Question:

Would like to know how much items are worth. Wanting to know more about the Village Green Dinnerware, would like to know more information on these items before deciding on selling them or keeping.

Thank you.

Chantalle

Answer:

Sorry but I can’t provide a good estimate of the value of this group of dishes.  These small photos of a large group of dinnerware doesn’t provide enough detail for me to identify all of the items.  I can’t be sure of the quantity of some of the items.  And there is no description of the condition of these items which is vital when it comes to determining values. 

There are pieces from two different Red Wing dinnerware patterns in this photo.  The collection also includes items that were not made by Red Wing. The only one item here that is definitely from the Village Green pattern is the divided vegetable dish in middle of the photo.  The two pitchers on the right side, the frying pan, the square tray and the elongated dish in the middle were not made by Red Wing.  Most of the other pieces are from Red Wing’s Bakeware line (commonly known as Oomph).  I cannot identify the nest of bowls in the upper left corner without seeing the sides.  The other nest of dishes appear to be three casseroles without covers.  The pitcher next to the large roaster is a Bakeware beverage server and it should have a cover. 

A very rough guess of the value of this lot would be $200-300, but without knowing more it’s really nothing more than a guess.  Assuming they are in excellent condition the covered roaster, teapot, covered casserole and large salad bowl have the most value. 

Larry

Question:

Hi Larry,

First, I just wanted to thank you for this site, I have learned quite allot. Second, Thank you for the wonderful and informative responses you give. Finally, thank you for not making any of your inquirers feel ignorant.

Now for my question. I have read your site for information on the 257 yellow teapot I have. There are not any chips or cracks or damage to the teapot. After reading your site and a couple of others, there  seems to be allot of off-white or cream color of these teapots. I have also found blue and green on other sites but not yellow. Is yellow rarer than the other colors and what is the worth?

My husband and I are starting to sell most of our collections (coins, Red-Wing, Roseville, Royal Dux, sports memorbilia, etc) to help fund our retirement so any help in the ansering of my question is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time concerning this matter.

Warmest regards, Brenda

Answer:

Thank you for the very kind words.  It’s good to hear from people who appreciate effort that goes into my responses.  Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

As for your yellow 257 teapot, I would not consider yellow to be rare by any means.  From my collecting experience it is one of the more common colors.  Of course the items we come across in our searches will vary somewhat from person to person, but I would not give the yellow color any greater value than the other colors. These days a 257 teapot in excellent condition is worth around $75, with maybe another $25 or so for a teapot in very clean mint condition.

Thanks,

Larry

Question:

 I recently inherited some of the Magnolia pattern dinnerware. I have searched and searched to find an answer to a question I have concerning the trademark. The dishes have two different trademarks. One is the more popular red Red Wing while the other is an oval shaped design with the RW in the middle and the number 7 underneath. Can you give me any info/history on the trademarks and why they are different? I would appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

Becky

Answer: Red Wing Potteries changed the ink stamp used to mark dinnerware several times over the years. The ink stamp markings applied to the bottom of Red Wing dinnerware depend on when the piece was produced, not the dinnerware pattern.  Magnolia dinnerware was made for about 10 years and three different ink stamps were used during that time.  The earliest ink stamp was introduced in 1941 with Red Wing’s first hand painted patterns.  I call this mark the “upright wing” and it used the same dark ink as the oval mark in your photos.  This upright wing mark is seldom found on Magnolia dinnerware because the oval-shaped mark and the Magnolia pattern was introduced at about the same time in the late 1940s.  The oval mark was used until 1950, when the familiar pinkish-red wing took over.  This mark was used until 1958. 

Knowing when the various ink stamp marks were applied can help date your dinnerware.   You pieces with the dark oval mark were made in the late 1940s; the ones with the pinkish wing were made in 1950 or later.  The mark has little or no effect on the value of a piece.  That said, Red Wing sometimes made other production changes that could affect value.  For instance, Magnolia dinner plates made in the late 1940s (with the dark oval stamp) are usually much thicker and heavier than dinner plates made later in the 1950s.  In this case a collector may have a preference for one type of plate over the other, but the value to the collector has nothing to do with the ink stamp mark.

Larry