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Blue Willow

Deeby
9 years ago

A nice thing-today I bought four very old pieces of Blue Willow china for only $20 ! One piece made in Japan, the others in England. I haven't seen a "Made in Japan" stamp since I was a kid. The plates are gilt edged. Quite happy.

Comments (41)

  • justlinda
    9 years ago

    Ummm....maybe you should have bought something a little more inexpensive....who cares about "Made in Japan" when you don't have a cupboard to put it in or a house/trailer (whatever) to live in. You could have picked up something at a thrift store much cheaper. If you're a Christian and presumably you are the way you pray for all sorts of things, remember "God helps those who help themselves." No sympathy from me.

  • stacey_mb
    9 years ago

    Congratulations on your find, Deeby. A nice addition to your new living accommodations. As a child, I remember my aunt having Blue Willow china and how I would be fascinated at the designs.

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  • sylviatexas1
    9 years ago

    I love the old Blue Willow pattern.

    I bet you'll smile every time you see or use it.

  • matthias_lang
    9 years ago

    What I like about that style of dish is its strong, saturated blue. Looks good on a white table cloth. I'm happy for you that your were able to find this pick-me-up just at the time that moving to a new place provides for a new start. Instead of "christening the ship" with a bottle of champagne, you can christen it with some cheerful and useful tableware.

  • suzieque
    9 years ago

    Sounds nice, Deeby. A bit of added beauty, for sure.

  • sleeperblues
    9 years ago

    I love blue willow! Good find.

  • Deeby
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Linda, that is an old saying and is not found anywhere in Scripture. $20 for four pieces is an incredible deal. Just because I couldn't afford a nice apartment does not mean I'm stone broke. Take a chill pill, you come across as a very unhappy individual. Everyone else, thanks for the nice words. I'm looking forward to displaying these pieces in the new home I know God is bringing. : ) And yes, I'm doing my part in achieving the dream ! Edited to add: The appraiser is disposing of things at my lady's home and sold me the Blue Willow. I didn't even know that the lady had Blue Willow. The appraiser is going thru storage boxes. So I have something to remember Joyce by too.

    This post was edited by Deeby on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 22:09

  • justlinda
    9 years ago

    You sure gave us all a real good sob-story. LOL

  • Sue_va
    9 years ago

    Deeby, Blue Willow was my first dishes after I was married. I don't remember what I did with them, but I loved them. Will you be able to stay and see what else is found in those storage boxes? I would love to do that; it would have to be interesting. When you have time google images, Blue Willow. I just did. Very interesting.

    Sue

  • Deeby
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    And Linda proves my point... Get help, lady, you're sick.

  • caroline94535
    9 years ago

    ((((Deeby)))) I'm so happy you received a good bargain, surrounded with good memories, and lovely dishes to put in your new home.

    I remember the joy of "feathering my nest" with what I could from thrift stores and yard sales, etc. Finding nice, useful items in our price range gives most of us a really good feeling. I'm happy for you!

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    Linda's comment was a bit harsh but not inaccurate, IMO. It's hard to read about your difficulties with housing and then read this, but it's your money to spend how you choose.

    I fell for a hard luck story like yours on another forum here years ago and found out the hard way that people make financial decisions in ways very different from me.

    And sadly, you didn't even get a good deal on the dishes. But you got a memory to keep of your friend.

  • cathyid
    9 years ago

    I have box of my grandma's Blue Willow. I remember it on her table when I was a kid. I also know it is not made by the same company. That unfortunately is about all I know about it. It isn't a full set, and some pieces have some slight damage, but at some point I would like to display at least some of it. Is google or ebay a place to find out how much each piece is worth. I would like to finish off the set someday, but don't have a clue to price.

  • arkansas girl
    9 years ago

    justlinda does not need any help here! This is...um...just painful....shakes head....

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    9 years ago

    Cathy, there are a couple of hundred makers of Blue Willow over many, many decades. Some pieces are more sought after and expensively priced than others - which leads me to - without knowing what Deeby bought, no one has any way to determine if she got a bargain or not, and shouldn't be guessing.

    Blue Willow can run the gamut from fine antiques to English grocery store giveways, which still aren't bad quality dishes from what I understand.

    I don't collect it, I have a friend, recently moved to Arizona, who has some. One place to start if you'd like to know the value of yours is check the backs for any identifying marks, see if that can't point you in one direction or another.

  • cathyid
    9 years ago

    Thanks mor. I am not interest in Deeby's purchase. I have 3 daughter and have sets of family dishes for all of them, so would like to finish this set out. I know there are a number of brands. I remember them in the late 40's or early 50's, so they are old, but wouldn't be called fine china. LOL I hadn't thought a lot about it until this post this morning.

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    9 years ago

    Cathy, I didn't mean for it to sound as though that comment was pointed to you personally, only that Blue Willow has a very wide range including pieces that are more collectible than others. Completing your set if its possible (or affordable) is a great idea.

    Now that I'm thinking about it, I have a pair of blue willow style salt and pepper shakers that were my grandmothers. I've never looked for a mark to try to identify them, and I have them packed away right now, not out and displayed. I just have them because they were hers and I'd wanted a couple of small things from her house, things easy to carry home on a plane and not ship.

  • duluthinbloomz4
    9 years ago

    "Blue Willow" was popular in 18th century England - designed by Thomas Minton around 1790 and has been in use ever since. Copied many many times by multiple makers and potteries over the years.

    The gold rimmed is scarcer, it seems, and was the favorite of Mrs. Hearst of San Simeon castle fame.

    Deeby may have gotten a bargain - and from what I've been reading - a bit of "happy" in a bleak bumpy period.

  • Elmer J Fudd
    9 years ago

    These stories are like episodes of a weekly melodrama. To boot, the extreme religiosity often expressed is something I rarely (if ever) hear. Head shaking seems to happen without thinking. I understand justlinda's reaction.

    If an appraiser was happy to sell these pieces for $20, you can be sure they were worth $10 or less. Another good guess is that the money went into his own pocket.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    9 years ago

    Unbelievable to me that some people have the need to be absolutely sure that a situation is made worse than it already is. There must be some reward in it, but it escapes me.

    Deeby, I'm glad that you were able to buy something pretty that will remind you of your former client. I've got three small Blue Willow ware pitchers, probably creamers from tea sets of bygone days, and I love them. One of my spare bedrooms has a blue and orange color scheme, and the pitchers are so pretty on the book shelf.

  • emma
    9 years ago

    Sounds like our 5 kids. Their priorities were really screwed up.

    This post was edited by EmmaR on Sat, Jan 24, 15 at 0:44

  • joyfulguy
    9 years ago

    Different strokes ...for different folks.

    Were I in deeby's shoes, I might choose to put out some money for something that I liked, especially if it reminded me of someone whom I'd known and loved for some time.

    Or - I might not.

    I call myself "frugal" (some call it "cheap"): maybe they, being "frugal", word-wise, like shorter words ... or being critical ... whatever.

    When we've become grown-ups ... we make our beds ... and then, for the most part ... we lie in them. What we choose to do today produces certain, often related, results tomorrow.

    I've said to many, over my years as a financial consultant - "If you don't boss your money - quite likely it'll boss you" ... or "Either you boss your money - or quite likely it'll boss you". And your bossing usually takes place now ... and it's bossing of you some time in the future.

    Ask the many who lacked a company pension ... and that in increasing numbers in recent years ... who hadn't provided adequately for their retirement years ... and for many of us, those retirement years have been increasing in number, recently.

    Ask the operators of the mandatory Canada Pension Plan, who almost for sure have found people living longer than they'd counted on.

    And all that this recipient must do to continue to qualify ... is stay above the grass!

    (What do you figure the possibility might be that that program might go broke? Oh, well ... not to worry ... as long as it doesn't happen while I'm still alive!)!

    But whether as a service worker/missionary helping refugees get back on their feet after a war, or as a clergyperson, or as that financial advisor for a number of years each, I felt that I needed to respect that other person's right to make their own choices as to how they should live their lives ... as long as they didn't cause harm to others.

    ole joyfuelled

  • cathyid
    9 years ago

    Where did all of this animosity come from? This is a reminder of the earlier KT days. Just when I thought it was safe to get back in the water.

  • glenda_al
    9 years ago

    cathyid ditto

  • moonie_57 (8 NC)
    9 years ago

    Yep, this is why I seldom drop in. Then, I'll come back only to realize in a very short time why I don't enjoy the forum anymore.

  • nanny98
    9 years ago

    As I look around me, I see many 'frivolous' things I indulged in during my long life. I don't regret them, they contributed something lovely and memorable, touchstones from where I was in some phase of my life that I was meant to remember.

    Isn't it sad that Deeby's memory of the lovely dishes will perhaps remind her of her having shared too much of her "venting" about her personal life and being judged.

    I, personally, don't "get" invoking one's religious beliefs here on the forum, but choose to be to let people wish and believe what they will, and stroll on by.
    Yes, I do think good thoughts and say healing prayers often for the friends who feel that one more prayer just might give them hope. And a prayer for Deeby, too, that she have the strength to find calm ways to face the crises that have overtaken her.

  • sylviatexas1
    9 years ago

    Neither Deeby's Blue Willow nor the thoughts & worries she shared will be responsible for any lingering bad feelings, but other posters' passive-aggressive, mean-spirited messages might.

    & those messages reveal, right out there on the internet, the spiteful natures of the posters.

    I my own self think that that Blue Willow will remind Deeby of her dear friend who has died & of the many supportive posts & good wishes she received here.

  • Georgysmom
    9 years ago

    I think we should just ignore all the "attackers". Seems to me they need more attention than the people they"re attacking. Just scroll on by and eventually they'll get bored with this forum.

  • anne_ct
    9 years ago

    Ditto, Cathyid.

    If those Blue Willow plates are Flow Blue...they're worth a great deal more than the $20 she paid for the four plates. As a matter of fact...collector wise...any one of the plates may be worth several hundred dollars if it's in perfect condition. I speak from experience...and as a collector. Unbeknownst to the critics above...she may have a made a very wise investment.

    Anne

  • suzieque
    9 years ago

    Mean people su_k.

  • joyfulguy
    9 years ago

    As Dad used to say, "Let stuff like that roll off of you like water off of a duck's back" ... and I add, that it may be a good idea to give the message some thought to see whether there may be some concept included that it might be worthwhile for me to consider, and if I feel it isn't, to let happen what Dad suggested.

    Sometimes there may be a walnut in a manure spreader full of cow-produced by-product. And black walnut trees are worth a pile o' money, these days! AND until one cuts them down ...

    ... they can bring a pile o' nuts to you!

    ole joyfuelled

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    You do realize that this woman is unemployed and on the edge of being homeless?

  • arkansas girl
    9 years ago

    Apparently they do not graywings! No we are just a bunch of old meanies. HAHA!

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    9 years ago

    I'm not much into name calling, like 'meanies'....I think I left that behind someplace in my teens. But to judge what she's doing, one might want to be up to date on Deeby's news that she's been providing.

    Jan 7 - " I also have a new case ! (Job) A lady who just needs caregiving in the daytime, and not too far from me. I'm moving into the mobile home this Saturday. To top it all off, for the first time since 2011 I GET TO GO TO CHURCH REGULARLY ! I'm off weekends !"

  • Pieonear
    9 years ago

    I'm glad that you have found something to lighten your heart, Deeby. Enjoy your Blue Willow!

  • susanjf_gw
    9 years ago

    lol..someone must have indigestion today...deeby enjoy your finds...unlike others I did look your job openings in your stated city/area and have no doubt you'll be able to splurge once in a while...

    I do think you're a bit mixed up though on the "made in japan"....the pieces to look for are made in Nippon, manufactured before ww2...my ggmother had a set. i'm pretty sure as a farmer's wife they very well could have been from a sears catalog, lol...and they were from a well known co still making china these days?

  • Lana Bisson
    8 years ago

    I was googling blue willow stuff and the thread caught my attention. Congrats Deeby on the awesome find. Im an avid blue willow collector. looking for a nice square platter to complete my collection. anyhow, I just had to say how appauled I am at people these days. I dont know your story and what ever you went through, I too have had my challenges, lost house in fire, no insurance etc. now life 20 yrs later has been amazing... not without its twists and turns of course, but who is this linda character who finds pleasure in blowing the wind out of your sail, and attempt to rain on your parade. People who do that only lower their own value when they attempt to be snide or to tear down another to lift themselves up. Its unfortunate that this world we are in has people who make sure that if someones excited about something, they are the one to be the debbie downer.. I pity the soul who is so miserable to atttempt to create it everywhere. Chin up and ignore that girl with the pin in hand ready to pop your balloon. pray for people with ugly souls because God loves them too and wants them to turn around from the ugly ways.


  • nanny98
    8 years ago

    Gosh, I was so sad to see this thread revived. Have not re-read it, but thank Lana for the nice comment for Deeby. Haven't seen her around lately..... too, too, sad.

  • Lindsey_CA
    8 years ago

    Lana, I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of us are very sympathetic towards others who are truly having problems in life. But if you had been at the Table long enough to have read more of Deeby's posts than just this one, you would understand where Linda was coming from.

    Deeby has posted that she didn't have enough money to buy food or get a place to live, but in other posts she has written about all the money she gives to her sister, and how she bought a brand new queen sized bed for her sister, etc.

    Someone let Deeby move into their trailer rent free in exchange for Deeby cleaning it up and getting it ready to sell. Deeby said that she bought new sheets and towels to use while living there, but a couple days later was saying they got dirty so she was going to throw them away. Most people would wash them and continue to use them.

    So don't throw shade unless you know the whole story.

    Oh, it is correctly spelled "appalled."

  • kathleen44
    8 years ago

    I love Blue Willow, grew up as a kid going to this chinese restaurants and loved the blue willow dishes and wished to have had them myself. I think that is a great price. And yes, we all do spend money on other things that to others go what you are spending on what? How about. But you have to realize too to keep sanity you do take some money and get something you will enjoy. For me, it can takes years to save up for something to buy and to others go, thought you didn't have money, no, I don't but we all can save up for something.

    kathy