Advice on auctioning an antique Czech tea set

crocus

I've finally had to admit that I will never use my grandmother's beautiful antique porcelain tea set so am planning to sell it, possibly at an auction. There's some interesting family history to it and I'm planning to give the sales money to charity. It's in excellent condition and consists of 12 teacups/saucers, 9 cake plates and one cake tray. It's got the Pirkenhammer (cups/saucers) and Epiag (plates/tray) markings on back. I think it's probably worth a few hundred pounds.
I realise I can sell on ebay but also interested in auction houses in Manchester as I'm reluctant to post).
Has anyone got any advice please? Many thanks.

soolin

crocus wrote: »

I've finally had to admit that I will never use my grandmother's beautiful antique porcelain tea set so am planning to sell it, possibly at an auction. There's some interesting family history to it and I'm planning to give the sales money to charity. It's in excellent condition and consists of 12 teacups/saucers, 9 cake plates and one cake tray. It's got the Pirkenhammer (cups/saucers) and Epiag (plates/tray) markings on back. I think it's probably worth a few hundred pounds.
I realise I can sell on ebay but also interested in auction houses in Manchester as I'm reluctant to post).
Has anyone got any advice please? Many thanks.

Personally if you have checked your valuation and it is a set worth over £100 then I would suggest looking through Google to find a local Bricks and mortar auction house. Most will offer a free valuation and will be happy to discuss charges and lotting fees with you, and if you go ahead you leave it with them and hopefully it sells and you can usually collect your money in a couple of weeks.

A couple of things to consider though, firstly the fees - auction houses are not cheap, make sure you are aware of all the charges before you agree to let them sell, maybe even try two or three houses (there are plenty around if you Google). lastly, I used to sell China, and I know the mark you speak of and I would suggest that you might be disappointed at the net amount you will get, the market in China, even good stuff has fallen considerably over the past few years. As an example look at this delightful coffee set:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Pirkenhammer-Czechoslovakia-Butterfly-Coffee-Set-/202274477089?hash=item2f187f9421%3Ag%3AplIAAOSw32lY2UBM&nma=true&si=m6a%252BRHwLCzxwotkXAFx28HiFqtI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

However the advantage of an auction house is that any that sell online will attract foreign buyers, and that's where the money is in these old sets- so you still get the worldwide interest without the hassle of posting anything.

soolin

Here's a plainer set, this sold in Germany for less than £1 a plate

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/E06s61-18x-PIRKENHAMMER-PORCELAIN-PLATE-034-CARLSBAD-034-/382416689388?hash=item5909cf98ec%3Ag%3AED4AAOSwUCZasp8U&nma=true&si=m6a%252BRHwLCzxwotkXAFx28HiFqtI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

knightstyle

Unfortunately most lovely sets are not worth much. Our local auction house now refuses to accept most sets. There are a few exceptions but it is unlikely your set is valuable.
We have got rid of several beautiful sets in perfect condition over the years for very little money.
My advice is to put it in the attic and see if any family want it later. Or put it on Ebay at a low starting price, have a look at similar sold items. You could try collection only to start with.

crocus

Thanks for the replies. A friend of a friend said possibly worth around £400. It is really beautiful with gilt decorating. Unfortunately my family is really small. I don't think anyone will use it so it seems more satisfying to sell it for someone else to enjoy, and do something beneficial with the funds. I have the set because my grandmother and father managed to escape from Vienna with it in 1939 but others in the family, in then Czechoslovakia, were not so fortunate. So I can do something useful in their memory hopefully.

soolin

crocus wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. A friend of a friend said possibly worth around £400. It is really beautiful with gilt decorating. Unfortunately my family is really small. I don't think anyone will use it so it seems more satisfying to sell it for someone else to enjoy, and do something beneficial with the funds. I have the set because my grandmother and father managed to escape from Vienna with it in 1939 but others in the family, in then Czechoslovakia, were not so fortunate. So I can do something useful in their memory hopefully.

There is no harm in talking to a B and M house for a valuation- if your friend is in the trade to give valuations perhaps they might suggest the best local house to try? If they are in the trade or connected with it could they perhaps suggest a shop or antique centre that might take it on commission?

Unfortunately family sentimentality may well make it worth a great deal more to you and your family than to the trade buyers.

My tip remains though to choose an auction house that sells through an online service like easylive as the best market for tea sets now remains overseas.

forgotmyname

Your friend thinks it maybe worth £400, but is he willing to put his
money on the plate?
Lots of items you think should be worth something sell for very little.

Small demand, you need the right buyer at the right time and in the right place.

I wanted a wooden table for a project a proper wooden one, not cheap chipboard. Found an idea candidate on ebay, but the description put me off when they started on about it being in the family for many years etc....

I thought they are going to be more than a little gutted when i turn up with a power saw and cut it to the dimensions that i need.

I passed on that one, but its was stupidly cheap.

theoretica

Your other option would be to give the set itself (and a note of what it is) to charity and leave the sale to them. Some charities are better able to cope with such things than others, but it might be worth considering and discussing with the charity.

ballisticbrian

Everyone loves a good Czech- tea set:

RFW

If you're in Manchester, I'd recommend Capes Dunn in the city centre. Give them a call, they do free valuations, probably from a picture, via email, but they, at least used to, have drop in valuation days.

With any auction house you need to know ALL their charges, some may sound cheap but add on lots of others. You'll also need to know when the sale is and how long to get paid. If it's a specialist piece and they want to put in a special sale then find out when that is. It could end up being 6-12 months before it's even sold.

If you are giving the money to charity you could try looking for a specialist charity shop, some of them may well get more for the set than an auction house would and the money would end up in the same place anyway.

crocus

haha, that made me giggle. And it made my eyes go wonky ;-)