where can I find the value of...

[helsi]

a full dinner service given to me by an uncle when my great auntie died? It is a Royal Doulton full service of about 50+ peices. Its called "Sonnet" and is quite old so they don't make them anymore. It has hardly been used and some peices not used at all ever. They had it about 40 years I think (or so he told me). It was nice of him to give me it but I won't use it and due to its size it takes up a full cupboard. I really want to sell it but want to make sure I get what it is worth.

try and have a look for similar pieces on ebay

please dont sell it. something like that is a family heirloom. i wish i had an uncle who gave me something like this. your aunt obviously cherished it, which is why she kept it for so long, in such good conditon. andyour uncle gave it to you, rather than selling it. he must have thought that you would be able to appreciate its value, both financial, and familial.

Have a look on Google - Look for royal doulton sonnet. There's a few examples of people selling it eg:
parcels-of-time.com/rd-sonnet.html
It looks as though it's not particularly valuable unfortunately.

P.S. I would definitely sell it if you don't want it - otherwise it's just a burden gathering dust in a cupboard. A lot of our generation doesn't value 'stuff' the way older generations did. You could always buy something special from the proceeds i.e. a book or bit of jewellry which would be nice to remember him by.

Don't get me wrong I do cherish it but I feel awful for not using it - it really is an old fashioned style and I am also worried about breaking it if I were to use it. I have looked on e-bay and some individual peices on there (plates mostly) are selling currently for between £5 and £10 per plate. I have:

1 coffe pot
1 tea pot
6 coffe cups & saucers
6 tea cups and saucers
1 sugar bowl with lid
1 cream jug
6 side plates
6 fish plates
6 large dinner plates
1 cake/sandwich plate
2 turines (veg bowls?) with lids
6 soup bowls
6 desert bowls

try putting the words 'china matcher' in google

have e-mailed someone on a chins matcher site so will see what comes of that.