Update -- the Aynsley Plates

Lee Caswell: We’ve got some very expensive real estate here today, what can you tell me about these?

Guest: Well my great grandmother she came across from Ireland they settled in the Peterborough area and somewhere along the line they picked up these plates and that’s the history, that’s all I know of them.

Lee Caswell: Well they’re really fascinating plates with fascinating history. They’re made by a company called Aynsley probably painted by an artist in England based on photographs and/or sketches done here in the wilds in Canada. This is really interesting because it’s Muskoka which is probably some of Canada’s most expensive real estate, Muskoka and various points around the lakes, all pre-development which is kind of neat, they’re all rustic views with flora, fauna and here we have a wee bit of mankind with a bridge, a boat but mainly rocks and trees which is really really neat. Aynsley was famous for their gilt work, this acid gilt band, they still do that on china today. They’re from 1879, they’re just, they’re just a magnificent set and how many do you have in the set?

Guest: There’s 14 plates and 3 pie plates.

Lee Caswell: Really! These are called comports it’s a desert set really for serving cakes and so on. The value of a set like this is great Canadian interest, great cabinet in the Muskokas would be full of such wonderful china and value probably up around the 10,000 dollar mark for the 14 pieces, so thanks for bringing them in.

Guest: Very good, thank you.

As it turns out- the plates went to auction in Toronto and realized an astounding $48,000! See below:

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