My daughter called me the other day to say that she was making lunch for her grandparents at her new apartment. Jane, as many readers know, works for Cordier Auctions, and so her tiny apartment is already starting to blossom with treasures that she has purchased both from dealers and at auction. She decided to dig out her Imari plates to show off a bit. I was proud as punch. Ceramics remain today one of the single most undervalued items in the trade. I continue to be impressed and amazed at the ridiculously low prices for items that just 20 years ago would have commanded a good weeks wages to buy. What happened? Years ago, I recall the late Else Doehne telling me that the dishwasher had destroyed the antique glass market. The stuff shattered too easily, so no one wanted it anymore. Today, whether glass or china, I am not quite convinced this is the explanation. Dishwashers seem pretty gentle. It strikes me that the rather silly minimalism of the Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z world is more the issue. Ceramics are seen as something that does not fit into this odd notion that you must only have things that are purely practical. Yes, of course, I am making fun of that idea, since as a collector I own things that are not practical. But they are beautiful, they appeal to me historically, and I am happy to own them for the short span of my life on this earth. China collecting is probably the most old school of all collecting topics. There is a famous Victorian painting of an old man inspecting a piece of china from a matrons cabinet showcasing her collection of ceramics. In my own collection, I have pieces of china with old labels telling me what collection it came from and how it related to others. One export bowl has a note that says it is identical to one in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is actually not, but I leave the label intact as a lesson in humility. There is a transferware sugar bowl in my collection that has a yellow 1920 receipt and letter inside from a dealer in York, Pa. The purchase price of the bowl is listed among several items. The sugar bowl was sold for $7.50. According to an online inflation calculator, that would be $107 and some change in todays currency. Back in 2000, I purchased the bowl for $15 from a dealer in Carlisle who specialized in household clean-outs. The same online calculator tells me that I paid $28 for that bowl in 2025 dollars based upon inflation. Bottom line is the market has dropped and flattened considerably since the heady days when it was first sold. In my youth, ceramics were what your grandmother collected. I still remember debating about keeping my grandmothers box of Victorian cups and saucers. They were lovely, but if you tried to drink out of them, they were so small that you probably would pour the contents up your nose. Today, I think this is a great opportunity for new and old collectors to find some real rarities and bargains. Things that are wonderful to look at and fun to use! Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.