Collectible Plates or Are They?

Temperatures and sales were brisk this weekend in Granville, Ohio.

It was a busy weekend here in Granville, Ohio, where the women are strong, the men good looking and the children above average. . .no, wait, that's Lake Woebegone. Here in Granville, (where I'm strong, the Mr. is handsome, and the kiddies wildly above average), The Chamber of Commerce sponsored its annual Antiques Show, the Presbyterian Church held a rummage sale, Kendal at Granville had a garage sale, and numerous residents had porch sales. From all accounts, thousands of items changed hands.

It seems that the only items that didn’t find buyers were the cartons of collector plates in their original boxes complete with certificates. At the Kendal sale, out of the two dozen or so on offer, the only ones that sold were a Mickey Mouse Bicentennial plate, and a Longaberger Dresden plate, each of which brought about $3, highly disappointing to the original owners. These were supposed to be investment quality collectibles, produced by manufacturers like Bradford Exchange, Schmid, Bing & Grondahl, and Franklin Mint. As it turns out, like so many objects that were manufactured in mass quantities for the collectibles market, hopeful investors who bought these plates for any reason other than sheer love of the object are disappointed.

But don’t take my word for it. Harry Rinker has written on this exact topic, and his wisdom can be found at www.harryrinker.com/col-947.html . On the other hand, lovers of collectible plates also have a website www.worldcollectorsnet.com/plates/plateboard.html . These two seem to be in complete disagreement on the subject. On their site, collector plates are actively bought and sold. Once again, the mantra for successful collecting-buy what you love.