cups and saucers

[adrian_turtle]

I love drinking tea. I love having a friend come over to drink tea and have a little snack. Nevertheless, my current lifestyle has no place for pretty teacups with matching saucers and little cake plates, all in the same china pattern. Even when I had the energy to entertain more often or more vigorously, that meant having people over more often to drink tea from big pottery mugs, with something indelicate like banana bread alongside. I don't know if it's just me (and the people I mostly socialize with) or if this is yet another way in which the world has changed since my grandparents were given this tea set.

So. I have no further use for the tea set that was sitting in a high cupboard of my old apartment, and in a low box of my new one. It's really very pretty, and I'm sure *somebody* would like it, probably even like it enough to pay a significant amount of money for it. Looking at similar things on Ebay, individual cup+saucer settings seem to be listed for $8-15. It's not at all clear to me if people buy those cups and saucers listed for $10. (I refuse to believe anybody will buy the set of 5 mismatched teacups priced at $1,650.00. That's some kind of a joke I don't get.)

There are 8 teacups, 8 saucers, a sugar bowl, and a creamer. Should this be listed as one big package deal? Nine -- with one for each tea-drinker, and one for the stuff in the middle of the table? Three -- two sets of 4, and one for the stuff in the middle of the table? I'd rather not list many times to sell each piece, fumbling around figuring out stuff that other people already know. (Ebay's idea of helping me sell more effectively consists of encouraging me to post things for sale repeatedly after they don't sell, advising me to lower prices, and suggesting I offer free shipping. Taken together, I could lose money on each sale.)

Comments

[rinue]

I know there is an antiques consignment shop in Arlington, on Mass Ave, that sells (among other things) antique tea sets - the Lena Nargozian Gallery. (There may be someplace else closer to you; I just happen to have stopped by that store lately and noticed they were selling tea cups in price range you described. I don't know the owners or whether they're nice.) They (or a similar shop) could almost certainly give you an appraisal and would likely sell the set for you, which seems possibly easier than having to transform yourself briefly into a tea set selling expert.

[adrian_turtle]

Wow. I walk past that place reasonably often (used to walk past several times a day, before I moved) and never realized they dealt with anything this inexpensive. Or anything this unlike a rug, really...I'm glad you told me about them.

[wild_irises]

FWIW, I say keep the set together, however you sell it.

[adrian_turtle]

Do you feel the same way about keeping the set together, if "the set" also includes 6 dessert plates and 3 little trays (for rugelach, schnecken, and those tasteless little round cookies.)

[wordweaverlynn]

Dunno about her, but I say yes -- keep it together. You can always put better pastries on the little dishes.

Also, post a picture! Maybe someone here will want it.

[adrian_turtle]

What a fine idea! I just posted a picture to LJ (had trouble getting it to post to DW.)

[wild_irises]

Actually, even more so. With the full awareness that other folks' mileage may vary.