The Estate Lady
Julie Hall is an expert in dealing with personal property from the Depression era. Estate dissolution and helping grieving families make appropriate decisions during the estate settlement process are her specialties. She is a certified personal property appraiser, an estate sales professional, a residential content removal specialist, and a broker of fine items. As owner of The Estate Lady®, LLC, she brings 18 years of experience to families facing the overwhelming task of dissolving the family home.
Why No One Wants Grandma’s China
Simply uninterested?
Have you seen the prices of china services lately, outside the retail market? What a nosedive! China services, from my perspective, are low and heading lower. Several reasons explain this.
- There’s too much supply and not enough demand. Our Depression era mothers, who loved their china, are sadly passing away. This will flood the market with a huge supply.
- Our boomers already have their china services and don’t have the space to take more—we have too much already.
- The boomers children, Generation X and Y, have no interest in it whatsoever. They simply do not want grandmother’s “old stuff.”
- Generation X and Y want to visit IKEA and buy an everyday set in their colors, and when they tire of the color, go buy another set in a year. Why? They come in great colors and are affordable.
So as you can see, we have a definite downward turn in the market. There are some very fine porcelain manufacturers, and some of their products are extraordinary and beautiful. Some people will always be willing to pay exceptionally well for a china service because they feel it is heirloom quality. The question is twofold: Will they want it, and will they ever get the $$$$ back out of it? Usually, the answer is no.
Are there some clients who are grossly disappointed by this? Oh, yes! My elderly female clients are aware the grandchildren don’t want these things. They have confided in me that they wish the grandchildren did, because the china was so important to them and to their generation. People change, and times change!
Rarely do we entertain anymore, let alone cook. Most women will tell you they do not desire that cooking and cleaning overload after a tiring week at work. Remember that our mothers generally did not work out of the home. Today’s woman is a professional multitasker, part of the sandwich generation, works full time, travels, raises kids, caregives for older parents, and is absolutely exhausted!!
If today’s woman can’t put it in the dishwasher, she doesn’t want to use it. Our mothers washed it all by hand, and with pride!
These are my thoughts on why china, like Hummel figurines, is almost a thing of the past. The young girls are simply not interested.
By Julie Hall
The Estate Lady Blog
[First posted March 22, 2010, at Julie Hall's Estate Lady Web site.]
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