Mary Pickford & Lucille Ball ' S Antique Bone China Plate Desilu Studios Prop
Item History & Price
Be sure to check out all of our listings this month for antiques, collectibles, movie and TV show props and more wonderful collectible items. We have been liquidating estates and helping collectors build their distinctive collections in Los Angeles and around the world for more than 40 years and love what we do. Each and every item we list, has been professionally appraised and researched along with the historical information provided by our clients-the current owners. Some of ou...r items will come to you with our Free bonus 4" by 5" COP/COA (Certificate of Provenance/Authenticity) along with photos of the items, the stars who owned them and the professional appraisal as shown in our photographs in this listing which will accompany this collectible item without the watermark shown in our pics here. It will include the name of the winner and the final price realized. Bidding on or using buy it now proves to us, ebay and paypal that you have read and fully understand the terms of this sale. This item can have a larger COP/COA at an additional charge, ask us at the end of the auction if interested. NOTE: The photographs in this auction, the text and/or the Certificate of Authenticity are Copyrighted and NOT To Be Used on any other websites for sale, appraisals etc, without our written permission. Please ask us for our written permission prior to using our copyrighted information - using them without our permission is punishable by law.
Thanks for browsing our items, we appreciate our numerous repeat clients from around the world. If you have any questions, or are looking for specific items please feel free to contact us at our Los Angeles offices through Ebay email.********************************************************************************************************************************************************** This beautiful antique Bone China plate with its 22carat Gold decorations and delicately scalloped edges, raised decorations and center image of a beautiful woman wearing a plumbed hat from the 17th century looks as though it were hand painted over the beautiful porcelain base beneath. This plate was originally owned by Hollywood Royalty in the mansion known as “Pickfair” in Beverly Hills, California, the home of Mary Pickford and her 2nd husband Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as well as her 3rd husband Buddy Rogers and their children. Mary had a life long passion for collecting fine bone china, and this was one of several pieces from her collection that was sold after her death in 1979, however, years before it was given to the star by another legend, Lucille Ball. The plate measures 10-1/2” across and as you can see in our photos here, the piece is in wonderful condition for its age with only one small chip on the edge which is barely noticeable from the front of the plate, but more obvious on the back (see photos with point) there are also some surface scratches overall on the front from age and use and this piece surprisingly survived the great 1971 Earthquake. (back then Mary lost many pieces from her Fine Bone China collection as we all did back then) but this beautiful plate survived without much damage and Mary treasured it because it was gifted to her by one of her all time favorite female stars Lucille Ball. The plate was originally used as a prop in numerous films and early television shows at Desilu Studios, in Hollywood, California when it was owned and operated by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz. As you can see in our photos here, it still retains its "Desilu" prop stamp on the back near the manufacturers mark with reads Crescent “K” China with four numbers underneath the wreath. The plate is in wonderful original condition save slight surface scratches, crazing, from age and use and a slight chip in the surface under the decal, shown in our photos here. Along the edge is another slight chip, barely visible from the front view, but more visible on the back also shown in our photos here. We were told by our client who was told by the Pickfair estate that this Marie Antoinette Plate as Mary Pickford referred to it, was one of the only antique plates she owned that survived the mighty 1971 earthquake. While looking in the center of this plate/platter which has a depth of several inches, the decal makes the art look “hand-painted” and has its original artists signature. Framing the woman in the beautifully intricate plumed hat is a ring of 22-carat gold with dotted flowers and outside of that are another gold decal design. The outer edge is finely sculpted with more raised details and more gold. Most of the original 22-carat gold has rubbed off the outer ring of the plate from age and use, however this doesn't detract from the beauty of this piece that Mary Pickford insister was one of her favorite pieces. Mary Pickford and her husbands were known throughout the world for the lavish parties held at Pickfair through the ages and the décor of their mansion was befitting to European royalty of the period. Anyone who was anyone back in the old days, wished to be invited to Pickfair for the parties. During her marriage to band leader Buddy Rogers, Lucy and Desi Arnaz attended a birthday party for Mary and gifted her with this plate, as told to the author of the new book this piece has been photographed to appear in shown on our COP card and in photos here (Copies of this book will be available for sale here on Ebay and the authors other selling sites when it is released and published in 2020). Despite some slight flaws, this plate is a gorgeous reminder of the fine details on Bone China dinnerware back in the early part of the 20th century and a piece of Hollywood history, too. “Mary was delighted when she opened our gift and told us where she was going to hang it near other favorite plates. Desi and I were happy we'd chosen the right gift to give her for her gorgeous home.” - - Lucille Ball. (one of several quotes that will appear in the book where this plate and other props will be shown). After Mary’s death in 1979 at the age of 87, many of her personal effects and contents of her mansion were sold at an estate sale/auction. This piece and many others were sold to another star of film, stage and television Roddy Mc Dowall who was an avid photographer and a close friend to Mary Pickford and her family, and he enjoyed owning many of her antique treasures for his own collection. Several years before his own death, Roddy donated this piece and many others from Pickfair and other stars he knew throughout his career to his close friend Elizabeth Taylor who auctioned them off at her AMFAR charity events to raise much needed funds for the research of AIDS. This piece sold to the highest bidder, our client and has remained in her personal collection of Movie Star owned collectibles until consigning her entire estate with our firm for resale. This plate has been photographed to appear in the new book: “Collectibles of the Stars” by Hollywood Historian, Antique Dealer, Prop Collector Michael J. Kouri, currently the published author of more than 70 books on a variety of topics. This piece has been professionally appraised and our appraiser attributes its country of manufacture to the United States, its vintage to the 1880’s-1900’s and current value $275.00 in its current condition, complete with this COP. Shipping for this large delicate plate will be $24.95 to bidders in the continental United States. We will gladly ship anywhere in the world. This Los Angeles Antique Dealer/Estate Sale Proprietor has been in business for over 40 years, helping collectors find rare and unusual collectibles for their special collections, while also helping others liquidate theirs. We sell to prop houses, museums, and private collectors alike and our strict confidentiality clause protects collectors who wish to remain anonymous. We attend celebrity auctions often and have come across some very valuable and rare collectibles owned and worn by movie and TV stars in their films, TV shows, and private lives, too. We often consign items from the very stars themselves and are one of the few sellers here on eBay to offer Certificates of Provenance/Authenticity with the history provided by our clients, and appraisal staff, along with photos of the stars (when available).We have numerous repeat clients from around the world and sell to museums big and small, private collectors, movie studios and prop houses and have earned a great reputation throughout our career on a variety of websites, and or in books about Hollywood and the Entertainment Industry. Many generations of clients re-consign these collectibles with us, so it is not uncommon to see similar items come back to auction a few years or even decades later through our firm. Our stellar positive feedback here on eBay proves this. Thanks for browsing our items, if you are looking for something, or have any questions, feel free to contact us through eBay email. The COP you will receive will not have our watermark as shown here, it will include the name of the winner, and the price realized at the end of the auction (which becomes the current value paid from this sale). We do our best to describe as accurately as we can in text and photographs the condition of each piece we offer...and every piece is sold to you in "as found condition." By bidding on or ending our items with Buy It Now, proves to us, Ebay and Paypal, that you have read and fully understand the terms of this sale. You are not buying this item from Ebay, you are purchasing it from us and have entered this legal binding contractual agreement with us and know our policies regarding shipping, fees, returns, etc. Continue reading our rules below.Payment is expected within 3 days of auction end through Paypal. Since 99% of the items we offer here on Ebay are on consignment, everything we offer is sold in "as found condition", and we strive hard to describe in text and photos each and every item and its condition including flaws, chips, cracks, etc. Should there be a problem with your purchase, or shipping, Please don't hesitate to inquire with us through Ebay email before contacting Ebay's customer service, or leaving us feedback, we want to help our clients have the smoothest transaction possible. Thanks!****NOTE**** With the recent increase of this website now charging us an extra 10% of the shipping fees, we must add a reasonable handling fee to each and every item we offer in the price of shipping, therefore a shipping fee will be charged on each and every item we sell as well to cover this extra cost charged to us. We can ship multiple items together, however, a shipping fee must be charged on each item in the box as this website charges us a fee on each and every item we sell to you. We try to keep our prices as reasonable as we can, and as you can see they're often heavily discounted from the professional appraisal value shown on the COPs, (when applicable) but with the rise in costs from Ebay, Paypal and the USPS, these extra fees must be passed on to our clients.We charge accurate shipping, a modest handling fee (To help cover the fees this auction company and Paypal charge us) tracking Required by Ebay, Paypal and Us to protect all of our interests. We will gladly ship anywhere in the world. Our shipping fees also cover packing materials, tape, labels, gas to and from the post office, etc.
We want to make sure the item seen here is the item you receive, which is why we have strict rules about shipping with tracking services always required. If shipped through Priority Mail minimal insurance is included. If you have any problems with shipping, Please contact Us immediately so we can help trace the package. Thanks.We only ship through the USPS on Wednesday rain or shine unless we're traveling. If you win your item on or after a Wednesday, your items will be shipped the following week. Some larger or more delicate items may need to be double boxed for extra protection, however, we'll always describe this in our item text for you up front. Again, Since 99% of the items we offer are on consignment they are sold in "as found" condition and will be a final sale, so please ask questions prior to bidding on or ending our items early. Should we agree to offer a refund, only the original items ending price will be refunded minus a 45% re-stocking fee. Despite Ebay's return policy, we will NOT pay for a return shipping label for this or anything we sell on this site. You, the buyer are responsible for All return shipping, insurance and tracking fees. You are Not buying this item from Ebay, you are buying it from us, and bidding on or ending our auctions early proves to us, ebay and Paypal that you have fully read and understood all of our rules related to returns before placing your bid. If the item is shipped back without insurance and it comes back to us damaged, there will be No Refund. Buyer IS responsible for All Return Shipping with Insurance and Tracking. Payment is expected within 3 days of auctions end, an alert will be opened against your account if we do not hear from you by that time. Sorry, but we are a business and have fees that need to be paid on time as this website and Paypal charge their fees instantly and we need to be able to pay them to continue operating for you. Please contact us immediately if there is a problem with the shipping of your order so we can track it and help you. We bend over backward for our good clients and want your repeat business. We do our very best to describe in text and photos each and every item in great detail. Since 99% of the items we list are consigned, each and every item we list are sold in as found condition - Sorry but we don't sell wholesale. Thanks for looking at our items Happy Bidding!**************************************************************************************
Thanks for browsing our items, we appreciate our numerous repeat clients from around the world. If you have any questions, or are looking for specific items please feel free to contact us at our Los Angeles offices through Ebay email.********************************************************************************************************************************************************** This beautiful antique Bone China plate with its 22carat Gold decorations and delicately scalloped edges, raised decorations and center image of a beautiful woman wearing a plumbed hat from the 17th century looks as though it were hand painted over the beautiful porcelain base beneath. This plate was originally owned by Hollywood Royalty in the mansion known as “Pickfair” in Beverly Hills, California, the home of Mary Pickford and her 2nd husband Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as well as her 3rd husband Buddy Rogers and their children. Mary had a life long passion for collecting fine bone china, and this was one of several pieces from her collection that was sold after her death in 1979, however, years before it was given to the star by another legend, Lucille Ball. The plate measures 10-1/2” across and as you can see in our photos here, the piece is in wonderful condition for its age with only one small chip on the edge which is barely noticeable from the front of the plate, but more obvious on the back (see photos with point) there are also some surface scratches overall on the front from age and use and this piece surprisingly survived the great 1971 Earthquake. (back then Mary lost many pieces from her Fine Bone China collection as we all did back then) but this beautiful plate survived without much damage and Mary treasured it because it was gifted to her by one of her all time favorite female stars Lucille Ball. The plate was originally used as a prop in numerous films and early television shows at Desilu Studios, in Hollywood, California when it was owned and operated by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz. As you can see in our photos here, it still retains its "Desilu" prop stamp on the back near the manufacturers mark with reads Crescent “K” China with four numbers underneath the wreath. The plate is in wonderful original condition save slight surface scratches, crazing, from age and use and a slight chip in the surface under the decal, shown in our photos here. Along the edge is another slight chip, barely visible from the front view, but more visible on the back also shown in our photos here. We were told by our client who was told by the Pickfair estate that this Marie Antoinette Plate as Mary Pickford referred to it, was one of the only antique plates she owned that survived the mighty 1971 earthquake. While looking in the center of this plate/platter which has a depth of several inches, the decal makes the art look “hand-painted” and has its original artists signature. Framing the woman in the beautifully intricate plumed hat is a ring of 22-carat gold with dotted flowers and outside of that are another gold decal design. The outer edge is finely sculpted with more raised details and more gold. Most of the original 22-carat gold has rubbed off the outer ring of the plate from age and use, however this doesn't detract from the beauty of this piece that Mary Pickford insister was one of her favorite pieces. Mary Pickford and her husbands were known throughout the world for the lavish parties held at Pickfair through the ages and the décor of their mansion was befitting to European royalty of the period. Anyone who was anyone back in the old days, wished to be invited to Pickfair for the parties. During her marriage to band leader Buddy Rogers, Lucy and Desi Arnaz attended a birthday party for Mary and gifted her with this plate, as told to the author of the new book this piece has been photographed to appear in shown on our COP card and in photos here (Copies of this book will be available for sale here on Ebay and the authors other selling sites when it is released and published in 2020). Despite some slight flaws, this plate is a gorgeous reminder of the fine details on Bone China dinnerware back in the early part of the 20th century and a piece of Hollywood history, too. “Mary was delighted when she opened our gift and told us where she was going to hang it near other favorite plates. Desi and I were happy we'd chosen the right gift to give her for her gorgeous home.” - - Lucille Ball. (one of several quotes that will appear in the book where this plate and other props will be shown). After Mary’s death in 1979 at the age of 87, many of her personal effects and contents of her mansion were sold at an estate sale/auction. This piece and many others were sold to another star of film, stage and television Roddy Mc Dowall who was an avid photographer and a close friend to Mary Pickford and her family, and he enjoyed owning many of her antique treasures for his own collection. Several years before his own death, Roddy donated this piece and many others from Pickfair and other stars he knew throughout his career to his close friend Elizabeth Taylor who auctioned them off at her AMFAR charity events to raise much needed funds for the research of AIDS. This piece sold to the highest bidder, our client and has remained in her personal collection of Movie Star owned collectibles until consigning her entire estate with our firm for resale. This plate has been photographed to appear in the new book: “Collectibles of the Stars” by Hollywood Historian, Antique Dealer, Prop Collector Michael J. Kouri, currently the published author of more than 70 books on a variety of topics. This piece has been professionally appraised and our appraiser attributes its country of manufacture to the United States, its vintage to the 1880’s-1900’s and current value $275.00 in its current condition, complete with this COP. Shipping for this large delicate plate will be $24.95 to bidders in the continental United States. We will gladly ship anywhere in the world. This Los Angeles Antique Dealer/Estate Sale Proprietor has been in business for over 40 years, helping collectors find rare and unusual collectibles for their special collections, while also helping others liquidate theirs. We sell to prop houses, museums, and private collectors alike and our strict confidentiality clause protects collectors who wish to remain anonymous. We attend celebrity auctions often and have come across some very valuable and rare collectibles owned and worn by movie and TV stars in their films, TV shows, and private lives, too. We often consign items from the very stars themselves and are one of the few sellers here on eBay to offer Certificates of Provenance/Authenticity with the history provided by our clients, and appraisal staff, along with photos of the stars (when available).We have numerous repeat clients from around the world and sell to museums big and small, private collectors, movie studios and prop houses and have earned a great reputation throughout our career on a variety of websites, and or in books about Hollywood and the Entertainment Industry. Many generations of clients re-consign these collectibles with us, so it is not uncommon to see similar items come back to auction a few years or even decades later through our firm. Our stellar positive feedback here on eBay proves this. Thanks for browsing our items, if you are looking for something, or have any questions, feel free to contact us through eBay email. The COP you will receive will not have our watermark as shown here, it will include the name of the winner, and the price realized at the end of the auction (which becomes the current value paid from this sale). We do our best to describe as accurately as we can in text and photographs the condition of each piece we offer...and every piece is sold to you in "as found condition." By bidding on or ending our items with Buy It Now, proves to us, Ebay and Paypal, that you have read and fully understand the terms of this sale. You are not buying this item from Ebay, you are purchasing it from us and have entered this legal binding contractual agreement with us and know our policies regarding shipping, fees, returns, etc. Continue reading our rules below.Payment is expected within 3 days of auction end through Paypal. Since 99% of the items we offer here on Ebay are on consignment, everything we offer is sold in "as found condition", and we strive hard to describe in text and photos each and every item and its condition including flaws, chips, cracks, etc. Should there be a problem with your purchase, or shipping, Please don't hesitate to inquire with us through Ebay email before contacting Ebay's customer service, or leaving us feedback, we want to help our clients have the smoothest transaction possible. Thanks!****NOTE**** With the recent increase of this website now charging us an extra 10% of the shipping fees, we must add a reasonable handling fee to each and every item we offer in the price of shipping, therefore a shipping fee will be charged on each and every item we sell as well to cover this extra cost charged to us. We can ship multiple items together, however, a shipping fee must be charged on each item in the box as this website charges us a fee on each and every item we sell to you. We try to keep our prices as reasonable as we can, and as you can see they're often heavily discounted from the professional appraisal value shown on the COPs, (when applicable) but with the rise in costs from Ebay, Paypal and the USPS, these extra fees must be passed on to our clients.We charge accurate shipping, a modest handling fee (To help cover the fees this auction company and Paypal charge us) tracking Required by Ebay, Paypal and Us to protect all of our interests. We will gladly ship anywhere in the world. Our shipping fees also cover packing materials, tape, labels, gas to and from the post office, etc.
We want to make sure the item seen here is the item you receive, which is why we have strict rules about shipping with tracking services always required. If shipped through Priority Mail minimal insurance is included. If you have any problems with shipping, Please contact Us immediately so we can help trace the package. Thanks.We only ship through the USPS on Wednesday rain or shine unless we're traveling. If you win your item on or after a Wednesday, your items will be shipped the following week. Some larger or more delicate items may need to be double boxed for extra protection, however, we'll always describe this in our item text for you up front. Again, Since 99% of the items we offer are on consignment they are sold in "as found" condition and will be a final sale, so please ask questions prior to bidding on or ending our items early. Should we agree to offer a refund, only the original items ending price will be refunded minus a 45% re-stocking fee. Despite Ebay's return policy, we will NOT pay for a return shipping label for this or anything we sell on this site. You, the buyer are responsible for All return shipping, insurance and tracking fees. You are Not buying this item from Ebay, you are buying it from us, and bidding on or ending our auctions early proves to us, ebay and Paypal that you have fully read and understood all of our rules related to returns before placing your bid. If the item is shipped back without insurance and it comes back to us damaged, there will be No Refund. Buyer IS responsible for All Return Shipping with Insurance and Tracking. Payment is expected within 3 days of auctions end, an alert will be opened against your account if we do not hear from you by that time. Sorry, but we are a business and have fees that need to be paid on time as this website and Paypal charge their fees instantly and we need to be able to pay them to continue operating for you. Please contact us immediately if there is a problem with the shipping of your order so we can track it and help you. We bend over backward for our good clients and want your repeat business. We do our very best to describe in text and photos each and every item in great detail. Since 99% of the items we list are consigned, each and every item we list are sold in as found condition - Sorry but we don't sell wholesale. Thanks for looking at our items Happy Bidding!**************************************************************************************
