Well, let me tell ya ’bout this here hand painted Nippon tea set. I ain’t no expert, mind you, but I know a thing or two ’bout what folks like.

First off, “Nippon,” that just means Japan, ya hear? Fancy folks call it antique, but to me, it’s just old stuff, some of it prettier than others. Now, these tea sets, they come in all shapes and sizes. Some got just a few cups and saucers, like maybe four cups and six saucers, plus that little sugar thingy and the creamer. I saw one with a candy dish too, but it was broke and fixed, not so good. And then there’s the big ones, like a chocolate set I heard about – six cups with handles, six saucers, and a big ol’ pot for the chocolate. That’s a lot of drinkin’ if you ask me!

The thing that makes these Nippon tea sets special is the hand paintin’. That means someone sat there and painted them little flowers and birds and whatnot all by hand. Can you imagine? Must’ve taken forever. Some of that paintin’ is real fancy, all gold and shiny. They call it “gilded,” makes it sound important, I guess. But it’s just gold paint, far as I can tell.

• You got your cups, little and big.
• You got your saucers, to put the cups on so you don’t spill on your good tablecloth.
• You got your teapot, for the tea, of course.
• Sometimes you get a sugar bowl and a creamer, for them folks who like their tea sweet and milky.

Now, some of these sets, they ain’t worth much. Just a few dollars, maybe. But others, oh my, they can be worth a pretty penny. I heard tell of some that go for hundreds, even thousands of dollars! Can you believe that? All for some old cups and saucers! It all depends on how old they are, what kind of paintin’s on ’em, and if they’re all chipped up or not. You gotta look close, turn ’em over, and see if there’s a mark on the bottom. That mark tells you who made it and when, sorta like a brand name, but for old stuff.

They say these “Nippon” markins’ started way back when, over a hundred years ago. Some law or somethin’, made ’em put “Nippon” on everything so folks would know it came from Japan. Before that, who knows where it came from? But after that, you could tell right away, “Yep, that’s from Japan.”

If you’re lookin’ to buy one of these hand painted Nippon tea sets, you gotta be careful. Lots of folks tryin’ to sell ’em, but not all of ’em are honest. You can find ’em at them flea markets, antique stores, and even online, on that “eBay” thing the youngsters talk about. They say you can get good deals there, but I ain’t so sure. Seems like a lot of trouble to me. I’d rather see it with my own eyes before I hand over my hard-earned cash.

I saw one set, must’ve been thirty-one pieces! Teapots, cups, saucers, the whole shebang. Made by the Morimura Brothers, they called ’em, or maybe Old Noritake. Sounded fancy. And they had these Satsuma ones, too. Heard they’re some of the most valuable. But who knows, everyone’s tryin’ to make a dollar these days.

So, if you like old things, and you like pretty paintin’, then maybe a hand painted Nippon tea set is for you. Just remember to look close, ask questions, and don’t pay too much! And for heaven’s sake, don’t drop it! All that pretty paintin’ won’t do you no good if it’s all busted up.

And that’s all I got to say about that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go put the kettle on. Talkin’ about tea all this time has made me thirsty!