Blue Danube Dinnerware by Lipper International

Q I found some blue and white dinnerware among a relative’s things and many pieces are marked with a rectangle on the bottom that has ”Blue Danube/Japan” inside. Can you tell me how old it is and how much, say, a cup and saucer or dinner plate is worth?

A Blue Danube porcelain dinnerware was made exclusively for distribution by Lipper International Inc. of New York. Lipper started business in 1946 as Lipper & Mann, importers of glass and ceramics. The company bought items from Europe and sold them to department, jewelry and home furnishing stores. In 1947, it started selling tableware items imported from Japan. The Blue Danube pattern was designed for them in 1951. Porcelain pieces were made in Japan with dark blue flowers on white ground, copied from Meissen’s Onion pattern. Lipper used a banner backstamp on Blue Danube pieces from 1951 through 1976, a rectangular backstamp from 1977 to 2000, and a 50th anniversary backstamp was used in 2001. The present mark has ”Blue Danube” in scrollwork. In 1963, the name was changed to Lipper International, Inc. In 2004, Portmeirion USA took over distribution of Blue Danube dinnerware and giftware. A cup and saucer with the rectangular mark like yours sells for about $15 and dinner plates have sold from $9 to about $20.