Hi Courtney,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Noritake was one of the most popular names for dinnerware in the 20th Century. Founded in Nippon Toki Kaisha, Japan, in 1904, by the Morimura brothers, Ichizaemon Morimura VI and Toyo Morimura. This was an evolution of their earlier trading enterprise, Morimura Gumi, which was founded in 1876. By 1908, the brothers divided their responsibilities, one concentrating on manufacturing, the other focused on sales and export.

Noritake became renowned for finely decorated porcelain that was exported worldwide, rarely purchased by native Japanese consumers. The company pioneered innovative manufacturing and design. Not only was it handsome and serviceable but it was also comparatively affordable.

Though Noritake began naming some of its patterns early - as early as 1914 - pattern names were not consistently used in the early decades and many patterns made through the 1930s were not identified, or only had a backstamp or pattern number; by the 1960s, pattern names were commonly seen on pieces.

The Noritake Museum in Nagoya holds historical materials documenting the company's development, including design drawings, pattern history, backstamps, production information and examples of its porcelain.

Today, however, increasingly few people entertain in such a formal way and the market is saturated with services of varying sizes, colors, etc. Because there is less demand than supply, fair-market / auction prices for Noritake remain low, typically bringing $3-5 PER PIECE. However, because you have such a large and complete set, it warrants a slight premium of about $4-6 per piece.

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

An antique 90-piece Noritake parcel gilt part dinner service
unidentified pattern, hand-painted in Japan, bearing backstamp in use from the 1920s-40s, comprising:
12 dinner plates, (9-3/4 inches)
12 luncheon plates, (7-1/2 inches)
12 dessert plates, (6-1/4 inches)
12 soup bowls, (7-1/4 inches)
12 fruit bowls, (5 inches)
12 tea cups with 12 saucers,
1 large covered serving dish,
1 large serving bowl,
1 cream pitcher,
1 sugar bowl,
1 small oval platter, (11-1/2 inches)
and 1 large oval platter (16 inches)
CONDITION: In generally good overall condition; client notes
PROVENANCE: Client notes that one saucer, one dessert plate, and one teacup each with a small chip; one teacup appears to be glued back together.
$350-550 for the set*
*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