It’s a good idea to list everything on the bridal registry — ask for it all. In the long run, a complete set of wedding china will be worth the trouble in collection value.
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By Dr. Lori Masterpiece Technologies
Are you attending a wedding this season? Do you have the difficult chore of choosing just the right wedding gift from a mile-long list or bridal registry?
Take my advice on the best bets in wedding gifts that will become vintage collectibles when this season’s brides and grooms reach their golden anniversary. Here’s how to distinguish the contemporary trinkets from the treasures of the future.
When it comes to long-term collectibility, complete china sets are the icing on the wedding cake.
Many contemporary couples ask only for those pieces that they really need. Today’s brides will object that the wedding china must be hand-washed and that storage space for 100-plus pieces just isn’t practical. While they may not need or want the matching soup tureen or butter dish that accompanies their selected china pattern, it’s a good idea to list everything on the bridal registry — ask for it all. In the long run, a complete set of wedding china will be worth the trouble in collection value.
In 2058, when today’s brides want to hand their wedding china down to their daughter, they shouldn’t be surprised if the daughter refuses it. If she is like today’s daughters, she will prefer her own chosen pattern.
Yet — despite what she thinks — a complete service for 12 with all of the accessories dating from 2008 will be highly cherished and very valuable collectibles on the secondary antiques market in 50 years.
For today’s brides, their mother’s high quality Wedgwood, Limoges or Spode sets from the 1940s to the 1960s still bring significantly more money in the world of vintage china than incomplete sets.
Nearly every couple asks for throw pillows, guest towels and wine glasses on their bridal registry. These three items are the most useless waste of coveted registry space. They have little long-term collecting value.
Most textiles, even those in pristine condition, bring relatively low values on the secondary market after a half century. If you look at today’s market for printed textiles such as tea towels or tablecloths from the 1940s and 1950s, they range in price from $5 to $15.
As for wine glasses, many brides and grooms would actually end up with a larger nest egg if they invested in collecting vintage fine wines, rather than wine glasses.
First of all, 50 years from now, if you still have your complete set of wine glasses, you would be very lucky. Odds are that you lost a few over the years as a result of hosting clumsy Uncle Louie for a family reunion or realizing too late that the lights inside your china closet get so hot that your wine glasses cracked under the heat.
If you must have wine glasses on your bridal registry, ask your wedding guests to get a piece of the highest quality crystal for you. You should buy the everyday, cheap or trendy wine glasses yourself after the honeymoon is over.
Also, when the groom drags the bride to Home Depot to add practical items like hand drills, carpenter’s tools and other masculine necessities to the bridal registry, don’t discourage him. Antique and vintage tools have a very strong resale market, so after your reach your golden anniversary, it’s a good idea to be mindful of your husband’s tool box.
Overall, the most valuable items in the world of wedding antiques remain original works of art, precious metals (yes, guys, I’m sorry to tell you — that means jewelry), and furniture. So when deciding about the bridal registry, remember that quality and condition will always command high values on the antiques market.
As seen on Comcast CN8 TV and the Fine Living Network, Dr. Lori Verderame is an art and antiques appraiser, museum curator and author, with the Ph.D. in art history. Watch Dr. Lori on Comcast CN8 TV’s “Your Morning” show on Aug. 8 and 29 at 7:30 a.m. Visit www.DrLoriV.com or call 888-431-1010.