The pattern is Wood & Sons "Summer Spray." It's ironstone, excellent condition, and I paid $4.99.
When I shop for dishes, I keep 4 things in mind:
- no chips, cracks, or crazing (if I really, really like a dish, I'll accept a little crazing, but no chips/cracks); also I check the surface for knife scratches. Knife scratches will give a good indication of previous use.
- they don't have to be the exact pattern that I already have, but similar in feel
- the label on the back can give indications as to how old a dish might be, which is important for things like whether or not it's microwaveable
- I make guesstimates about resale value for items -- I like to pay about half of what I think it might currently sell for, on ebay or at a garage sale
I gave those considerations thought when shopping yesterday. No cracks or chips. I even turned down one bowl that I really liked because it had a chipped edge. For the most part, a chip would hinder my ability to resell a dish.
The platter has no crazing whatsoever, a good sign; and few knife scratches. Platters generally don't receive a lot of use, in comparison to plates, bowls, cups or mugs.
It's not a match for any of my patterns but it carries some of the feel of the patterns I use, such as the color palette is brown and burgundy on ivory. In addition, it's a transferware pattern, which means that a print has been transferred from an engraved copperplate onto a sheet of paper, then onto the unfired clay dish. The clay absorbs the design from the paper, and the dish is glazed and fired. This process gives transferware dishes a distinct look, like an engraved ink print. My Rose Chintz, Friendly Village, and Liberty Blue (the dinner plates that I use for 4th of July) patterns are all transferware. I find myself drawn to their look. This platter picks up both the browns of Friendly Village and burgundy of Rose Chintz, so I'll use it with either pattern.
The labels are always amusing to me. This one says that it is "detergent proof." I would hope so!! I checked the label, online, once I got home. This plate is likely from the 1960s. Yes, folks were using detergents before that decade, as early as the 30s in the US and the 40s in the UK. What I believe this label refers to is automatic dishwashers, and their detergent. Electric, home dishwashers really weren't common before the 1950s. Most folks were using dishwashing soap, not detergent, until about the mid-20th century. Initial detergents may not have been uniformly produced. Some may have been more caustic than others. Subsequently, there may have been fears that detergent could harm the finish or the inks under the glaze on the plates. Some china patterns were hand-painted, and definitely could not take detergent or any harsh washing conditions. But this dish manufacturer wanted the buyer to know that the platter would be safe washed with detergents, and probably in electric dishwashers. Anyway, the label on this plate indicates that it is from the 1960s. Why does that matter to me? If I want to resell it, having more info on the platter will improve the likelihood of a quick sale at a good price. Also, knowing its age, I won't allow this to go into the microwave.
For resale value, in the store I had guessed that I might be able to sell it for as much as $20 on ebay. I wasn't too far off. I think I could get $15 on ebay, which would still get me three times what I paid for it. If I were to sell it at a garage sale, in my neighborhood I'm sure I could $15 for it, if I set up my sale to look like one of my neighbors does. She sets up her garage sales to look like nice shops -- no junk, just nice vintage items.
I know that I buy a lot of dishes. I'm okay with that for two reasons: 1) it's one of very few passions (that cost money) that I have, 2) by keeping my frivolous spending to one category of items, I am creating a stockpile of a collection with which I could set up a shop, online. A collection of similar items gives me a genre, which in turn attracts a specialized customer base. It's something that I keep in mind when I'm shopping for dishes.
Anyway, that was my fun for the morning yesterday. And it didn't break the bank!
