Hot chocolate pot spouts are short
Q. I have sent a photo of a porcelain coffee pot, and six matching cups and saucers. They are decorated with white flowers, vines and green leaves against a white background with gold trim. The pot is about 9 inches tall. Each piece is marked with the words "Hand Painted - Nippon." The set was a wedding gift to my great-grandparents around 1919, and it is in mint condition.
I would like to know more about its history and insurance value.
A. You have a hot chocolate set rather than a coffee set. A chocolate pot is usually tall with a broad base that narrows at the top and stands from 8 inches to 13 inches tall. Chocolate pot spouts are short and narrow at the top. In comparison, coffee pots have long spouts that begin at the base. Teapots have spouts that originate at the center of a squat pot. Both coffee pots and teapots have filters. In the 17th and 18th centuries, chocolate was exotic, expensive and the elixir of the gods - well, the European kings and queens. By the time the Industrial Revolution rolled around, chocolate was becoming affordable. Porcelain chocolate pots were in demand and made in Japan, Europe and the United States. By the early 1900s, their popularity began to wane. "Nippon" is the Japanese word for Japan.
Your hand-painted chocolate pot set should be insured for $225 to $325.
Q. I have a set of porcelain dinnerware that I've had for many years. The enclosed mark is on each piece. The set was designed by Raymond Loewy and is his Classic Modern White line. It is a service for 12 and includes all the serving pieces, a coffee pot and a teapot. Each dish is white and trimmed with a gold band.
I hope you can give me a general idea of the value today of my dinnerware.
A. Rosenthal China made your dinnerware. It has been in business in Germany since 1879. American industrial designer Raymond Loewy created a plethora of designs for diverse objects ranging from china to automobiles. His work was streamlined and modern. The shape of his "Classic Modern" was decorated with a variety of designs. Your set is an example of Loewy's Form 2000 pattern number 3680 and was introduced in 1954. By the 1960s, the line was no longer in production.
Your midcentury modern dinnerware would probably be worth $1,000 to $1,500.
• Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.
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