Employing a replacement service can be an easy way to obtain information on your set and replace or add new pieces.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 20 minutes
Here's How:
- Locate a china replacement services in home-related magazines, your local yellow pages, or by searching online.
- Before making calls or email contact, look on the back of one of your dinner plates or serving pieces for the manufacturer, pattern name and a pattern number, if shown.
- Give the service you contact as much information as possible about your set, including the information you previously recorded from the back of one of your pieces.
- Be prepared to write down information they provide in return, such as dates of manufacture, where it was produced, etc.
- Ask the service to put your name on their future mailings for your pattern to receive information on additional items they add to stock later.
- If there is no marking on the back of your pieces, take a photo, photocopy or draw the pattern. Be sure to note the color as well.
- Send the picture to the matching service you chose for visual identification.
Tips:
- Have as much information as possible ready before you call or email a service to make the process more efficient for you and the person helping you.
- Even if you haven't recently broken or damaged a piece, the lists sent out my matching services will tell you about hard-to-find pieces and allow you to add to your collection.
- Replacing pieces doesn't undermine the original value of an heirloom set. Having a piece repaired may be less expensive than replacing it, but that piece will not hold its value.
