Luncheon Plates, RC Royal China, Heritage, Set of 4, Vintage, SOLD

• Pattern:  Heritage (Discontinued)
• Made in Sebring, Ohio, USA 
• Vintage: 1940's
• Details:  This is a very beautiful luncheon plate, the pictures do not fully represent the beauty of this piece.  The pattern is very rare and very old, made by Royal China Company of Sebring, Ohio.  It consists of a floral center with large purple, pink and smaller white flowers and green leaves.  The plate is not smooth, it has a pleated inside ring and a gorgeous gold filigree border. The backstamp reads: "RC Union Made Sebring, Ohio, U.S.A., 22kt Gold, Heritage".  This plate is not bright white, it has a subtle cream tone to it.  With purple being such a popular color these days, these plates will be right at home with today's table settings.  
• Materials:  Ceramic
• Dimension:  Almost 9.5 inches in Diameter 
• Condition:  Vintage - Used.  Excellent Vintage Condition considering its age.  There are no cracks, chips, or visible scratches on these plates.  Even the gold looks in very good condition.  Shows signs of normal wear and some crazing. Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are VINTAGE and ANTIQUE items, they are NOT new, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear and tear and imperfections.    

The Royal China Company started in 1934 in Sebring, Ohio.  It was founded by Beatrice L. Miller, William H. Habenstreit and John Bert Briggs.  They started with very little money, with workers agreeing to work without pay until business started to grow.  At first, they made mostly inexpensive dishware and sold them at dime stores or gave them away as premiums in grocery stores and gas stations. Their wares gained popularity quickly, in their first year of operation, Royal China produced 7,800,000 pieces of pottery . Their most popular pattern during this time was “Blue Willow”.  In 1943, the plant was converted to produce china and porcelain.  In the 1940's Royal China was the world's largest manufacturer in Willow Ware.  In 1949-1950, they introduced a new line called “Currier & Ives” which became even more popular than Blue Willow.  The company grew and started purchasing other pottery companies.  By 1965, Royal was the largest in the U.S.,and had $6,000,000 in sales. Mr. Miller retired in 1969 and sold the plant to the Jeannette Glass Co., of Pennsylvania.  In the 1970's after having to rebuild due to a fire, they became the largest dinnerware plant in Sebring, and the third largest in the United States. Jeannette Glass/Royal was purchased by Coca Cola Bottling Co, and then was sold to an investors group, The J Corporation, by 1986 all operations had ended. An interesting fact about this company, when Miss Miller went to the bank with the proposal to purchase the building, she was turned away because in those days a woman in manufacturing was practically unheard of, so Mr. Habenstreit has to go back to the same bank, he was approved for the loan.