From: mouse@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: rec.antiques
Subject: Re: Syracuse China
Date: 1 Oct 92 11:44:53 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

In response to the recent inquiry about Syracuse china...

Syracuse is a trademark used by the Onondaga Pottery of Syracuse,
New York.  The company was extablished in 1871.  It is still
working.  The name became the Syracuse China Company in 1966 (which
is good for dating purposes) in order to be better identified with
their product.  By 1971, dinnerware for the home table was discon-
tinued, and the company focused on the manufacture of hotel, res-
taurant and commercial tableware.  Collectors are beginning to take 
an interest in Syracuse china and in re-assembling some sets.  Some
popular patterns are "Arcadia," "Beverly," "Bracelet," "Jefferson,"
"Melrose," "Suzanne," and "Victoria."  (I'm sorry, I don't know
Syracuse well enough to just snap off your pattern name from the
description, but a china matching service will be able to do that 
quickly, in most cases.)

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).  Syracuse china
	   of the type you describe would fall into this class.
Class  II: Simply decorated English bone china, American porcelain,
           by Syracuse, Lenox, Pickard, NORITAKE, "Queens' Ware," and
           commonly found Haviland patterns.
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 dinnerware sets, expressed as a "low value-
high value" range," as follows:

		Jenkins' Class I Valuation Guide

ITEM			LOW VALUE		HIGH VALUE

Dinner plate		$	 5		$	20
Salad plate			 4			15
Bread/butter plate		 3			10
Cup				2.50			10
Saucer				2.50			10
Rimmed soup plate		 5			20
Cereal bowl			 4			15
Fruit/dessert bowl		 3			10
Platters:
	Oval, small		15			35
	Oval, medium		20			45
	Oval, large		25			65
	Round, medium		20			45
	Round, large		25			65
Vegetable bowls:
	Open, round		10			35
	Open, oval		10			35
	Covered, round		30			75
	Covered, oval		35			85
Tureens:
	Covered			40			100
	Covered, w/stand	60			135
Teapot w/covered		25			55
Coffeepot w/covered		25			55
Sugar, covered			20			35
Creamer				12			25
Gravy boat			18			40
Gravy boat w/stand		25			50
Celery, butter, or pickle dish	18			25


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.  In the case of Syracuse, if you have one
of their "fine china" patterns, lean toward the high side; if you
have one of their "commercial" sets, lean toward the low side.

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

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|  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.     |
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-- 

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
|  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.     |
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
Newsgroups: rec.antiques