Richard Ward wrote in message ...
how about ebay? I generally sell stuff on ebay, mostly military
surplus. I do not plan to sell this service on ebay because I like it,
but I am curious as to how much it can fetch.

http://igor.chudov.com/tmp/silver_service

I looked on eBay, and the vast majority of Rogers sets sold for around
$25-30. As for the the $300 in an antique shop estimate, when I had
booths in antique malls in the Dallas, Texas area, Rogers teapots and
coffee pots generally went for around $20 or so in antique malls, and
could be bought at auction for under $10 each. The set you've got
wouldn't bring more than $75 in most shops in my area, and generally
wouldn't be found at all except in antique malls and fairly low end
shops, as modern plate doesn't sell particularly well. They're common
as dirt, because damn near everyone got one as a wedding present, and no
one ever used them.

First, condition means a lot. Buying sight unseen on ebay leads to reduced
value

I repair antique metalwork for a living. I charge $20 to remove a simple
dent in a silver plate pot, The dealers bring me 2-3 a week.

Second, sets bring a premium. Orphan pots are bought by college students and
young marrieds, trying to decorate.

Sets are bought by someone who is looking for a 25th anniv gift for their
cousin Leon.

Here's a generic set, sans tray for $175
http://www.kassai.com/items/145156/i...tore.html#item


Here's a more collectable set, with tray for $1095 down in DFW
http://antiquesbytrudymiller.com/eteryours_teaset.htm

Back in the Bunker-Hunt days, we trashed tons of this stuff.


That being said, it really doesn't matter. You bought it because you
liked it, you couldn't buy it new for anywhere near what you paid for
it, and after paying shipping fees you couldn't buy it on eBay for what
you paid for it. Forget about what it's worth, and enjoy it.

This, I fully agree with. A silver teapot is one of the worlds most useless
things. You will spend more time cleaning it than using it, but it is an
attractive thing, that you would never have thought about buying retail.

You paid as much as you would have for a movie and popcorn. If you only pull
it out on thanksgiving, you will have had more enjoyment than it's cost .


Paul K. Dickman