? about vintage china

[sabrinat]

I need some new dishes...4 kids, hardwood floors, you get the picture. I love thrifting and frequently see vintage china...so I'm wondering about the safety of real china. I'm thinking this might be a cost effective way to replace our dishes.

[SleeplessMommy]

Some contains lead in the glazes. (Vintage fiesta ware and many others)

I like Pfalsgraff Yorktowne, a sturdy made-in-USA pattern that is pretty certain to be lead free. (now discontinued, I believe, with their move to China.) We find it lots here ... in York where it was made.

[doubledutch]

hmm . . . we eat off vintage china i picked up at the goodwill - noritake savoy white, discontinued in the 70s. it is all white, so i assumed it was safe. now i'm not so sure.

[sabrinat]

I found an set at GW that I researched on Replacements.com and it was from the 60's and made in Japan. It's gorgeous and only missing a few pieces. I could have never afforded it...the price on Replacements was outrageous. Anyways I'm going to use it.

ETA: I just did a quick search the info I found said that most vintage china that was made before lead was recognized as dangerous probably contain some level of lead, but that white china is probably the safest.
The stuff I found is white with a small scale design so...

[Catherine12]

It's not just vintage china that contains lead. Check out these links:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...8c53b4990816b2
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/...oisonous-.html

So even buying new dishes has some risk. Imported dishes, especially no-name brands, are the biggest risks.

But many older dishes, even those made in the US, have lead glazes. I would not, personally, buy used dishware for my kids to use unless I was able to find out definitively if it contained lead - either by testing (some tests are not very reliable, though) or finding information about the specific pattern (sometimes possible, sometimes not). If you do want to buy older china, white china is generally less risky than colorful china; china with decorative glazing applied on top (i.e., you can feel the decoration with your fingertips) is also more risky. There are some more tips here: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/...?contentid=955

I've found this link to be helpful (if you are buying new china) - it is a list of the manufacturers and patterns of dishware made in China that meets the Californian requirements for lead (the strictest in the US).

http://www.environmentaldefense.org/...LeadChina4.htm

Also, Pfaltzgraff does still make Yorktowne, it's just made in China now... it's on the above-mentioned list, so if you have to buy new, China-made china it's a good choice.

Another option is to buy unpainted glass dishes (new or used) which should all be lead-free.