Yesterday we went junking--it was pouring rain pretty much all day and it was a good day to mosey around and see what we could find.
We were driving along the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, WV and Pomeroy, OH when we saw a handwritten sign that said, "Flea Market." You know what I said, right? "Turn around!" Which Larry obligingly did. It didn't look promising at first glance. A wizened old man stood in his muddy gravel driveway, and there was a shed with the doors standing open and piles of junk that had probably been there since he was a lot less wrinkled. Grime pretty well coated it all, and the old man followed us around pointing out the great value of items that honestly should have been in the trash long ago. Back in the corner, though, I found a dirty cardboard box with these inside:
I recognized the dishes as restaurant ware and I have learned recently that this is a highly collectible area these days. I thought the dishes were pretty too, so, "How much?" I asked. I had a few other things in my hand--a Fire King coffee cup, a Pyrex coffee cup, a stained glass ornament--and the old man scanned them all and said, "Ten dollars for the lot." I counted 13 sandwich/dessert plates, 4 dinner plates, 7 cups and 7 cream pitchers. Could I sell them for more than that? Would it be worth the trouble?
Well, I bought them. And washed them up. I think they look stunning.
The gold and green bands against the shiny white china are just so pretty. They were made by the Shenango China Company of Newcastle, PA, and I learned after doing a bit of research that based on the "B-41" mark on most of them, they were made in 1983. Shenango was bought in the 1970's by Anchor Hocking, then sold to another company who liquidated the company in the late '80s. Although I spent a couple hours looking, I did not find this particular pattern anywhere online.
I like them so much I'm thinking I might keep at least 4 dinner plates, 4 cups and 4 dessert plates. But I already have plenty of dishes and don't really need any more. I could sell some of the ones I currently use, though--like this set here:
These dishes were made by the Atlas-Globe China Company of Cambridge, Ohio, in the early 1930's and were part of their Broadway Rose line. The company folded soon after, probably due to the depression. I have enjoyed these dishes for their shape, their pale pink color and the pretty daffodil pattern. But it would not break my heart to sell them.
So, what do you think? Sell the all of the Shenango china and keep my daffodil plates? Or keep the 4 place settings of Shenango and sell the Broadway Rose and remaining Shenango? What would you do?
