanging and most are marked with the series number 2010 and the number of the scene depicted on that particular plaquette. These plaquettes are no longer distributed in the US. Their last US list price was $15 each. Like all Royal Copenhagen faience, the earlier plaquettes bear the Royal Copenhagen modified beehive mark (actually a capital “A” representing the Aluminia Factory with the cross strokes made up of three wavy lines for Royal Copenhagen). After 1969, all RC faience carried the same mark as their porcelain: a crown surrounded by the words “Royal Copenhagen Denmark”.
A small hard-cover book (8.75″ by 5.5″) entitled The Danish Royal Copenhagen Plaquettes: 2010 Series was written by Earl Nelson Newman and privately printed in 1973. It contains pictures and descriptions of plaquettes #1 through #85, plus the special collections that were issued featuring six American Presidents, six zoo animals, and six antique autos. Additional scenes have been issued since then and an unknown number of scenes were issued and discontinued before the current numbering system began. Among those was a special issue for the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
The sleigh is: 2010-3 Winter Landscape (Vinterlandskab)
The second is kronborge castle
The house is: 2010-18 Rebild Hills (Rebild bakker)
Your fav is: 2010-31 Fano island (Fanø)
The fano plate has a date code of 1955 (u above the K in Denmark)
Wow, that’s a lot of information. Isn’t the Web wonderful, at least 50 percent of the time? A local antique dealer wrote and said she believed the plates were, um, not that special:
“I believe they are souvenir plates that were either
brought back to the states by vacationers or they might have been shipped over
and marketed here. I don’t think they are too uncommon. Sorry, I wish I could
say they were worth a bunch!”
Which fits in with how my grandmother ran her budget, pennies squealing and all.
I inherited the full set of these plaquettes and the book describing them. I do want to sell mine so I’ve been researching their value. It appears that the info from the antique dealer is correct in that I have seen them on the web for as low as a few dollars up to $50, but I tend to think the $5 range is most accurate.