Hi Deborah,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Noritake began as a Japanese export company established by the Morimura brothers in New York in 1876. Seeking to produce fine Western-style dinnerware in Japan, they built a factory in the village of Noritake near Nagoya in 1904. After years of experimentation, the company perfected porcelain production and hand-painted decoration techniques, becoming one of Japan’s leading china manufacturers. Noritake gained international acclaim for elegant Art Deco and floral patterns exported to Europe and America during the early 20th century. Noritake was one of the most popular names for dinnerware in the mid 20th Century; not only was it handsome and serviceable but it was also comparatively affordable.

During World War II, Noritake, like many Japanese manufacturers, was heavily affected by wartime controls and economic disruption. Civilian luxury production declined as factories shifted toward supporting Japan’s war effort, producing industrial ceramics and materials needed for military use. Export markets in the United States and Europe largely disappeared because of trade embargoes and the war itself. After the war, Noritake faced damaged infrastructure, shortages of fuel and raw materials, and the challenge of rebuilding international trust in Japanese goods. During the Allied occupation, however, demand for affordable Japanese exports helped revive the company. By the 1950s, Noritake successfully reestablished itself internationally, benefiting from Japan’s broader postwar industrial recovery and renewed reputation for high-quality craftsmanship.

Unfortunately, some company records did not survive and research has been able to identify pattern names or numbers that were not marked directly onto the plates themselves.

This unidentified pattern was probably released as part of Noritake’s large-scale formal dinner service catalog aimed at North American and international department store markets. The prominent gold rim banding with additional gold scroll or filigree accents, was targeted at the deliberately 'luxury table' aesthetic rather than casual dining.

Increasingly few people today, however, 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 modest.

You have a modestly sized service without a uniform number of place settings and few serving pieces (platters, tureens, serving bowls, etc). While retailers such as Replacements can charge a huge mark-up because collectors will pay handsomely to acquire hard-to-find or retired stock, when sets come to auction (the prices Mearto uses in our appraisals) uniform and large sets average $6-$8 PER PIECE and smaller non-uniform sets usually bring $3-$5 PER PIECE.

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

An antique 87-piece Noritake parcel gilt porcelain part dinner service
unattributed pattern, made in Japan, bearing the Morimura "M" backstamp in use from 1911 to 1921, comprising:
9 dinner plates
11 salad plates
20 dessert 6.5 in
4 bread 6.25 in
11 dessert bowls
9 double-handled cream soup bowls
3 teacups with 11 saucers
1 large serving bowl
1 soup tureen
1 medium serving dish (Minor chip on each)
1 gravy boat
1 covered sugar bowl
2 large plates
1 square plate
1 serving platter
CONDITION: reported to be in excellent condition
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$ 275-450 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