It Isn't Wedgwood: This Is The European Dishware Brand To Hunt For At Thrift Stores

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If you admire the fine patterns brought to the world by Wedgwood, one of Stoke-on-Trent's most iconic English porcelain brands, you may also enjoy another famous European porcelain manufacturer. With a strong reputation for excellence since it first began producing pieces in the mid 1700s, Ginori 1735 is one of many brands of vintage porcelain you should look for. Near the Italian city of Florence, Marquis Carlo Andrea Ginori opened a porcelain factory in 1735. This factory operated as Manifattura di Doccia until the late 1800s. At that point, this well-regarded porcelain manufacturer merged with the Richard Ceramic Society of Milan to become Richard Ginori. The final transformation came in 2013, when the Kering Group (the parent company of the luxury fashion house Gucci) bought the company. In 2020, the name changed to Ginori 1735 to reflect the brand's roots going back almost 300 years. 

While you may find a piece from the vintage Antico Doccia collection (a delicate white background filled with scattered flowers), one of the more recognized collections from Ginori 1735 is their Oriente Italiano tableware set. The modern version of this pattern is available directly from the Ginori 1735 site, in a range of colors, including malachite (green), porpora (purple), indaco (indigo), and aurum (gold). But the original pattern, designed in 1946, is a vintage set you want to recognize in a thrift store. Some of the vintage Oriente Italiano feature a multicolored floral design with gold accents on a pure white base. Discovering a stash of these plates in an unassuming corner of a thrift store could save you literally thousands of dollars. Complete sets range from $950 to $1,750 and up, depending on the number of pieces, the pattern, its age, and the overall rarity. And it can put you one step closer to your dream of decorating your home like an Italian villa. Other items you might stumble upon from Ginori 1735 include mugs, coasters, teapots, and serveware. 

Considering it has been producing fine porcelain dishware since the 1700s, there is plenty of range when it comes to style and price for Ginori 1735 items. Vintage or antique pieces will naturally be rare, but you may still stumble upon them in a secondhand shop or at an estate sale. For example, a rare Italian Art Deco Tea Set is marked at $561.27 on 1stDibs. This set, probably sold between the 1930s and 1940s, features crisp, clean lines of Tiffany green. Another vintage Ginori pattern that differs from the artistic florals of the Oriente Italiano line is the whimsical Italian Fruit pattern with its fruit motifs, including a large green melon. Or, if you have more of a classical taste in porcelain, the ribbon detail around its edge combined with the central swan design and delicate scalloped edging might make Ginori's discontinued Rapallo pattern top of your list. 

You can rely on a few tips on how to tell if thrift store dishware is valuable, such as paying attention to maker's marks and being able to recognize iconic patterns. First, check for an authentic backstamp, which might showcase the current official logo, the old Richard Ginori crown and text, or even a simple "GINORI" for very old pieces. Then, verify the overall quality of the piece. Proper porcelain sold by Ginori 1735 is smooth without any notable flaws, plus it has a weight to it. The devil is also in the details when it comes to fine porcelain dishware. The Ginori 1735 brand is noted for its superb decorative elements, including hand-painted patterns and golden or platinum accents. The Oriente Italiano pattern, for example, features floral motifs of carnations originally designed by Gio Ponti in 1946. If luck is on your side, you'll find an antique Ginori you can cherish for the years to come.