Hi Kim,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

You have an assembled group of European hand painted and gilt porcelain tableware, from different makers (Schumann Arzberg Porcelain in Bavaria made the coffee and demitasse/espresso cups/saucers while the two handled soups have the mark of the Victoria Porcelain Factory, a factory located in Stará Role (Altrohlau), near Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia [Bohemia]).

Bavaria and Bohemia became important center for porcelain production in the 19th century for a combination of natural resources, skilled labor, transportation, and export demand. The area had abundant deposits of kaolin (china clay), feldspar and quartz, all of which are the key ingredients for hard-paste porcelain. Having them locally reduced manufacturing costs.

During the late 1800s, Germany’s rapid industrial growth created a huge demand for affordable household tableware. The expansion of rail networks in the 19th century allowed porcelain factories in Bavaria to ship products efficiently to German cities, Britain and the United States. This made Bavarian porcelain highly competitive internationally.

New factories were founded in the region, including firms like Schumann Arzberg Porcelain and the Victoria Porcelain Factory, both of which focused heavily on export markets.

Because Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, the mark on the soups was only in use from then until 1938, when the factory was nationalized and the marks changed again. The coffee and demitasse cups are in the "York” pattern, which appears to have been introduced in the early 20th century, around 1905–1910.

Even large sets of German and Czechoslovakian porcelain have modest value today so such small examples would be unlikely to bring much at auction. Based on comparable auction results, this group of porcelain would probably sell for between $50-75 at auction; you might get more for it if you reached out to a porcelain dealer in your area.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

An assembled group of 32-pieces of hand-painted and parcel gilt porcelain table articles
Czechoslovakia and Germany, early 20th Century, comprising:
4 demitasse/espresso cups with 4 matching saucers
4 coffee cups with 4 matching saucers
8 two-handled cream soup cups with 8 matching underplates
All with white grounds and colorful floral decoration, marked underneath
(DIMENSIONS)
CONDITION: These appear to be in good condition; value assumes no chips, breaks, repairs or losses.
PROVENANCE: Acquired at a secondhand store
$50-75 for the group*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia