In some "circles" Royal Albert was the ONLY bone china to have if you wanted to be part of a 'society' ladies group.
This is an example of "contemporary' Royal Albert, just 40+ years old but it still has that "Albert" elegance!
This is a sandwich serving tray and what is immediately noticeable is the weight of 600g, this is not your delicate, translucent fine bone china but instead a much heavier porcelain (remains translucent though).
DLAT RATING: 9.5/10 (Darling! Look At This!)
ROYAL ALBERT - Sandwich Serving Tray ONLY
Circa 1980's
Shape: Rectangular with broad scalloped edges
Porcelain China
Bright White base
Translucent, meaning that if held to the light you can see the shadow of your fingers through the heavy china
Transferware with hand applied Gold gilding to each end carry handle
Actually the tray has 4 handles, one on each side also but these are far less substantial than the end handles (more difficult to hold the tray using the side handles due to the weight)
Design: HAWORTH
Subdued pale primoses with foliage. Heavily applied Gold gilding to each end carry handle
SERVING TRAY DIMENSIONS:
298mm length x 177mm width
Sandwiches are placed within a depressed area of the tray (so they do not fall to the floor!) and this measures 230mm x 130mm, plenty of space for a nice selection of sandwiches
WEIGHT: 600g
BACKSTAMP DETAILS:
Standard Royal Albert backstamp from the 1980's with the pattern name HAWORTH in Magenta (HAWORTH could be purchased as a complete dinner set originally)
Gilder's mark is clearly visible to the left of the backstamp
CONDITION:
This was one of our "show ponies" for the occasional afternoon tea or light lunch when special visitors dropped by
It has been sitting in one of the china cabinets quite a few years, it is time for someone else to make use of it now ...
NO cracks
NO chips
NO signs of glazing breakdown (Dry observation and Wet tested)
NO discolouration to the base or artwork
Gold gilding is heavy and NOT showing any signs of handling wear
Nothing is perfect in this life and I can see just a couple of EXTREMELY LIGHT knife scratch marks in the area where sandwiches were placed.
