any recommendations for selling large sets of fine china and sterling silver flatware? NOT eBay

Unfortunately, I have to second what Coopers Hawk said. I tried to get rid china and sterling flatware last summer. I got almost no response. The responses I got were disappointing. One antique dealer in Houston offered to buy just the cups and saucers, for $2 each, but she wanted none of the rest the china. I also spoke to a very kind gentleman who buys silver in Spring. He said that he could only buy it by weight. At that time the price of silver was down, and he recommended that I wait until the price goes up.

All very disappointing--I thought this stuff was worth something, but now it just taking up space in top of my closet, in hopes that it becomes fashionable one day. (not likely, I know.)

What is the silver pattern?

Who are the makers and patterns?

Porcelain/fine china and glassware (cut glass, depression, colored, etc): It is over. It is possible that a Roundtop seller might be interested, but shipping kills any profit.


Silverware (sterling silver) is worth silver prices. 1300 grams is worth about $950.00 depending on the day of the week. It would be melted. There are cases where a certain pattern or brand will attract a certain buyer, but it would be nationwide (not locally) where you profit would be.

having just gone thru a YUGE downsize I can attest to the above comments. As a friend who owns a couple of "old lady shops on small town Main streets " told me..." Boomers are downsizing by the thousands and they all have both sets of parents, grandparents, a few aunts, great greats and such china, flatware, glass stuff..etc. Some boomers have 6-8 sets of china and NO ONE wants the stuff. Our kids and grandkids don't want fine china, don't want big heavy expensive furniture etc. One of my friends actually gave up and uses his gawd only knows how many place settings of grandma's china as targets out on his country place.
Try few ministries and charities, some of em still take that stuff...good luck

Actually kind of an interesting discussion. Not to derail, but we are in our 40's and have 8-10 sets of Lenox china and Mikasa crystal. We maybe have used it once in 20 years. It's essentially a decoration. I honestly don't see the point of it.

Does anyone buy it any more? Are newlyweds even registering for it?

I've noticed similar things with the antique furniture also. We have a few things, but are getting to a point where I'm not sure we would want anything else and my dad has a ton of them.

I'll chime in. My wife and I have been married a little over a year now. When we registered we got lots of pressure to register for fine china and I refused. Both of our parents are divorced and have both remarried. We have more than enough stuff coming to us eventually.

I have my parents' wedding china. It's still in boxes in a closet, because I don't even use it for holidays. Can't bring myself to get rid of it. The crystal I'll hang on to because I do use some for holidays. Wedding engraved champagne flutes I have NO idea what I'm gonna do with.

Why is fine china and sterling silver flatware a thing that anyone cares about any more? Serious question.

I'm more than happy with my Fitz and Floyd dinnerware and Oneida flatware from Bed Bath & Beyond.

AggieBarstool said:

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Why is fine china and sterling silver flatware a thing that anyone cares about any more? Serious question.

I'm more than happy with my Fitz and Floyd dinnerware and Oneida flatware from Bed Bath & Beyond.

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damn near all we use is plastic flatware and paper plates. Clean up is easy, open trash, dump, close trash. For the once in a blue moon that we have " fancy" company we use my grandmothers daily plated flatware. We kept one set of fancy china for the once a year event . Plastic and paper is our friend.....

Of course, we are older, but we get joy from its beauty when using it. I use mine all the time.

OP, I don't know what the market is like but it may be as others are suggesting and it is not as valuable as it once was. There might be a consignment place that would take it, but I suspect a lot of that would depend upon the pattern, manufacturer and condition.

FWIW, when I got married almost 30 years ago, we were given a service for 8 and have used it ever since. It isn't bone china, but it has been host to countless family meals, birthday and holiday celebrations and one spectacular dessert wherein with a fumble fingered accidental drop finished with the demise of the cake plate.

By the time we pass there may not be much of the service left to pass along to our children, but that is as it should be- - they have the memories and that is where the value lies.

Same story here. My wife and I are in our early 70s and have owed (by inheritance) a hug silver serving set and some fine china. Dealers just don't want it. No one uses it anymore as people don't entertain like they once did.

We don't want to sell it for "nothing", so we are considering donating it to a church that might use it for special receptions and events. We would then take the tax write off. Hope this helps.

This is kinda on the subject of fine china dinnerware. I own a used furniture store here in town, and lately we cannot sell a china cabinet to anyone. Seems that the younger people growing up today have no use for them, and frankly, don't want them.We have had to stop buying them because they are such slow sellers.

eloc62 said:

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This is kinda on the subject of fine china dinnerware. I own a used furniture store here in town, and lately we cannot sell a china cabinet to anyone. Seems that the younger people growing up today have no use for them, and frankly, don't want them.We have had to stop buying them because they are such slow sellers.

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You can also add " entertainment centers" to the no one wants list. For a while guys would buy em to convert to a nice bar setup but they has run its course. Everyone hangs their gazzillion inch 12 lb tv on the wall now vs putting the 975 lb 36" Fantasto-View wonder all tv in a full wall entertainment center.
We gave ours to our " no hables" painter for free. Otherwise we would have had to use 1-800 JUNK to haul it off.

Jetty said:

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Please use regular silverware! You know how long that plastic is going to take to breakdown!??

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^^^^^^^^^^
yawn !!!

Please tell me about your flatware.

I've got a huge antique triple beveled mirrored wardrobe in my storage unit. I was told that pretty much no one buys wardrobes anymore. My house isn't big enough for it when I downsized. It's a shame.

The Original AG 76 said:

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eloc62 said:

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This is kinda on the subject of fine china dinnerware. I own a used furniture store here in town, and lately we cannot sell a china cabinet to anyone. Seems that the younger people growing up today have no use for them, and frankly, don't want them.We have had to stop buying them because they are such slow sellers.

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You can also add " entertainment centers" to the no one wants list. For a while guys would buy em to convert to a nice bar setup but they has run its course. Everyone hangs their gazzillion inch 12 lb tv on the wall now vs putting the 975 lb 36" Fantasto-View wonder all tv in a full wall entertainment center.
We gave ours to our " no hables" painter for free. Otherwise we would have had to use 1-800 JUNK to haul it off.

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You are correct. We no longer buy entertainment centers or any type of tv cabinets. No one wants them.

bearkitten said:

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I've got a huge antique triple beveled mirrored wardrobe in my storage unit. I was told that pretty much no one buys wardrobes anymore. My house isn't big enough for it when I downsized. It's a shame.

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We still buy wardrobes if you can hang or store clothes in it. I would be interested in buying it.

Grande Baroque

silver- Grand Baroque
china - Gorham China Kingsbury

Number of servings?
What manufacturer? Wallace?

Thanks!

12 plus
Serving pieces also
Yes Wallace

rhoswen said:

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I have my parents' wedding china. It's still in boxes in a closet, because I don't even use it for holidays. Can't bring myself to get rid of it. The crystal I'll hang on to because I do use some for holidays. Wedding engraved champagne flutes I have NO idea what I'm gonna do with.

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rhos - in the same boat. I have my Mother's and Grandmother's china and some crystal that is so old and so fine it almost breaks when you look at it. I have no desire to use any of it but just can't seem to get rid of it either. So now it's in a closet taking up space.

Biomat - what are you asking for the flatware set?

eloc62 said:

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bearkitten said:

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I've got a huge antique triple beveled mirrored wardrobe in my storage unit. I was told that pretty much no one buys wardrobes anymore. My house isn't big enough for it when I downsized. It's a shame.

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We still buy wardrobes if you can hang or store clothes in it. I would be interested in buying it.

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Hey! Can you give me an email so that I can contact you off this board? Thanks.

Sure. eloc62@yahoo,com. I own a used furniture store here in town and buy furniture from the public every day.