Christmas Dinnerware Value: Spode Christmas Tree, Lenox Holiday, and More

Spode Christmas Tree dinner plates usually sell for $10–$20 each and Lenox Holiday dinner plates for $15–$30, with serving pieces like teapots, platters, and covered dishes bringing $40–$120. Complete sets sell faster than singles, and pieces marked “Made in England” or in excellent gold trim condition sit at the top of each range. Christmas dinnerware is in demand from October through mid-December, which makes now the time to price it.

The Patterns Buyers Look For

Spode Christmas Tree

Introduced in 1938, Spode's Christmas Tree pattern shows a decorated tree with gifts and a green rim. It has been made continuously and is one of the best-known holiday patterns in the world. Older pieces are marked “Made in England”; check the backstamp, because later production may come from other countries, and many buyers pay more for the English-made pieces.

Lenox Holiday

Lenox Holiday features holly leaves and red berries on ivory porcelain with a gold rim. Variations include Holiday Dimension (with raised designs), Holiday Tartan, and Holiday Gatherings. Lenox pieces are marked on the bottom with the Lenox name and pattern.

Other popular patterns

• Johnson Brothers Victorian Christmas and Merry Christmas, from the English pottery known for transferware.
• Pfaltzgraff Winterberry and Christmas Heritage, sturdy stoneware that many families used every day in December.
• Royal Albert, Wedgwood, and Royal Doulton holiday patterns and collector plates.
• Nikko Christmastime, Gibson, and Mikasa holiday sets, generally priced lower.

2026 Resale Prices

Spode Christmas Tree

• Dinner plate: $10–$20
• Salad or dessert plate: $6–$12
• Mug or cup and saucer: $8–$15
• Teapot: $40–$90
• Large oval platter: $40–$100
• Covered vegetable or tureen: $50–$120
• Service for 8, four-piece settings: $150–$350

Lenox Holiday

• Dinner plate: $15–$30
• Five-piece place setting: $50–$100
• Serving bowl or platter: $30–$80
• Candy dish, bud vase, or small giftware: $10–$30
• Holiday Tartan or Dimension pieces: similar or slightly lower

Other patterns

• Johnson Brothers Victorian Christmas dinner plate: $8–$15
• Pfaltzgraff Winterberry dinner plate: $5–$12
• Pfaltzgraff Winterberry serving pieces: $15–$40
• Nikko, Gibson, or Mikasa holiday set (service for 4): $30–$80
• Christmas mugs (common, assorted): $2–$8

What to Check Before Pricing

• Backstamp. Note the maker, the pattern, and the country of origin. For Spode, the English-made pieces are generally preferred.
• Gold trim. Lenox Holiday trim wears off in the dishwasher and burns in the microwave. Worn gold pushes a plate to the bottom of the range.
• Chips and cracks. Run a finger around every rim and look at the foot of each piece. Hairline cracks show when you hold a plate up to the light.
• Utensil marks. Gray scratches from silverware lower value. A melamine eraser can lift some marks, but deep scratches stay.
• Crazing. Fine cracks in the glaze are common on older earthenware. Light crazing is acceptable; brown staining in the crazing is not.

Sets vs. Singles

Two kinds of buyers want Christmas dinnerware. Families buy sets to host the holidays and pay best for complete, matching services for 4, 8, or 12. Replacement buyers need one platter, two mugs, or a replacement plate for the one that broke last year. In a booth, sell sets as sets and put the extra pieces in a “complete your set” area. Online, singles and serving pieces do well because replacement buyers search by pattern name.

When and Where It Sells Best

Christmas dinnerware starts selling in October, as hosts plan their tables, and peaks in November. Set a table at your booth, with a tablecloth, a place setting, and a centerpiece. A styled table sells more than a stack of plates. Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are strong, but sets often move earlier, before Thanksgiving, because hosts want to be ready. Mark down around December 15. Unsold pieces store well for next October.

Common Mistakes

• Pricing from retail. Replacement services list high prices, but those are retail asking prices, not what resellers get.
• Not counting pieces. Write the count on the tag, such as “service for 8, 32 pieces.”
• Mixing patterns. Spode Christmas Tree has variations (gold trim, different rims). Keep matching pieces together.

Christmas Glassware and Serving Extras

Holiday glassware sells alongside dinnerware, and often to the same buyers:

• Culver 22k gold holly tumblers, set of 8: $40–$100
• Libbey and other holly or poinsettia tumblers, set: $15–$40
• Christmas punch bowl sets with cups: $25–$75
• Spode Christmas Tree accessories (cookie jars, candle holders, trays): $20–$60
• Lenox Holiday giftware (ornaments, candlesticks, bells): $10–$40
• Holiday serving trays and cake stands: $15–$45

Check gold-trimmed glasses for fading. Culver glasses with bright, complete gold sell best; dishwasher-faded sets bring much less. Mid-century holiday glassware with a strong graphic look also sells to buyers furnishing retro kitchens, not just holiday hosts.

Pricing a Full Set at an Estate Sale

Count every piece and inspect them in good light. List the count by type, such as “8 dinner plates, 8 salad plates, 8 mugs, 1 platter, 1 teapot.” Price the set as a whole, then mark the serving pieces individually in case a buyer wants only those. On the last day, offer the set at a discount; a family planning a holiday dinner is often your best buyer.

If you sell online, ship each piece wrapped individually in bubble wrap, with plates standing on edge rather than stacked flat, and double-box. Damage claims on dinnerware are common and costly, so pack generously. Many sellers find that sets sell best locally and individual pieces sell best online.

Spode and Lenox Outside the Holidays

Christmas dinnerware sells at its best from October to December, but replacement buyers shop all year. If you have spare pieces, list them online in the spring and summer. Prices are often a little lower, but the buyers who need a specific piece will pay when they find it.

A Note on Collector Plates

Annual Christmas collector plates from Bing & Grøndahl, Royal Copenhagen, Wedgwood, and others turn up with holiday dinnerware. Most sell for $5–$20 each, well below their original prices. Early years, such as the first Bing & Grøndahl plates from the 1890s, and birth-year plates people buy as gifts, are the exceptions. Price them separately from dinnerware.

One more tip: when a family is downsizing, holiday dishes are often packed in a separate box in the basement or attic, away from the everyday china. Ask about them. They are some of the easiest dishes to sell.

Want to know what that stack of holiday dishes brings in your market? Get a price from PocketPrice, calibrated to the way you sell. For more on dinnerware, see is my china worth anything and the kitchen and dining price guide.