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I have been a fan of crystal for a long time, particularly of the older American Brilliant era pieces. So beautiful, but sadly nowadays these older fancy cut pieces, like this relish dish, have a very small buyer base. They sell eventually, but I’m not buying pieces like this anymore unless they are outstanding.
But this year I’m finding luxury brand functional crystal is selling. And sometimes selling quickly. It’s taken me by surprise.
For example, two weeks ago I picked up six Waterford Lismore wine glasses for $34.50 and I’ve sold my first pair for $100. I picked up this Ralph Lauren old-fashioned glass a few days ago and it just sold for $78. (Paid $5.30 for two, but one was damaged.)
In January, I sold four huge Waterford “Voya” wine glasses. (Purchased in August 2025 for $23.16, sold for $450.)
And last week I bought four Val St. Lambert Belgian crystal bowls for $23 and they sold in a matter of days for $78 and are now heading to Atlanta.
I’m scratching my head over this trend because I didn’t see it coming! So nowadays when I walk into my neighborhood Goodwill store I’m heading straight for the clear glass/crystal first.
And yesterday, wonder of wonders, there were more of those Val St. Lambert bowls on the shelf! But most had tiny fleabites on the rims and in the end I decided against buying them. But then I spotted two bundles of plates and these were also Val St. Lambert! I did a quick rim check for chips and decided to get these. I don’t buy a lot of plates, but these are both versatile and a quality thing.
At 6.25″ diameter these are considered bread and butter plates, but they would work well for desserts and appetizers too. I have 12 and I’ll put them in lots of four, but I need to check to see if any have damage. A few have light knife marks that I’m hoping can be buffed out with cerium oxide paste. Alas they are not valuable and I will list each lot for $40. (I paid $17.55 total).
These recent crystal sales have spurred me to update a few of my older crystal listings such as these Irish crystal goblets by Tyrone in the Antrim pattern. The company, founded in 1971, went out of business in 2010, but has since reopened with a number of the original employees. These glasses are from the early days.
In beautiful condition, each glass weighs 1.3 lbs!! I have six of them and a few years back someone from Ireland wanted to know the shipping price for all six. Holy smokes. I quoted a price and that was the last I heard from her! A friend encouraged me to keep them because they are so pretty and I am tempted to keep a couple. (These sell individually for $99 on Replacements. com. I’ve listed each pair for $150.)
I don’t know if this luxury crystal buying trend will continue this year, but crystal is definitely staying on my buying radar. I’m looking for brands like Waterford, Villeroy & Boch, Tiffany, Lalique, Stueben, and Baccarat (a girl can dream!) that have their names acid-etched on the bottom. These brands have cachet and hold their value. They are items to enjoy now and pass along to future generations.
Wishing you happy hunting,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 