16 Vintage Plates That Are Worth A Fortune Today

When most of us think about vintage plates, we're not thinking about dollar signs, but it turns out the right plate or plate set can be worth quite a lot. Granted, you have to find a buyer with true enthusiasm for your vintage plate. Or maybe you're the buyer. Either way, there are interesting finds out there. While there's plenty of vintage dinnerware best left behind at antique stores, some of the plates can be quite valuable.

The list of plates here is in no way exhaustive as far as high-price vintage plates go. However, we wanted to give you a taste of what's available. These plates come from around the world. Some are centuries old, while others have more modern roots. They range from mass-produced and limited edition to hand-painted ones. While some are just worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, others may be worth even more than your house. Those that are especially old or those with verifiable histories are often among the most valuable. One of the most valuable ones we found survived a palace fire, while another was once stolen by the Nazis. So, if your interest is piqued, you'll want to peruse the information we have about these 16 valuable vintage plates and plate sets and what makes them so special.

Stamped Limoges porcelain dates back to 1771. However, the city of Limoges, France, was producing ceramic, enameled, and glazed pottery pieces all the way back in the 1100s, making it the oldest on our list. With white kaolin clay being discovered in the area in 1768, Limoges suddenly had all the minerals it needed to make high-quality white porcelain. Under Louis XVI, Limoges became the Manufacture Royale de London. By 1900, luxurious Limoges porcelain pieces were so popular that it employed 8,000 workers in 35 factories to keep up with demand. The quality is such that various members of royalty and world leaders have commissioned pieces and sets, including King Louis XIV of France who hired out an entire factory to make pieces for his court in 1781, greatly increasing the brand's fame. Limoges has stayed relevant throughout the centuries by hiring contemporary artists to create pieces that appeal to evolving tastes so that it's not stuck in the past.

Back in 2023, Christie's sold a fascinating Limoges plate for $20,160. It was from the late 1500s, in the period before Limoges pieces were stamped. This enamel piece is highly decorated on both sides with gods and cherubs and is said to have been created by Jean Courtois. It also has a history that includes having been stolen by the Nazis.

In 1655, after pottery stone was found in the Kutani area of Japan, an area lord named Toshiharu Maeda asked a local gold worker to learn to make pottery for him so he could open a kiln. While the Kutani kiln closed down in the early 1700s, it reopened about 100 years later. However, it was after the company exhibited it at the World Exposition in 1873 that it started to be sought after around the world. Kutani still makes both pottery and porcelain that is colorful and uses a specific Kutani gosai color palette of five colors that makes Kutani ware easily recognizable.

If you buy a modern Kutani plate, you might spend close to $90 on it. Some from earlier centuries go for far more, as you can imagine. One from the late 1600s sold at Christie's in 2001 for around $116,670. The front includes an autumn image of quails among flowers, surrounded by a decoratively-patterned rim, while the back is decorated with chrysanthemums.

Kangxi plates were produced during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor Xuanye from 1661 to 1722 in China. The quality and workmanship of the pieces was outstanding, and the pieces were sold not only in China but were also highly sought after in Europe. The Emperor was big into financially supporting artistic endeavors like fine porcelain production. Thus, those making ceramics during this era ended up having the funds to improve on everything from glazing to the artistry of the pieces themselves.

Beyond the monetary value, the colors and images had hidden meanings, which was significant when gifted to diplomats. Some of its vibrant colors like oxblood red and peach bloom were also difficult to duplicate after the technology was lost, making them more valuable.

One of the higher-end prices we found for a singular plate was $6,450, which was for a Romance of the Western Chamber plate. However, in 2013, a Kangxi bowl once sold for $9.5 million at Sotheby's. So, you never know what a collector is willing to pay for the right piece.

Two valuable varieties of plates made during the Kangxi period were famille verte plates and famille rose plates. Green dominated famille verte, while rose and carmine dominated famille rose. Famille vert plates got their start in 1685 and enjoyed the most early popularity until 1725, when famille rose grew in favor because of the novel pink colors China associated with Europe.

With a small, rare famille verte saucer selling at Christie's for $569,631.68 in 1999, there's no telling what's possible for the right piece. However, the highest-priced plate we encountered in our search was a famille verte bird and peach birthday plate at Christie's that sold for around $564,390 in 2024. As for famille rose, Christie's sold a rare rose chrysanthemum one for over $2.15 million in 2016, which is the most valuable one on our list. Granted, some of these more valuable pieces have a long known history attached to them.

August II of Saxony's obsession with porcelain led him to hire scientists to try to create a European version of porcelain. Eventually, the scientists were successful in mixing white kaolin clay with feldspar and quartz to create hard porcelain, Thus, Meissen, Germany, became the site of Europe's first porcelain manufacturer in 1710, breaking the continent's dependence on Chinese porcelain. In 1722, the Meissen brand started using the same trademark it has today, which is a set of crossed swords.

The value of Meissen plates depends on several factors. Older pieces — especially those from the 1700s — are the most valuable. The condition matters as well as the patterns, artists, and documented history of the pieces. Its Blue Onion pattern is particularly popular, but rarer patterns are more valuable.

We've seen a wide range of prices on these plates, making it a vintage decor item worth looking for. We found a single Red Dragon Charger plate available for $5,500. However, the most valuable one we found was a chinoiserie plate from around 1735 that Christie's sold for around $80,200 in 2002.

Sèvres opened its first factory in Vincennes, France, in 1740 in Louis the XV's palace. The king's mistress, Madame de Pompadour, eventually helped the factory move to a building in Sèvres, where wondrous pieces were still being developed. It has been able to stay relevant over the centuries by keeping up with the changing French tastes and ceramic technologies. The available colors, styles, ornamentations, techniques, and equipment have changed throughout the years.

You can still buy vintage plates directly from Sèvres, like a 1756 Feuille de chou dinner plate that sells for around $4,300. Meanwhile, in 2017, a 1778 bleu celeste soup plate sold for around $183,950 at Christie's. It had been part of a gift to Catherine the Great of Russia from Prince Grigori Potemkin in 1779 and survived a fire in the Winter Palace. Thus, older ones with a storied past are most valuable.

Royal Worcester porcelain originated in England 1751 after a surgeon discovered a way to make soft paste porcelain using soapstone, china clay, feldspar, quartz, and bone ash. One reason the brand became popular was because Royal Worcester's teapots were the first British-made porcelain ones able to withstand boiling water for tea without pre-warming the pot to prevent shattering.

With a variety of artists contributing to its fine porcelain design, a steady stream of royalty acquired Royal Worcester pieces, starting with King George III in 1789. The factory finally closed in 2009, but a museum of some of its best pieces still exists, and the pieces still look great in a British-inspired kitchen.

One Royal Worcester plate from approximately 1813 with the royal coat of arms from the second Marquess of Buckingham sold in 2019 at Christie's for $18,750. It was part of a set the Marquess used when he was staying at his country home in Stowe. A set of 12 Royal Worcester plates with women's portraits from around 1890 are currently available for $45,000.

Josiah Spode, who was initially a potter, started making ceramics in England in 1776. He ended up inventing bone china, which was so named because of the calcined ox bone ash he used to make it. After his death, the company passed on to his son Josiah, who eventually manufactured felspar porcelain. Both types of porcelain the company made were known for their aesthetics and high-quality composition. The company's Blue Italian plate pattern still sells well today, whether new or vintage. However, it's the Chinese-inspired blue willow pattern that's historically been the company's best seller.

While you can certainly find some inexpensive vintage Spode plates, there are some that are fairly valuable as well. In 2012, Christie's auctioned off a set of 18 rhododendron-themed Spode plates for $6,875. Some single plates are also valuable, like a 2,500th anniversary commemorative plate for the Persian empire being offered for $1,400.

The king of Denmark first commissioned Royal Copenhagen's Flora Danica dishware in 1790. They started as a gift for Russia's Catherine the Great and all have a botanical theme. Images come from a set of Danish botanical books called "Flora Danica." Pieces from the original series are on public display in various Danish castles.

Flora Danica has remained in production since the 1700s, with artists still illustrating, making border carvings, and adding the final golden accents by hand. Plates aren't worth as much as some other Flora Danica pieces. However, ones with more complex artistry are more valuable. There are a few non-floral designs in the line, but the Dutch flower ones remain the most popular.

A set of 12 Flora Danica reticulated dinner plates sold at Sotheby's for $35,280 ($2,940 each). You may also encounter singular plates that cost more. For example, one highly ornate reticulated plate we found with a pretty purple flower sells for $8,150 alone.

Minton started as a partnership between Joseph Poulson and Thomas Minton, during an era when the English were moving from making pottery to fine porcelain. The change happened because political issues along trade routes made it difficult if not impossible to get porcelain from China. However, the year Minton got its start, 1796, was also the same year Spode's method of making bone china was no longer under patent protection, allowing others who didn't have access to minerals like kaolin to make fine white porcelain. Poulson had already been experimenting with making bone china and was ready to start making it when the patent expired. Collectors like Minton for its design and technique variety, high quality, and the history of some pieces. Royal Doulton bought Minton in 1968, but after Royal Doulton changed hands a few times, it stopped being produced in the early 2000s.

A curated collection of 12 gold-rimmed reticulated plates with cameo-style design in the middle of each one sold at Christie's in 2017 for $43,750. While they all had a similar style, they had marks from different retailers and artists, with origins ranging between 1874 and 1905.

The value of special edition, commemorative, and collector plates are not to be ignored. Their limited run often makes them more valuable. There are all sorts of commemorative plates out there, such as states plates, ones marking historical events, holiday plates, and celebrity plates. Plus, many of the companies, including ones on our list like Limoges and Royal Doulton, started putting out collector and annual plates. Original boxes and certificates of authenticity often raise the value of items, while sometimes all that matters is the plate itself.

One of the most valuable commemorative plate sets that we've seen on the Christie's auction site is a set of four plates from 1829, which commemorate the White Rose Festival. These plates feature German horse riders in Gothic medieval festival costumes and were sold in 2008 for $49,000. An example of others we've seen include a signed 25th anniversary commemorative Star Trek plate selling for $15,000.

Tiffany and Co. opened in 1837 in New York City, selling both stationary and luxury items. It became the place to go to find sophisticated items like jewelry and silverware in American rather than European styles. It's the type of place that U.S. presidents and celebrities go to buy their china and other luxury items. Tiffany's has employed a variety of artisans and often seeks inspiration for its pieces from nature.

Although it sells porcelain dinnerware, some of its most valuable plates and plate sets have been made from silver and gold. Christie's sold a single 18-karat gold serving plate from Tiffany and Co. in 2021 for $25,000. In 2025, Sotheby's had a set of 12 silver-gilt plates from 1915 that ultimately sold for $72,000 ($6,000 each).

In 1815, John Doulton bought a pottery shop in London, England. While it started humbly, making items like jars and ceramic pipes, it eventually found itself making water filters for Queen Victoria in 1861. The next year, the shop further impressed the Queen and London after it began hiring Lambeth School of Art artists for its pottery pieces. The company created a cheaper version of bone china called New English Translucent China in 1960 and has won various awards over the years. It's also the company that bought Minton. You might even find Royal Doulton plates on Emirates business-class flights.

A set of modern Royal Doulton plates may only cost around $100 at the most. However, older sets can go for far more. Christie's sold a set of 12 in 2005 for $7,800. This set was from either the late 1800s or early 1900s, and featured an apple-green and golden border decorated with birds.

William Moorcock was already an award-winning British ceramics and pottery maker before he opened up his own business in 1912. It wasn't long before he was sending his pieces to high-end retailers like Tiffany and Co. and Harrods. Collectors pay more for excellent-condition older Moorcroft pottery plates, rarer ones, and ones with specific patterns or glaze types. While Moorcock retired in the 1980s, the brand continued into the present day, still focusing mainly on nature and floral motifs with hand-drawn tubelined outlines.

Some of the most popular patterns are pomegranate, anemone, Claremont, hibiscus, Queens Choice, Florian ware, and Eventide. Christie's sold a set of six Moorcroft pomegranate plates for around $1,450 in 2004, with a single Moorcroft honeycomb plate going for about $610 in 2005. There are some Moorcroft plates on current auction and vintage sites hoping to sell for tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars.

The first time the world saw Piero Fornasetti's whimsical hand-painted plates was for an exhibition in Milan, Italy, in 1947. His Themes and Variations series, as he called them, featured the black and white image of a woman's face he'd found on a wood engraving. Her face on each of the 30 plates were the same, but with a different expression or theme. Those 30 plates multiplied to countless more over the years. Perhaps in one, her face would be the sun. In another, she'd have a fly on her nose or have her tongue out. These are fun pieces for displaying if you have open shelving. He also drew other designs and painted various other home decor pieces that have sometimes sold for tens of thousands of dollars at auction.

Even contemporary Piero Fornasetti plates can be pricey, with a set of 12 hand-decorated plates potentially setting you back as much as $5,750. Sotheby's sold a set of 12 Stoviglie plates from 1955 for $8,820. These had black and green swirls in the background with images of dishes in the foreground. While they're not as expensive as some plates on our list, it still comes to $700 a plate.

Norman Rockwell plates depicting everyday images of life in the U.S. first appeared in 1974. They were especially popular on the Bradford Exchange, which was created in 1973 to help connect collectors with plates. There are plenty of Norman Rockwell plates that aren't worth a whole lot, with many selling for just $1 to $4 because everyone was collecting them at one point, hoping they'd become valuable. However, there are some rarer ones that can fetch higher prices, especially if they are in perfect condition. There are still others that go for somewhere between $80 and $100 per plate.

We found a 12-piece set of rare Rediscovered Women fashion-themed plates that sold for $850 for the set. We've also seen multiple people actively watching popular ones like The Music Maker plate selling for $575.76. Meanwhile, the same auction site is selling one with the original box and certificate of authenticity for $9. So, it's all about what people are willing to pay, which is true for any plate really.