"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...


> When we were first married we went with A Franciscan pattern. A few pieces
> got
> broken, and when I went to replace them I found that the pattern had been
> discontinued. When we got down to the point where we needed a new set, I
> chose
> a Johnson Bros. pattern that had been around for years. Damned if that
> pattern
> suddenly got pulled. So when we ran low on cups and saucers it was time
> to
> look for another pattern. We really liked another Johnson Bros. pattern
> and
> bought 8 settings of it. We broke two plates within the first 6 months so
> I
> headed back to the store to order replacements. Son of a gun, that pattern
> had
> been discontinued.

You're obviously a jinx

Thank goodness there is a place not too far from here were
> there is a good stock of some of the discontinued patterns and we got the
> replacements. We thought that we were out of luck, but my wife discovered
> that
> there were bread and butter plates available in that pattern, which was
> odd,
> because when we originally bought the place settings there were no bread
> and
> butter plates in that pattern. My wife ordered a bunch of them for herself
> for
> Christmas.

I used to live in the Potteries area of the UK Midlands, where there were
quite a few shops selling "seconds" and bits of discontinued lines. That was
the only time I had the chance of owning full sets - but I was a student at
the time, and china doesn't survive too well in student households ....

Jani