I am thinking of selling my Hester Bateman creamer jug. I bought it from one of my clients who was putting it in her garage sale. She would only take $85 in US for it. It is a nice piece with no repairs or damage. I have been offered £600 UK for it from a london dealer. I do not want to be stiffed, but also do not want to look a gift horse in the mouth 
dont sell it to him! The way to find true value for this is auction, whether online or in house. Hester bateman is highly sought after and unpredictable in sale rooms. The larger/heavier/prettier the piece, the more it makes
Well, if it was mine, and offered £600 for it (having recently had one similar passed through my hands) I would certainly think that it would be a fair offer (if that’s the the one in the photo).
But - research and online evidence is always a good option.
Regards
John
Hi there,
To quote a well known and respected source, Hester Bateman is ’ overrated and overpriced’. Her reputation is as a businesswoman rather than a silversmith. Because folks collect, in this case, maker’s name rather than skill price at auction is variable. £600 in your hand would mean an auction hammer price of approaching £750. One day folks will value the skill of the silversmith. Not any time soon though. I suggest researching back catalogues of main stream auction houses where specialist antique silver is presented. This may help, hope so.
Regards,
Tony
in hindsight, £750 at auction is a good price, but still, if there are 2 collectors wanting this in a saleroom, youd get the price inflated, and in a specialist silver sale you would generate an over indulged sale. $85 was the original price, so whatever the scenario, you have a huge profit on your hands. Lets take an example from ebay as a price guide, a HB teapot recently sold for £1,150 and 3 small salt spoons for £150. Overrated and overpriced are playing to your advantage.