a stack of IROQUOIS CHINA restaurant plates

One day last year, I got ambushed by a Sister in law to help 'drop off' a large rug at the local Habitat for Humanity. (when 'ya drive a truck, other people know it...) Anyway -- while there watching her and the loading dock dude wrestle it back outta the truck (yes I did that to my Sis...I agreed to drive it, not to unload it, and I'd already had to help load it? <lol>) I looked to the side and noticed this stack of plates sticking up out of a cardboard box. Said to loading dock guy "I'll give 'ya a couple bucks cash for those?" and he said "fine with me, go tell the desk, that pile is trash anyway" so, naturally, I did. :-) :-) :-)

Not until I got them home did I discover all but one (not shown here, a plain white one from Buffalo China) are *not* all the same, even though oh-so-close. Amongst the 9, there are two different patterns and colors, all on the same basic light beige colored plates.

Pic 2 shows the majority are a pair and a group of four which *are* the same exact pattern, but the pair are decorated in a noticeably 'brown-er' color than the four which are much more 'maroon red'. The other three plates are the same 'maroon red' color, but an entirely *different* pattern than all the rest. (pic 3) They all have the same IROQUOIS CHINA logo on their backs, though it is a lighter stamp than the others on all three with the odd pattern. (pic 4)

I don't know how old they are, most did have a little bit of 'klingon' grease/etc on their bottoms where the diner customer wouldn't have seen it...a little extra scrubbing and that went away leaving them now some of my favorite day to day plates. Gotta cull the (already full) cabinets to make space in there for them one of these days, in the meantime they just sit out on the counter. Maybe kinda like they used to sit out on a shelf, in a diner somewhere...??? ;-) :-) :-)