ARS Follow-up

We’re back home from Washington D.C. and our trip to the Antiques Roadshow. If you haven’t already done so, please read my previous post here, http://aclassyflea.blogspot.com/2010/08/antiques-roadshow.html, about the items we took with us. We had a great time and the entire event was organized and coordinated to the point that everything went off without a hitch. This is no small feat considering they were expecting to see between 10,000 – 12,000 items in just the one day!

They did not allow pictures from inside the studio so you’ll have to take it from me that there was stuff everywhere! And to be perfectly honest, I saw a whole bunch of stuff that was NOT treasures! A bit of advice for you if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of these events, think twice about taking artwork or jewelry. The lines for those items were easily 3-4 times longer than any other lines.

As you recall, we took a salesman’s case of medicine pills, an old accordion, a carved cane and an old Indian doll. As we entered the appraisal area, we were given item specific tickets to meet with the appraisers. We were given a “Musical Instruments” ticket for the accordion, “General Collectables” for the salesman’s case, “Fine Art” for the cane, and “Tribal Art” for the doll. I was actually surprised we were sent to Fine Art for the cane as I was expecting it to be seen at Folk Art.

Upon entering the studio, the appraisers were all gathered in a central core with lines pin wheeling out. We were told to just find the shortest line for the items that we were having appraised, so off to Musical Instruments we went. We were able to walk right up to the table. When I put the case on the table the appraiser said “What do you have there?” (click on any of the pictures below to see a bigger image)I opened the case to show him my accordion. He asked what I knew about it and told him I had just purchased it at a garage sale and that I had found nothing on the maker’s name or the model name when doing a search on Google.  He told me that that was not uncommon, that there were hundreds of companies making accordions in the 1920’s and 1930’s, primarily in Italy and Russia. I told him that the brand name, Riga, is now the capital city of Latvia and he confirmed that this was probably of Russian origin. From the design on the grill and the looks of the case, he estimated that it was made between the World Wars, during the art deco period. As far as value, as he said “There are a lot more accordions around today than there are accordion players.” He wouldn’t even hazard a guess as to value but said I had done quite well for my $25 purchase.

After that let down, we set off looking for the next line. We moved to the General Collectables line, but realized it wasn’t moving and was rather long. So we searched for our other two categories. Tribal Art it is, again, with no waiting in line! A soon as Shelley took the doll out of the container, the appraiser chuckled. “I know exactly what you have!” Then he asked if we wanted the bad news first or the good news first. When I asked if there really was good news he said there’s GREAT news! Shelley asked him for the bad news first. She asked if it was a contemporary doll. He explained that this is a contemporary doll made by an indigenous tribe in central Peru. He told us the name of the tribe but I didn’t write it down and haven’t been able to find them online. The women find scraps of fabric from old sacks to make the clothes for the dolls. The good news is the sacks date back to the pre-Columbian times, around 1200 AD! So what we have is a recent doll wearing clothes made from 800 year old fabric. Value? $100 - $125.

The Fine Arts line was shorter than the General Collectables, so off to Fine Arts we went. We waited in the pin wheel line for quite a while before being escorted to the interior line. The problem here was there were still probably 8-10 people in front of us in that line. It was so busy that there were appraisers actually in line looking at the items to determine if they needed to spend more time with them. We happened to be in line right next to the furniture section, so not only did I see the Kenoe brothers, but Ken Farmer was also standing there. The appraiser came up to me and asked what I had and I handed him the cane. When I explained the history of the cane and the background of who it was given to, it didn’t take him long to ask if it was okay to show it to someone else and get another opinion. (That was exactly what I was hoping to hear!) I watched him mingle amongst several of the appraisers and he eventually wound up talking to Ken Farmer and another gentleman that I didn’t recognize. Ken came over and introduced himself and complemented me on the fine cane.  He explained that it had a lot going in its favor that would appeal to different collectors. It is a finely carved oak cane with a gold-filled knob. There are numerous carvings including people and animals. But there were problems, too. He explained that collectors really want to make a statement when it comes to their canes. He walked about 15 feet away and asked “What do you see?” while holding the cane up. I told him I basically saw a wooden cane. He explained that he would have liked to have seen for dimension to the carvings. When I asked about the provenance of it coming from Territorial Montana, he told me that was actually another part of the problem. You see, there weren’t too many people living in Montana then, or now, so the local interest is also depressed. It’s not all bad news, though. He said it’s a thousand dollar cane. He recommended we insure it for $1500.

So we finally made it back over to the General Collectables line. We had quite a wait there and, again, had another wait once we got in the central area. I plopped the case up on the table and the appraiser said “Well, you’ve certainly got my interest peaked. What do you have there?” That’s when I opened the salesman’s case. I explained it was a salesman’s case for a pharmaceutical company showing the colors, shapes and sizes of all of their pills. We explained that it came from Shelley’s father’s offices when they were being cleared after his death. She said it was quite interesting and the first she had ever seen. The biggest problem she had with it is the limited number of collectors that would be interested in it. Most collectors of salesman samples are looking for smaller versions of the real thing. It would have more value if the drugs were real and belonged to someone important, “…like Elvis, which had a bottle of pills sell for $15,000 at auction.” She also mentioned a European artist who specialized in medicine bottles, pills, etc and his collection of pharmaceuticals sold for over 5 million dollars at auction.  She is seeing this case as more of a novelty for a specific collector, but she placed an auction estimate of between $800 and $1200!

We haven’t decided what we’re going to do with these items, yet. They may wind up in the store or they may go straight to eBay. Let us know if you have any specific interest in any of these items!

Antiques Roadshow

Most everyone, especially those of you who are inclined to read a blog such as this one, is familiar with the PBS show ‘Antiques Roadshow’. This is basically a filmed appraisal fair where people can bring in their items and learn a little about them including their value. I was fortunate enough to attend one in Cincinnati, Ohio during the second year of production. Back then all you had to do was arrive early, get in line and hope the doors weren’t closed before you got a ticket. But with the hopes of confirming treasures over trash, PBS went to a sweepstakes format where you applied for tickets and only a specified number of tickets were awarded.

I have been in the antiques and collectibles profession for about 8 years, now. I have applied for tickets to the Antiques Roadshow every one of the past 8 years and was never selected, UNTIL NOW!

I finally got tickets for this year’s show in Washington, DC on Saturday, August 21. The ‘Roadshow’ is travelling to 6 cities this year, though none of then were in Georgia. I chose DC because I wanted to meet one of the appraisers, Ken Farmer. You’ll find out why in a moment.

When I tell my friends and co-workers that I am going to the Roadshow, invariably the first question is “What are you taking?” I have 2 tickets and each ticketholder can bring 2 items so here are the four items my wife, Shelley, and I are bringing (click on any picture to see a larger version):

You’re probably still asking “Well,what are they!?!” Here we go:

Number 1 is a cane that was acquired at a family run estate sale in Marietta, GA by one of the owners of A Classy Flea. There are several different types of canes that are valuable to collectors. One type of cane has a secondary, hidden purpose. These canes often have something hidden within the handle or at the top of the shaft such as a flask, a dagger, or even a pistol. Another type of collectable canes are the presentation pieces, those that are made to commemorate a specific place, person or event. And then there are the folk art canes, those hand-carved pieces of artwork often done just for the enjoyment of the carver. This cane actually falls into 2 of the categories.

As you can see from the engraving on the knob, this cane was made for Tom McTaque of Deer Lodge, Montana. Who is that? He was the Superintendent of Prisons for the Territory of Montana before it became a state. He was also brought in after Montana achieved statehood to correct problems that arose after the state took over.

What is also interesting about this cane is the carvings down the shaft:
Please click on the image to see a larger view!

More carvings moving down the cane.

…and even more carvings!

When it comes to folk art canes, the more collectable ones are those with figural elements, especially people and animals. This cane has 39 different carved figures.

The second item is:

a doll! Right after Shelley and I moved back to the Atlanta area we watched an episode of Antiques Roadshow where an old Indian doll was appraised. It was worth several thousand dollars. Shortly after seeing this episode, Shelley found this doll at a local garage sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We don’t know if this doll is genuine or if it is a reproduction made to look old. That’s one of the exiting times of the appraisal – when you get the expert’s opinion.

Let’s take a closer look at the third item:

A suitcase with 2 sets of latches and “Lemmon Pharmacal Co” printed on the front. Looks like a salesman’s case maybe…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes! A case of dummy pills showing the colors and sizes of the pills available for distribution. And below:

sample liquid drugs, as well. I only wish the case had been more complete with the samples. This case actually came from the office of Shelley’s Dad who spent his entire adult life in the pharmaceutical industry.

The last item was just purchased this week from a customer that came to the store wanting us to buy his excess furniture and accessories from a recent downsize. On his list was this item for $25 that I accepted, sight unseen:

a piano accordion in its original case. The bellows appear to be free of leaks and all of the keys and buttons work! This model has 120 bass buttons, one of the most intricate types of accordions available.

But I could find no reference to any accordion made by Riga or with a name of Orchester. I knew that the only way I could determine whether this is a $25 instrument or a $2500 one would be to take it to someone who was familiar with musical instruments. I still needed a fourth item for the Roadshow so on it goes.

I would love for my readers to leave comments guessing what you think the value of each item is. Next week, I will write a follow-up and let you know what I found out about each item!

Now, why did I choose Washington DC and how does Ken Farmer play into this. I have watched Ken give numerous appraisals on ARS and I really like his style. He owns an auction house in Radford, Virginia so I was pretty sure he would be there. But why Ken? A couple of years ago PBS filmed a special segment to show during an episode of Antiques Roadshow that featured Ken and his personal folk art cane collection! I have contacted Ken’s business and they have confirmed that he will be there. Though he is not working the folkart table at this show, he has asked me to bring it over to the furniture area for him to look at. I can’t wait!

Researching… Sterling Silver And Silver Plate

My wife and I visit in excess of 4000 garage sales, estate sales, auctions, and homesteads every year. Multiply that by the 31 dealers currently at A Classy Flea and you can imagine that we come across a myriad of interesting finds. Fortunately, one of the biggest joys I receive from working at A Classy Flea is that I love to research the more interesting things that I come across. I am lucky that I have the ability to remember much of what I have researched and am able to apply that knowledge when I come across similar items later. The other dealers in our shop know they can use me as a resource for identifying and assisting in valuing their finds. Lately, they have been bugging me to share my secrets so they can research their items without taking my time, so that is what is prompting this weekly blog.

I, like many other people throughout the world, enjoy collecting silver over gold not only because of the considerable difference in cost, but it can be found in so many different forms. I have seen sterling silver in coins, flatware, jewelry, tea sets, platters, trophies, lamps, candelabras, statues, drinking cups, baby rattles, knife rests, and on and on and on! You can buy new  sterling silver items at almost any department store and you can find old sterling silver in most antique stores and even many flea markets and thrift stores.

The question I get most often when other dealers bring me silver pieces to look at is “what do all of these marks mean?” If you are a fan of the TV programs “Antiques Roadshow” or BBC’s “Cash in the Attic”, you often hear the appraisers comment that the silver pieces have the “correct silver marks”. So, what are the marks and what do they mean?

To better understand silver marks, lets start at the beginning. As I explained in last week’s blog, sterling silver is not  pure silver, but an alloy of 92.5% silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. It was discovered that this combination gave silver the best of all properties of luster, workability, and strength. What may be surprising to you is this is not a recent discovery. Though silver was mined as far back as 4000 BC, the sterling alloy likely originated in continental Europe and was used for commerce as early as the 12th century in what is now northern Germany! Nobody is certain where the term ‘sterling’ comes from, but it may have derived from a new 13th century Norman silver coin “librae sterilensium” or “librae sterilensis monetae”. More likely, the term comes from the Old English “steorling” which means ‘coin with a star’, which the old Norman coins had. Most of the world’s silver was mined in Asia Minor and the Greek Isles until major concentrations of silver were found after the discovery and exploration of the ‘New World’ in the 15th and 16th centuries. Since the 1500’s, most of the silver production came from Bolivia and Mexico and even more recently from The United States.

I know what you’re saying; “But what about the marks!?!” Most people didn’t read or write prior to the 18th and 19th centuries and even back then, the government felt a need to control and tax everything being produced. The British Isles probably led the way with a series of marks that can be traced back to the 1300’s! Each of the major cities had a Goldsmith’s Hall where the local tradesmen would take their gold and silver wares to be inspected. There, the pieces would be inspected for quality and stamped with a city stamp to show that they had passed inspection. Later, as precious metals started being taxed, duty stamps were added to show that the taxes had been paid. As unscrupulous metal smiths started faking the city and duty stamps, all makers were required to include a maker’s stamp to identify who made the pieces. Lastly, date stamps were added to further document the history of the piece. So, what does a proper mark look like?
‘Reading’ left to right we find:
Lion in a Shield:  Silver Standard Mark for Sterling .925
Crowned Leopard Head: London City Mark (1478 – 1822)
Letter O in a shield: Date Mark – This one is 1789
King George III: Duty Mark (1786 – 1821)
T and W: Maker’s Mark – Thomas Wallis

To verify the mark is correct, the Date Mark must have been used by the associated City, and must fall within the reign of the Monarch depicted by the Duty Mark. Additionally, the Maker must have been active during this same time.

Fortunately, most of the sterling silver we come in contact with at A Classy Flea was made within the last 200 years and the vast majority of it was made in the US. All sterling made in the US must be marked with the word ‘Sterling’ or the purity mark ‘925’ which stands for 92.5% pure silver. I walked around the shop and took some pictures of a few sterling items we have for sale.

La Pierre Manufacturing Company Compote: Founded in 1888 in New York, became a division of International Silver in 1929, still in business.

Georg Jensen Ice Tongs, Acorn Pattern: Founded in 1904 in Copenhagen, Denmark, pattern introduced in 1915, this particular mark was first used in 1945. This pattern is still produced today.

This mark is from the bottom of a very ornate dish. Lucky for me, there was another mark on the other end of the bottom of this dish, Gorham. Founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1831. This mark is a date mark from 1887. The 656 is the pattern number. Gorham is still in business today.

Here is an interesting mark on the bottom of a candlestick. The mark consists of J.W. within parentheses, an eagle, and 925/1000 within parentheses. This was sold by the John Wanamaker Department Store who commissioned pieces to be made and then marked them with their own mark. They first started marking sterling in 1870 in Philadelphia and are still in business today.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention sterling jewelry made in Mexico. Jewelry designers really started making their “mark” during the 1930’s and continued through the 1970’s. There are many well known and collected Mexican silversmiths including William Spratling and Los Castillo. There is a Mexican village, Taxco, that became such a hub for jewelry makers that designers and silversmiths registered for their own Taxco makers mark.
The Mexico mark is self explanatory. TM-92 is a Taxco (T) mark and was the 92nd one designated for someone whose last name started with an M. The MEE mark is probably the maker’s initials and the 925 is the sterling mark. My books show TM-92 to belong to a different designer so this could have been done by an apprentice of I may be misreading the mark.

Then, there’s this mark:
I found this on the bottom of a tea pot. Three different marks within shields and an eagle’s head. This looks like a British sterling mark, but looks can be deceiving! If we look further, we find:
its actually silver plate on copper. This tea pot was made by Forbes Silver Company, founded in Meriden, Connecticut in 1894.

So, what is silver plate?

The first silver plate was probably a lucky accident. Someone probably had a sheet of silver laying on a sheet of copper and after is was heated up, they found they couldn’t separate them. Silversmiths in Sheffield, England exploited this property. They started fusing silver blocks to copper blocks and when they rolled them out it could be worked just like a sheet of sterling silver but at a much lower cost. The generic term for this silver plate is Old Sheffield Plate and is characterized by the piece being silver on the outside and copper on the inside, such as a pot. In 1840, Elkington and Company patented a process to electrically transfer silver atoms from a donor sheet or solution to a base metal, often copper. This is what we know as electroplated silver. You will find many different types of marks for electroplate: EP, Silver Plate, Quadruple Plate, and EPNS. EP and Silver Plate are typically done over copper. Quadruple Plate was common during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and was a testament to the amount of silver used. Typically at the time, 2 troy ounces of silver was used to plate 144 teaspoons, but the quadruple plate process used 4 troy ounces of silver to plate the same 144 teaspoons. EPNS loosely stands for Electro Plate Nickel Silver. There are two common forms of EPNS. The cheapest is to use a base metal of an alloy that is part copper and part nickel. The base is more silver in color so when it is plated with silver, it tends to have a more bluish tint than plated copper. The other way is to start with a polished brass base, plate it with nickel, then plate it again with the silver. This has the truest color to sterling.

So, there’s a lot to know to determine who made your items, where they were made and when they were made. How do I start my research? The absolute best place to start is
www.925-1000.com.
This site refers to itself as the”Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers’ Marks” and it truly is. I have spent days just browsing the site and I am still reading articles for the first time. Here is a sampling of the information you can find here:

Clicking on the American Marks at the top of the page presents you with these options. The Main Menu ~ American allows you to find a maker’s information either by matching the picture of the mark or browsing the initials on the mark. Manufacturer specific date marks can also be browsed to assist you in dating your pieces. You will also notice that Canadian makers are listed here, though Mexican makers are listed  under World Marks. Speaking of World Marks:

World marks is the menu you will use to find information on all makers other than American, Canadian and British. It is a good idea to just browse this section to familiarize yourself with what proper city and duty marks look like. You will also notice at the very bottom that the entire Silver Plate information, regardless of the country of origin, is accessed from this menu.

The Mexican Marks section has a very good primer on the more popular Mexican manufacturers but more thorough info can be found on other websites.

 

Continuing across the main menu, we find the British Marks:
This menu is more pictorial in nature with links to more detailed info, as seen in the picture above.
The Patterns pull-down shows a sampling of flatware patterns of some of the more popular sterling silver manufactures. A much broader listing of patterns with pictures can be found at www.replacements.com but this is a great place to start!

The last two drop down choices, Library and Resources, have the information that first brought me to this site. I’ll let you explore these to find the treasures waiting there including the Forum where I have had many questions answered!

Here is my calendar of future “Researching…” blogs:
February 8: English Pottery
February 15: US Pottery
February 22: German Pottery
March 1: Chinese Pottery
March 8: General Web Research
March 15: Resource Books?
Please let me know if there are other types of collectables you would like information about researching!

Researching… Costume Jewelry

My wife and I visit in excess of 4000 garage sales, estate sales, auctions, and homesteads every year. Multiply that by the 31 dealers currently at A Classy Flea and you can imagine that we come across a myriad of interesting finds. Fortunately, one of the biggest joys I receive from working at A Classy Flea is that I love to research the more interesting things that I come across. I am lucky that I have the ability to remember much of what I have researched and am able to apply that knowledge when I come across similar items later. The other dealers in our shop know they can use me as a resource for identifying and assisting in valuing their finds. Lately, they have been bugging me to share my secrets so they can research their items without taking my time, so that is what is prompting this weekly blog.

Shelley and I have just become interested in jewelry over the last 2 to 3 years. It is so much fun to rummage through old jewelry boxes looking for that special find. It is a real treat for us when we are able to purchase an entire collection, just so we can go through it, cleaning them to their original glory, imagining the places they have been, and discovering when they were made and by whom.

There are 2 things that I first look for when trying to place a value on jewelry; fine metal marks and maker’s marks. Fine metal marks have become mostly standardized throughout the world. If the item is silver in color, the ‘good’ marks are “800”, “925” and “Sterling”. Metal in its pure state is much too soft to be used in jewelry. It would get dented and misshapen too easily during normal use and would quickly lose its beautiful appearance. “Sterling” is the common term for an alloy made up of silver and another metal to give it more strength. Sterling silver is commonly considered to be made of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal. This also relates to the “925” mark. The “800” mark simply shows the item is made of an alloy that is 80% silver and 20% another metal and is usually found on older, European items. (For more information on silver marks see next week’s blog!)

Most of you are aware that pure gold is considered 24 karats and is referred to as 24K. Again, pure gold is much too soft to be used in jewelry and is most often used in gold plating. You will usually find ‘real’ gold jewelry marked 22K, 18K, 14K, or 10K. These, again, are alloys of pure gold and another metal. For example, a ring marked 18K is actually 75% gold (18 divided by 24). You may also find a gold ring marked “750” which is identical to 18K. Using the same logic, 22K=917, 14K=583, and 10K=417.

There are other gold marks to be wary of. I have seen many dealers get excited when they find a ring marked 18K-RGP. A similar mark that is often overlooked is something similar to
14K-GF. It’s easy to see the 18K or 14K and think you have just made a great find. “RGP” stands for “Rolled Gold Plate” and “GF” stands for “Gold Filled”. An item that is marked RGP has less than 1/60th of it’s weight made up of the marked gold. So an item marked 18K-RGP is only 1.25% pure gold! An item marked “GF” actually has a thicker layer of gold over the base metal and must be at least 10% of the total weight of the metal. Even so, an item marked 14K-GF is still less than 6% real gold.
Another special case you may find is gold jewelry, usually bracelets, that are marked “925”. This is commonly called vermeil and is made of a base of sterling silver with a very fine plating of 10K or 14K gold on top. The amount of actual gold is insignificant and we usually price these items as if they were sterling – which they are!

Obviously, the majority of the jewelry we come across is loosely referred to as Costume Jewelry. This is jewelry that was typically made in the 1940’s – 1970’s that was low on cost but high on show. Though they were low cost, many of the older designers were high style and actually very high quality. The collectability, and therefore the value, of a specific piece is a combination of colors, design, maker and age. A lot of this is subjective, but it is necessary to know who made the piece and when. Most of this can be derived from the maker’s mark on the piece.

Though there are many websites dedicated to the identifying of costume jewelry, there is only one that I have come to rely on: “Researching Costume Jewelry” at Illusions Jewels: http://www.illusionjewels.com/costumejewelrymarks.html

The ladies at Illusion Jewels have created and identification guide that looks exactly how I would have asked for one to be designed! Just scroll down the main page a little way and you will find an index to the first letter of the maker’s mark:

And what kind of information can you expect to find on their site? Here’s an example of one maker, Schiaparelli: (click on the picture to see a larger version)

The information includes the years the company was in business, the different marks they used, and most importantly, the approximate dates the individual marks were used.

Here is my calendar of future “Researching…” blogs:
February 1: Silver and Silver Plate
February 8: English Pottery
February 15: US Pottery
February 22: German Pottery
March 1: Chinese Pottery
March 8: General Web Research
March 15: Resource Books?
Please let me know if there are other types of collectables you would like information about researching!

Tablescape Thursday #12

Thanks for joining us for our twelfth Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure to visit our good friend Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for links to all of the other tablescapes this week. As always, click on any picture below to see a larger version for more detail.

It has been a while since we have posted to our blog and to all of our followers, we apologize. I am going to start back slowly with 2 posts each week: Tablescape Thursday and Research Monday. Susan at Between Naps on the Porch has not only put countless hours into maintaining her blog and encouraging others with her tablescapes, she has always been open with the joy she receives from shopping at A Classy Flea. One of the joys I get from working at A Classy Flea is the wealth of knowledge I acquire while researching many of the fabulous finds that come into our doors. The most common question I get from our dealers is “where do you get your information” and I will be addressing this question on the Monday blog. -Glenn

While emptying some boxes of treasures that have been in the office for many months, I found some great looking pink depression glass. This was the inspiration I needed to create a new tablescape.
These were made by the Jeannette Glass Company of Jeannette, PA and this pattern, “Holiday”, was introduced in 1947. You will also see this pattern referred to as “Button and Bows”. Jeannette “Holiday” 10 oz. Footed Tumbler: $12.95 ea (BJS)Jeannette “Holiday” Tea/Coffee Cup: $4.95 ea (BJS)
Jeannette “Holiday” Footed Sherbert (w/rays): $9.95 ea (BJS)

Fortunately, a wonderful round table with 4 chairs had just come into the shop. With the weather warming up in Atlanta and the pink glasses to work from, I decided to go for an informal Springtime look.

I started with some mint green placemats to help highlight the unusual chargers.
I loved how the pattern in the chargers played off the carving around the edge of the table.
Green “Kohl’s” Placemats: $1.00 ea (SHEL)
Plastic Molded Chargers with ivy design: $1.95 for 4 (SHEL)

Wandering through the store ‘shopping’ for plates, I found these cabbage plates in a cabinet in Barb’s space. I see these all the time in green, but rarely in pink.
The chargers act perfectly to border the plates against the placemats. The brighter pink color helps with the spring palette.
Bordallo Pinheiro Red Cabbage Plates: $5.95 ea! (B)

You can’t have a Spring theme tablescape without a floral pattern dish, can you! I had a number of dishes to choose from but the one I found in Julia’s space had the green accent stripe that went so well with the placemats.
She has a number of these dishes in her booth in many sizes and support pieces. This is the “Selston” pattern and was made by Woods and Son Pottery in Burslem, England during the early 1930’s.
Selston Dinner Plates: $7.95 ea! (ALLI)

You can’t eat without flatware and Phyllis has a set of silverplate that just goes with the theme!
Made by Rogers Brothers in the very popular “Remembrance” pattern, there is just a touch of a flower to add to the look.
Rogers Bros. Silverplate  “Remembrance: $75 8 place setting (PHL)

Putting it all together, here is what the place setting looks like:

Yes, you can see a hint of what I used for a centerpiece. There are actually 3 separate items that I’m grouping as a centerpiece, all coming originally from Fitz and Floyd:
  
  From the top:
Fitz and Floyd Swan Soup Tureen w/ladle: $95.00 (SIS)
Fitz and Floyd Swan Pitcher: $25.00 (SIS)
Fitz and Floyd Swan Vase: $25.00 (SIS)

And here’s a close-up of the Franciscan creamer and sugar:

Franciscan Desert Rose Creamer: $19.95 (PHL)
Franciscan Desert Rose Sugar Bowl w/Lid: $19.95 (PHL)

Bernhardt Table, Wide Leaf and 4 Chairs with Leather Seats: $1200 (SIS)

Many thanks to Gretchen (GRE) for helping me with many of the design decisions in putting this table together!