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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

China tea set dates to the 1950s


This is a 1950s Clarence bone china tea service.
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Glenn Erardi Special to The Spokesman-Review

Dear Collector: Enclosed are pictures of my 60-year-old “Clarence Bone China” tea set.

According to the mark shown in one of the photos, your set dates from the 1950s and is a product of Co-Operative Wholesale Society, Ltd., an English pottery once situated in the Staffordshire town of Longton. No longer in business, this company also produced wares as Royal Clarence. Bone china is defined as “a combination of china clay and china stone made white and strong by the addition of calcined bone,” a fine ash-like lime. I was unable to pin down the floral pattern, which may be just stylized leaves, but I’m sure they are applied decals as opposed to being hand painted. Similar sets sell for $10-$15 per cup and saucer, plus $20 for the teapot.

Dear Collector: We found this 1947 World Series program in a box belonging to my late mother-in-law. I would like to know its value?

This four-page booklet recalling that year’s competition between the Yankees and Dodgers is described as a souvenir score card, not a program. Not as valuable as the larger format program, your memento still has a current value of $75-$100.

Dear Collector: A few weeks ago I found a vase with the “Red Wing” mark at a local church bazaar. I’m familiar with Red Wing crocks but not with their other items. How can I research this vase?

Well known for their utilitarian jars, this Minnesota-based outfit also made an artware line which is illustrated in “Collector’s Encyclopedia of Red Wing Art Pottery” (Collector Books, 2001, $24.95) by B.L & R.L. Allen.

Dear Collector: I have a 1966 King Comics “Phantom” book. What is it worth?

Debuting in the late 1930s as strip reprints, “The Phantom” comic books were printed by a number of publishers including Gold Key, and Charlton, as well as King. Your issue falls between #18 and #21, and if in near mint condition is now worth $40.

Dear Collector: I would like to know about this doll whose picture I’ve enclosed? Her head is china, as are her hands and feet. Identification on the back of her neck is “A.M. Germany.”

The bisque bits were made for the Arranbee Doll Company by Armand Marseille, a leading supplier of porcelain doll heads for many major American toy makers. Your “My Pretty Baby” (also called “Rock-a-Bye Baby”) dates from the 1920s. Produced in a variety of sizes, this newborn baby came with layette, usually an ornate gown and cap. Depending on condition, length and wardrobe, dolls of this type are worth between $150 and $400.

Dear Collector: I have a serigraph from the early 1660s by an artist named Dietrich Grenuwald. Is this item worth keeping?

A search of five major art references failed to turn up mention of this gentleman. That, and the fact that the term serigraph (from Latin for silk writing), meaning “an original silkscreen print created by the artist from the artist’s own design,” was coined in the 1930s, leaves me to believe that your information is faulty.

Recommend reading: “Antique Trader Clocks Price Guide) edited by Kyle Husfloen (Antique Trader Books, 2003, $17.95). “Vintage Clothing: 1880-1980,” Maryanne Dolan (Books Americana, 1995, $22.95). “Rifles of the World,” John Walter (Krause, 1998, $24.95).