If you ever thought a couple of vintage cups and saucers can’t be worth much think again.
You may not have a home brimming with valuable antiques but chances are your sideboard or glass cabinet display ceramics that might be worth hundreds of pounds. I say this because pottery is part and parcel of everyday life. Ornamental objects decorate our homes and provide practical tableware. Many people inherit items and unwittingly own the best of the best or items on trend with collectors, perhaps given as a wedding gift to an ancestor decades ago.
Derby’s enviable ceramics heritage reaching back to circa 1750 – nearly 300 years ago – means this area is rich in finds. Add to that the close proximity of the Staffordshire Potteries, and this corner of the world is a veritable collector’s paradise.
Every week pottery from the likes of Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Beswick, Royal Doulton, Moorcroft, Minton, Wedgwood, Pinxton, Measham Pottery, Staffordshire Pottery and Clarice Cliff are discovered in Derbyshire – and auction estimates are often surpassed.
Collectors the world over like the best of British porcelain and demand is only going one way. Salerooms are also witnessing rising demand for teaware such as cups, saucers, teapots and sugar bowls. As well as collectors, teaware sparks demand from cafes keen to recreate old English charm or brides looking to theme their wedding celebration.
Consequently, ceramics consistently over-achieve in the saleroom. How about £640 for a couple of cups and saucers? That price was achieved for two Royal Worcester fruits mid-20th century rope-edged cups and saucers signed by artists J Smith and M Johnson. They sold for six times their £100-£150 guide in Hansons’ July sales.
In similar fashion, two Royal Worcester fruit tea plates, signed P English, made £340, treble their £100-£150 estimate. Vintage Royal Worcester fruitware, signed by the artists who created decorations that look good enough to eat, could earn you a rich reward.
Wares from Royal Crown Derby, arguably the oldest remaining English porcelain manufacturer founded in 1750, often excels too. A first quality 1128 Imari tea set, six cups and saucers, five side plates and sugar bowl, made £300, even with a cracked saucer and pieces missing. Never despair if an odd piece has disappeared or got broken. It does not deter bidders. A part 20th century tea service from Minton achieved £420 and a Wedgwood Colorado tableware, 90 pieces in total, soared to £360.
So what else could gain you a pottery windfall? Another favourite with collectors is Moorcroft. A limited-edition Moorcroft Jays vase by Philip Gibson, 48 of only 50, was guided at £120-£160 in Hanson’ August ceramics sales. Bearing in mind it still bore its retail price of £845, you can see why collectors love auctions.
More Moorcroft magic came courtesy of a Mediterranean Collection vase in the Chillies design by Paul Hilditch, £100-£150, and a Moorcroft Mediterranean Collection Biscuit Box, Lemons and Blossom design by Emma Bossons, £80-£120.
Vintage tea or dinner service at home? An extensive Royal Worcester Hyde Park dinner service featuring tureens, coffee and tea sets, plates, gravy boats and pots plus a set of French dinner plates by Bernardaud gained an estimate of £300-£400. And despite the odd chip and nibble, an estimate of £150-£250 accompanied a comprehensive Royal Albert ‘Old Country Roses’ dinner/tea service.
Royal Crown Derby gathering dust? A collection of 10 Royal Crown Derby 1128 pattern plates was set to go under the hammer with a starting price of £160-£200. And a collection of Royal Crown Derby featuring a heady mix of patterns including Royal Antoinette, Posies, Imari 1128, Olde Avesbury and Red Aves, plus Burtondale pottery, was valued at £80-£100.
If ornaments are more your thing, a Royal Doulton Lion on Rock, HN2641, was guided at £100-120 and two unusual, non-catalogued Royal Doulton figurines, versions of ‘ flowers for mother ‘ by Doulton painter Colin Beats, were valued at £80-£100. Beswick figures are popular and a huntsman with horse, model number 868 was valued at £50-£80.
It may be that you rather like admiring your ceramic ornaments and want to keep them on display. But if you have items stuck in cupboards or, perhaps, have inherited more than you could possibly ever have room for, perhaps it’s time to set them free.
Ceramic entries invited
If you’re curious about value and considering consigning, Hansons Auctioneers hosts monthly ceramics sales and their specialists, Robert Churchill and Gillian Finney, offer free valuations. Drop in to see them on Tuesdays at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS, between 10am-4pm.
Alternatively, book an appointment by emailing [email protected] or calling 01283 733988. Valuations are available Monday-Saturday including 4-6pm on Mondays with Charles Hanson.
