Hi Helen,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

The stamp on the bottom of these dishes is a Chinese seal-style mark, typically found on porcelain. It’s written in a script called zhuanshu (seal script), which can be quite stylized and tricky to read but based on the structure and common patterns, this is likely a modern apocryphal Qianlong mark (乾隆年制), meaning: "Qianlong Nian Zhi" or "Made during the Qianlong period." The Qianlong Emperor ruled from 1736 to 1795, but many pieces — especially 20th-century Chinese export porcelain — carry this mark as a homage, not as an actual Qing dynasty piece.

The decorative key-fret border around the mark also points to it being more modern. When porcelain sets of comparable size and style have sold at auction recently, they generally average between $5 and $8 per piece.

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

A vintage 44-piece set of Chinese export porcelain part dinner service
unattributed maker, in the Qianlong style, mid 20th Century
Decorated with Greek key border in yellow, pink and green, decorated to the interior with a dragon and a phoenix and other auspicious symbols, bearing iron-red underglaze chop mark to the underside, comprising:
12 plates
10 bowls,
1 large circular platter
1 shaped dish
1 small tea bowl
1 covered salt
18 large ceramic spoons.
CONDITION: From the limited photos, this set appears to be in good condition; value assumes no chips, breaks, repairs or losses.
PROVENANCE: Purchased in China in the 1950s.
$ 225-350 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