By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson, Treasures in Your Attic: Reticulated plate more valuable in a set of 8
Q. I am sending photographs of items I found at a garage sale. I hope you can send me some information on what they are and if I should insure them. One of them has no markings except for something that looks like crossed swords, another is marked “Dresden” and the third is marked “RS Prussia.”
A. Before we go any further, we want to say that the photos we are working from were sent to us from an iPhone, and this just does not work very well. If you want an opinion from us, we have to have good, detailed, in-focus photographs. The ones we have for today’s question are inadequate at best and will limit what we can say.
The reticulated plate here (this term refers to the piercing around the edge) is marked with a lion above a shield and the name “Dresden” below.
“Dresden” is the name of a German city where Chinese-style hard-paste porcelain was first made in Europe, in the early 18th century. Shortly after this discovery no more porcelain was actually made in that city, but a lot was decorated there. This particular plate was made by the Carl Schumann Porcelain Factory of Arzberg, Bavaria, and decorated in the “Dresden style.”
Over the years, Schumann has produced large amounts of decorative wares, and porcelain plates — such as the one in today’s question — are found rather commonly.
These plates are most valuable in sets, and if this is a single, its insurance replacement value is probably $50 or even a bit less. The other reticulated plate belonging to W.H. is another matter altogether. It was made by the famous Meissen factory, which has a long and distinguished history.
It is hard to believe that at one time porcelain was more valuable than gold.
In the early 18th century, Augustus the Strong, king of Poland and Elector of Saxony, was bankrupting his kingdom buying porcelain. When Augustus heard of an alchemist named Johann Friedrich Böttger, who said he could make gold from base metal, Augustus had him kidnapped.
Böttger never managed to make gold, but he (along with others) did discover how to make Chinese-style hard-paste porcelain in 1709. The place of discovery was Dresden, but the factory was established in 1710, 14 miles down the road at Meissen where it remains to this day.
The hand-painted plate is probably from the late 19th century (again, better pictures would have helped), and if it is a single, it has an insurance value of around $200 to $300. A set of eight would be more desirable and worth $1,600 to $1,800 or a bit more.
The remaining item in question is a charming three-piece porcelain tea set that is transfer printed. The set is marked “RS Prussia.” It was made by the Reinhold Schlegelmilch factory in Suhl, Germany, circa 1900. Prices for this type of ware have declined dramatically in recent years, but a three-piece tea set is still nice and should be valued for insurance purposes in the $250-$350 range.
In most instances at these price levels, none of these items needs to be formally insured.
Ÿ Contact Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 18350, Knoxville, TN 37928.