1789 Duke of Clarence Plate
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GUEST:
My husband bought it for me. It was at an antique shop here in Denver 20 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Do you mind telling me what you paid for it or what your husband paid for it?
GUEST:
He bought three pieces together, but I figured about $300.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, you own a plate which once belonged to a member of the English royal family. It bears the arms that tell us it's from a famous porcelain service made in Worcester, in England, for a gentleman who was then the Duke of Clarence, who went on to become king of England, William IV. He became king in 1830. But much earlier in his history, he had this service made. It bears a mark painted in blue here, which has a crescent, which is the mark that Worcester has used since it began in the 1750s and, in fact, still uses that mark because the company still exists as Royal Worcester. Above it, it says "Flight," which was the name of the owner of the factory at the time, and a little crown, which was put there because of a royal visit by the Duke of Clarence in 1788. They put the crown on right afterwards. He ordered the service and it was made in the following year, 1789. So it's an early piece and an important piece of English porcelain, and bits of this service turn up all over the world, and porcelain collectors love to see them. Now, if your husband paid $300 for it he did very, very well, because today, we're never quite sure what they're going to sell for. It depends on how much somebody wants one. But I would estimate that at auction, it could bring as much as $8,000 or even $10,000...
GUEST:
Oh, really! For this one plate, really. Oh, that's very nice.
Appraisal Details
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