From: mouse@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: rec.antiques
Subject: Re: Occupied Japan dinnerware
Date: 25 Jan 93 07:52:46 CST
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

In response to the inquiry about Occupied Japan dinner ware,
I want to preface the following information by saying that the
value of Occupied Japan lies in the mark, so you have to check
to see that EVERY piece of the set is so marked.  Pieces which
ARE so marked can be priced out at about the medium-to-high
range in the following value guide, thus giving yourself credit
for the mark.  Any pieces which are NOT so marked should to be 
considered in the low-to-medium price range of the value guide.

Now, with that out of the way, here is how I would tackle the
valuation issue (but know that this is only one person, and that 
others might see things differently).  According to Emyl Jenkins'
_Appraisal Book_, there are three classes of china:

Class   I: Pottery, semiporcelain, and ironstone (including that
           available in department stores and some collectible 1930s
	   dinnerware patterns such as Harlequin).
Class  II: Simply decorated English bone china, American porcelain,
           by Syracuse, Lenox, Pickard, Noritake, "Queens' Ware," and
           commonly found Haviland patterns.  Most usable Japanese 
	   dinner ware is in the same class as Noritake.
Class III: Fine English and American porcelain, gold-decorated
	   patterns.  (It should be noted that the prices for excep-
           tional imported English, French, and Hungarian patterns
           may actually exceed "high" valuations by hundreds of 
	   dollars.)

Next, Jenkins gives a "rule of thumb" valuation for all the common 
elements found in most dinner ware sets, expressed as a "low value-
high value" range," as follows:

		Jenkins' Class II Valuation Guide

ITEM			LOW VALUE		HIGH VALUE

Dinner plate		$	10		$	40
Salad plate			 8			28
Bread/butter plate		 5			20
Cup				 5			30
Saucer				 5			30
Rimmed soup plate		12			35
Cereal bowl			 7			30
Fruit/dessert bowl		 5			28
Platters:
	Oval, small		35			135
	Oval, medium		50			175
	Oval, large		75			200
	Round, medium		40			150
	Round, large		50			210
Vegetable bowls:
	Open, round		30			125
	Open, oval		30			125
	Covered, round		40			150
	Covered, oval		40			150
Tureens:
	Covered			95			165
	Covered, w/stand	125			210
Teapot w/covered		50			160
Coffeepot w/covered		60			185
Sugar, covered			25			65
Creamer				20			55
Gravy boat			40			115
Gravy boat w/stand		65			145
Celery, butter, or pickle dish	35			75


Now the valuation procedure is this:  
Take all the pieces of china in the set which you have and put them 
out on a big table. You REMOVE from the table any china which show 
damage in any way: chips, cracks, crazing, bad stains, nasty scratches, 
etc., leaving only first-class pieces behind.  Now, count how many of 
each type of dish you have (i.e., 7 dinner plates, 8 saucers, 4 cups, 
6 berry dishes, etc.).  Then consult the above guide for the value of
that piece and multiply the value by the number of the same items to
get a total for that type of item, and add them all up for a ballpark 
grand total for the set.

As to the pieces you set aside for various reasons, if one takes the
"hard" view, they have in truth no market value.  I have found, how-
ever, that pieces with only small damage (tiny "chigger bite" chips,
for example), can become "bargaining stock" in negotiating a sale,
and can be considered either at the "low" price above, or at some %
of the price, or can be thrown in to clinch the deal.

I hope that this has been of help in some way.

Nancy

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
|  N. L. Sliker, Director/Engineering Computing                             |
*  3043 Learned Hall                                                        *
|  University of Kansas            "Everything goes wrong all the time -    |
*  Lawrence, KS  66045                  What you do is fix it."             *
|  mouse@ukanvax.cc.ukans.edu                     -  Gus Pagonis            |
*  (913) 864-3692                                                           *
|  Disclaimer:  My opinions are my own; nobody else is even interested.     |
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
-- 

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
|  N. L. Sliker, Director/Engineering Computing                             |
*  3043 Learned Hall                                                        *
|  University of Kansas            "Everything goes wrong all the time -    |
*  Lawrence, KS  66045                  What you do is fix it."             *
|  mouse@ukanvax.cc.ukans.edu                     -  Gus Pagonis            |
*  (913) 864-3692                                                           *
|  Disclaimer:  My opinions are my own; nobody else is even interested.     |
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *