We‘ve got a bunch of figurines here (some are hollow houses, but the rest are completely solid, painted miniatures) and they don‘t have labels describing if they are porcelain or ceramic.We want to list them on eBay, but don‘t know how to describe them.Please tell us how to tell the difference between porcelain and ceramic miniatures.Also, is it okay to wash them? They‘re fairly dirty.Thanks!
Porcelain is a TYPE of ceramic, so there is no difference. Do you mean, the difference between porcelain and earthenware or some other type of ceramic? Or do you mean cast resin? I am thinking that the solid houses are probably cast resin, which is sort of like a heavy plastic. You might want to take a few of the nicest ones to a couple of different antique or collectible dealers in your area to look at. Don't sell them to the first person who offers to buy them, if anyone does, but get several different opinions. You should also try searching online (eBay is good, but it is not the only place) for other pieces that look like yours, and compare them. That will give you some idea of what they are and how much they are worth. For washing, try wiping them very gently with a damp cloth in just a few spots to see if anything flakes off. If things seem OK, then you could wash them very carefully one at a time in a dishpan of warm, soapy water with a very soft brush, but watch out especially if you have any type of gold or metallic trim. Don't get any labels wet or get water up inside the figurines. Set them out to air dry before you pack them up. If you do sell them, you might want to take them to the UPS Store to have them packed properly and mailed to the buyer.
I've always thought that porcelain's surface is smoother and ceramic figurines have rough surfaces.
