Due to the lack of interest for a longer time, in collecting this high quality, well made china, the prices you’re going to find are not nearly as exhorbitant as other chinas of the same quality.

It is in fact possible, and probable to find some superb pieces on places such as Ebay, where those who aren’t collectors will let it go literally for a song, being not quite sure what they have or what its worth.

Here are a few of my own pieces of Lefton, as well as some I covet.. 

Of particular interest and quite lovely is the VIolet Chintz pattern that several readers of the site have asked about.

Waterford-Wedgwood, a company which  conjoined two powerhouses in crystal and china, collectibles of all varieties, tonight seeks protection from creditors, a company which was formed in mid seventeen hundreds.

While it may seem that with the downturn in the economy, company that are new and untried, will likely fail, it does seem disheartening that companies such as these, which have survived mega conflicts, wars, depressions and recessions, taken virtually every kind of hit on their corporate chin and not faltered, should fail for nothing less than a bad economy.

The company, who also purchased Royal Doulton in 2005, has high hopes that they can be purchased and restructured. So do we.

Other companies to fall by the wayside in recent months include Spode, the manufacturers of fine glassware, and in the not too distant past, we’ve seen Diamond glassware, along with Flat River Glass, Anchor Glass and multiple other companies  restructure, or hopefully restructure to give themselves a second chance.

What does that mean to you as the collector? Probably  that as with any other downturn in the economic picture, people are sticking more to necessities than to the collectible and the extra little luxuries.

It could also change what we pay and how frequently we can purchase those products so perhaps now is the time to buy that china cup and saucer you’ve been wanting.

It does seem less than kind to take advantage of the bad fortune of any company but a smart collector will grab  one or two of their products when the company’s future is uncertain.

The Royal Doulton company began to use its mark in about 1879, and used that mark exclusively, save for speciality products for the span of years up to and including 1902, when it added the words, England, beneath the mark that it had been using.

The mark then used after 1902 was this one:

Most were such tiny changes as the addition of a crown, the inclusion of the words England, or some other thing that doesn’t change the overall scheme of things, however Royal Doulton has also done special marks, as do most companies, for special lines. One such example would be their Bunnykins line of products which are nursery ware, and don’t emulate the other products by using its mark.

The mark used on most Bunnykins products is this one:

Bunnykins Products markings

Every company of the size and quality of Doulton has its special range of products and most of these will have special marks, such as the range of products known as the GreenWood Tree range,  which will also offer a company logo letting you know that it comes from Royal Doulton as well. The GreenTree Range offers this mark,

Royal Doulton marks are distinct in that while they will not always give you the dating of the product, in some cases you can decipher the year that the product was made by doing some calculations.

From around 1879, til about 1902, the company used this backstamp, which was adapted from an earlier Lambeth mark, and uses four interlocking D’s, which was introduced somewhere around 1882. Post 1891, the Doulton Company added the word England below it and continued in that fashion til 1902, when  it was discontinued.

Beginning in 1913, a HN number was used on all products from Royal Doulton. This  number refers to
designer Harry Nixon of Royal Doulton. Harry Nixon was the artist in charge of painting.  A few of theother artists were John Sparkes, George Tinsworth, and Agnete Hoy. The HN numbers were chronological until 1940, and at this time blocks of numbers were assigned to the figurine modelers.
From 1928 to 1954, a small number was placed to the right of the crown on nearly every item that was manufactured. all That number when  added to the year 1927 will give the year of manufacture.
For example, in the figurine seen below, the encircled number (it will not be circled on the product, this was done to call your attention to it) bears the number ten.  1927 + 10 = 37. The figurine was by those calculations,produced in 1937.

 Please do take note however, that the cases of being able to identify the year of production are not always available.

 Dating of many items which were produced by Royal Doulton is not possible, as the factories at that point had no real system of marking things to offer us the year of production. It is possible to ROUGHLY calculate based on:

1902 and later —-"Royal Doulton"
1891 and later —- "England"
1930 and later (a few exceptions) — "Made in England"
The "HN" system of numbering figurines was created by
Harry Nixon and  for the most part, that system is still in use today.
 

In a previous series on China marks we discussed the fact that due to lengthy histories, upheavals or simply the evolution of a company over a century or more, the marks used by the company changed, evolved or grew as the company grew.
A perfect example of this is the Belleek company and its many marks.

Makers of fine porcelain, Belleek had its origins in Ireland in 1857 and continues in business to this day.
In early 1849,  John Caldwell Bloomfield inherited the Castlecaldwell estate, from his father. This estate took in the village of Belleek, and with many of the tenants hungry in the years post the potato famin, Bloomfield sought out a way to give them gainful employment and monetary compensation.

He was an amateur mineralogist, and as such, he decided to order a geo survey of the lands around him, which to his delight offered up the raw materials that it took to make pottery, including  feldspar, kaolin, flint, clay and shale.
 

The village of Belleek,was a wonderful selection to locate the new business since they could also use the power of the river there, to drive a mill wheel to grind their components.

 Bloomfiled took on partners, including  Robert Armstrong who was an architect from London, and David Mc Birney, a Dublin merchant who was quite wealthy. He then nearly singlehandedly pulled the strings that brought the railroad into Belleek.

Next he pulled strings, lobbied and practically paved the way single handedly for the Rail Service to come to Belleek. By rail, coal could be brought in to fire thekilns and the finished Belleek product could be sent to market with ease.
 
 
Although there was labor aplenty where he was, he also knew that the success of the enterprise would depend on skill and experience, with his own people providing the support work, so hewent to England and offered the craftsmen there high wages and a better lifestyle, and when he returned from his trip he brought back 14 craftsmen.
 

Centering their production on high quality domestic ware such as pestles, mortars, washstands, hospital pans, floor tiles, telegraph insulators and tableware they still wanted to make porcelain.Failing at early attempts, until 1863 when a very small quantity of Parian was produced.
 
The company was successful however and by the early parts of 1865 it had established a growing market which sold to England, Ireland, and was reportedly also selling pieces in the growing United States as well as Canada. Orders that brought them greater fame were being taken from such nobility as Queen Victoria and  the Prince of Wales.

Accordingly, the Belleek Mark, as the company itself, has evolved and changed over the years, with more than ten marks being used, as well as special marks for different product ranges or specialty items.

    * The first Belleek mark, used from about 1863 to 1890.
    * The second Belleek Mark, used from 1891-1926.
    * Belleeks third mark,  used for about twenty years,  was used from 1926 through 1946.
    * The fourth Belleek mark was in use for only about nine years, from 1946-1955

 There are multiple other marks which were used in the interim from 1955 to present day, as well as speciality marks, leacing up to the mark which is used today, pictured here. The Belleek company is a prime example of companies whose logos or marks changed over the course of many years, and many changes within the company. This company alone has more than 19 marks including their specialty marks.

Anyone who knows anything at all about glassware has heard the name Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and knows the beautiful china and glassware, as well as the quality that goes along with the name.

Most of us however aren’t aware that the company has been in existence for nearly 200 years and that there are still some breathtaking, albeit expensive tokens of that pre-Royal Doulton company left to be collected.

Doulton served an apprenticeship in Lambeth, on the south bank of the Thames River, in a pottery business that was owned by Martha Jones. In 1815, Jones asked Doulton and another employee, John Watts, to become her partner and the three people founded a business called Jones, Watts and Doulton.

They produced what was then largely utilitarian salt glazed and stoneware ceramics but in time expanded what they made to include mugs and jugs modeled in the shape of people, most noteably  Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington.
They also produced bottles for beer, pots for ointments and it is said that as a child laborer Charles Dickens pasted labels on them.

The most central product of  Royal Doulton, one which made the company what it became,  was the Toby jug, or beverage mug, first produced in the early 18th century.

This jug was designed to represent a male figure who was seated and smiling, with the spouts  that were placed on either side of the mug’s rim making up the points on the character’s tricorn hat.

Doulton then became well known for its attention to detail when it produced figurines and  Doulton became known for the quality and attention to detail of its figurines and John Doulton
made a flask depicting Queen Caroline around 1820.

In the Exhibition of 1851, John Doultons glassware won a medal and has since won more than 200 awards for the beauty and quality of their glassware, pottery and china.

Pieces that were made by the Doultonware company include salt glaze pieces, terra cotta plaques which were fashioned by George Tinworth, as well as figurines which are prized collectibles today. They are highly prized by collectors and are quite expensive when you do find them.

You are advised to check carefully when or if you do find a piece of original Doultonware to be sure that what you have is original.

Pitcher by Lefton China

Because it was a passionate hobby, Lefton traveled to Japan and sought out the best  ceramic artists he could find.

He then set them to work, and himself as well, in 1941 at Lefton China, designing for a market in the US that was hungry for a better quality product. He began by designing ceramic giftware and moved up from there.

Leftons company has been quite successful and continues to be. The Lefton China collector appreciates a better quality and design, both standards that Lefton China company insists on.

Lefton China Teapot

There are imitators of Lefton China, as there will be with any quality product, however the collector can, by inspecting the finished quality of the piece,( as well as the presence of the company’s mark of course), be able to tell the real from the imitation.

My own Lefton pieces have tripled in value since purchase.

I love the Lefton Violet Chintz pattern and was fortunate enough to purchase a teapot and covered sugar bowl and creamer as a set, sold by someone who had it left to her in an estate.

The purchase cost was about 35 dollars just a few years ago, and I’ve found that the teapot alone now retails for about 180 dollars, which certainly isn’t a bad return on your investment, so your pieces are in fact going up in value.

John Doulton, who founded the company, began in Lambeth, and his son Henry build the business up, and relocated it about 60 years later to Stoke on Trent.

Royal Doulton China

In 1884 they began producing bone china and added figurines, vases and decorator collectibles using the ideas of designers such a George Tinworth and Charles Noke.

In 1901 King Edward who liked what he saw, allowed the company to preface its name with the Royal and he awarded the Royal Warrant to the company’s prestigious name.

Thus began the Royal Doulton Company.

Royal Doulton is synonymous with fine china, innovation and elegance.

Royal Doulton launched a series of figurines in 1913 that grasped and held the publics eye.

Then again in 1934, Sister Mary Barbara Vernon, the daughter of the manager of the factory began to draw and drew the very first Bunnykins character and instantly charmed all who saw it.

The Bunnykins Collection still continues today and is still much sought after and collected.

In the 1960’s Royal Doulton produced still another new product, English Translucent China (ETC), which is now better known as Fine China.

Royal Doulton China

This earned the Royal Doulton Company the Queens award for technical achievement in 1966 for their contributions to manufacturing, and they were the first china company to ever be honored with the award.

Today Royal Doulton is known world wide, has many stores both in England and in the United States, and continue to provide a wide array of domestic tableware both in bone china and fine china.

The Today, Royal Doulton provides a wide range of domestic tableware.

The worth will of course be somewhat lessened, and you may not use the piece as tableware, but they can be mended to remain part of your set, or in the case of a figurine, to be used and in most cases the fixed area can’t be seen.

In mending glassware or china, an exact fit is necessary. You will need time to adjust the pieces to make the fit precise before the goue sets up, which means that superglue and other instant bonds is not an option.

Clear bond epoxy is the most effective means to mend china or porcelain, as it is very strong, waterproof and provided a good filling for any gaps that remain.

Here is how to mend your broken china or porcelain:

1. Before you glue the piece clean it very well and assure that all the broken surfaces are dried.
2. Assemble them while dry and be certain that they fit well together.
3. Applying a very thin light coat of epoxy or resin along one side of the break with a small matchstick or a rubber spatula, join those pieces together. Remember that the less of the glue you use the better they will fit as glue itself takes up space.
4. Clamp the glued pieces using any means which may work and set it aside to dry.
5. The entire process may take several hours, as you will need to readjust the pieces and wipe away excess glue from the piece to assure proper alignment. When it has set up enough to hold, add another piece to the puzzle.
6. Glue those things which have many broken pieces together one or two pieces at a time, and when they have set up slightly, wipe away any excess resin or glue with a solvent to keep the piece clean.
7. Supporting the pieces as they dry will usually require some ingenuity to make certain they stays together long enough to dry in place. Very often you can use a putty or plasticine which will hold its shape and hold the pieces together long enough to dry. Masking tape is another method that can be used successfully to assure that the piece dries well and does not move. Plates or platters can use the support of rubber bands across them as they dry to assure they keep their shape.
8. Another method of clamping of sorts is to use hot wax, melting paraffin and pouring it around the broken piece so that it will harden and hold the pieces in place until the epoxy sets up fully.
9. When the glue is full set, remove the hardened wax and the piece will be repaired.

Using some good epoxy resin and a bit of ingenuity you can repair your own china and porcelain figurines.

As with any other craft, take care with the use of the glues, and if the piece that is in need of repair is a very high priced piece, do look into having it repaired permanently and professionally.

When starting a collection, quality is important but so is having a good grasp of what type of figurine on which to focus. Do you want sports pieces? Florals? Animals? Cookie Jars? Unglazed? Glazed? Etc.

And the choices don’t end there; if Animals, for example, do you want only a specific type of animal? Or perhaps you’ll collect only animal figurines made in a specific country or by a specific manufacturer (Hummel being an example).

China figurines will decorate your home nicely whether you build a collection or buy only a single piece.

Also please consider your lifestyle in the initial collecting process. People with pets, small children, or those who move frequently might do well to consider a less fragile media. Of course, there is always the option of having specially designed storage boxes and display cases made that can protect your investment just in case.

No matter what your final decision, it’s important to KNOW china when shopping or minimally trust your seller.

Experts in this field tell us that good China figurines have specific qualities. The model is clean looking (you can’t see mold lines or other manufacturing marks). The paint on the piece should be likewise clean and meticulous to details.

The walls of good China figurines are thick, lending the piece more support and logos must be intact for any future value to be secured. By comparison, fakes are likely to look two-dimensional and have far less detail. The paint colors may seem faded, and the inside shows no sign of finger marks (this implies a cast piece instead of hand crafting).

China tea cups may be plain or very ornately decorated like this one.

When you hold this cup to the light, it will be white and the light will shine through easily. By comparison a hard paste porcelain cup will be less porous and rings like a bell when struck.

No matter your choice in cups, never put something of this quality and beauty in a dishwasher. Instead, wash carefully in warm water using very mild soap and a soft cloth for drying.

Alternatively you can use a vinegar-water infusion, getting rid of any stains by carefully scrubbing with baking soda and water. Also, if you use your cups to bring whimsical smiles to guest’s faces, never put them in the microwave! Many more decorative cups have metallic etching or edges that will make the cup explode.

Many teacup collectors don’t stop with cups – they will gather matching tea implements including pots then display them together using lighting, doilies, and display cases that keep the treasures safe.

However, so doing can take up lots of living space very quickly. It’s an interesting aside that the first English teacups were more akin to a small bowl like those from China.

Saucers didn’t come into the picture until the 1700s and the round-bellied teapot around 1750. Initially the most popular of these were ones patterned after classical Greco-Roman designs.

Teacups started to become collector’s items around the 19th century, when they were also given as gifts predominantly among women. This may have been thanks in part to the popularity of afternoon tea, a concept touted by the Duchess of Bedford in the 1840s as a cure to afternoon blues.

It’s highly collectible and its lovely to look at and pleasing to use for coffee or tea.

There are several unique processes involved in the making of bone china, however the one thing that truly sets it apart, and imparts to it the translucency and the bright white luster is that it is made the ash of bone included in the porcelain.

This is, of course, where the name “bone” china comes from but how can you tell if it really is bone china; particularly those pieces which are older and may not be treated with a logo on the reverse of the pieces?

Most bone china is registered and its trademark and pattern can be found under each piece. Even for pieces that are as much as a hundred years old this was still sometimes the case.

However, over time those logos or trademarks become very difficult to read clearly. Sometimes you have no real way of knowing whether the piece is bone china or not, unless you do a few simple tests that will help you to determine it.

Hold your piece up to the light. Put a hand or finger behind it. If it is bone china you will be able to see clearly the outline of your fingers through the china piece, or at least a clear shadow through it.

Take a cup and flick it gently along the rim. It will take a bit of practice to identify the sound but it is an unmistakable ring that is clearer than that of porcelain or pottery.

Many bone china patterns have gold or metallic trims and bands, and these should never be placed in a microwave.

Bone china has lasted through generations and these beautiful heirloom pieces were made to be handed down to the next generation of your family.

However, don’t ever be afraid to use it every day. It is built to be used and enjoyed, not just looked at!

Coffee, tea or coco taste better when served in porcelain as opposed to metal or plastic. Why not test it yourself and see?

Royal Albert fine China tableware.

Dating a far back in its association with important people and royalty as the late 1800’s Royal Albert owes a great deal of its success to the Old Country Roses Pattern, the world’s most popular china pattern.

In 1896 Thomas Wild took over the Albert Works in Longton, Stoke on Trent; a factory that was given the title a year earlier to commemorate the birth of a new prince, Prince Albert.

In 1897, Thomas Wild and Co. the new china organization diligently worked to produce a range of pieces to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, which was the beginning of an association with the royal houses that remains in place to this very day, and is what led the company to be called by their new name, Royal Albert.

Royal Albert Old Country Roses has been one of the top selling China patterns since 1962.

It was due to the determined work of Thomas Wild and his descendents that Royal Albert achieved its worldwide fame.

Today its success is based on its distinctively and completely English styling and the offering of some of the most romantic and elegant china that can be found on the market today.

The popular Blue Italian pattern created by Spode China.

China from the orient was becoming far scarcer, and was taxed outrageously.

Tea taxes however were being lowered and more people were drinking tea than ever before, so Britain needed some new resources for their dinnerware needs.

Spode decided that he was the one to answer that need for Britain.

While just 16 Josiah apprenticed to a master potter named Thomas Whieldon and stayed there until he was 21.

He learned vast amounts about functional pottery and design, but not a great deal about strength and beauty.

Opening his own factory, Josiah became the driving force in the industry, and was the beginning of two of the most important factors that are used in the industry even today.

He developed the formula for bone china that is used still today and more important even than this, he perfected the under glazing process that is used to this very day for earthenware.

Now, many more intricate patterns can be applied without the concern over chipping, fading of the pattern or scratching of the piece.

Word of Spode’s dinnerware and the amazing designs and durability spread as far as the continent of North America.

Settlers in America began to purchase such items as the “Blue Room collection, and Camilla, which became “new world” favorites, reminding the settlers of home, and of their own heritage.

The functionality of the pieces was as astonishing to the users as the strength of the find dishes, and the patterns were also pleasing to them.

Josiah Spode II took control of the company on the death of his father in 1797.  He continued the tradition with his son, but sadly, after the son’s tragic accidental death in 1829, the business was sold, coming into the hands of the Copeland family where it remained until the mid-sixties.

Popular Spode Christmas Pattern.

Spode has become a worldwide success story. Spode has produced many pieces for royalty, including the Queen’s Jubilee, and a china set produced for Queen Mary called Queen’s Bird. Spode is exalted for its enduring spirit and high quality standards.

The company now employs over 600 people, and produces a wide range of product, from earthenware to fine bone china.

They manufacture not only tableware, but also collectibles, miniatures such as tea sets and cup and saucer collectibles or other figurines.

Among these manufacturers are the following, along with their contact information or web sites:

Churchill – producers of domestics and hospitality tableware as well as china and bone china.

Crown Trent China – Spring Garden Road, Stoke on Trent, Staffs ST3 2TE 0782 332623

Dudson – tableware for hotels, restaurants and catering businesses

Lilliput Lane -miniature cottages

Mayfair Pottery – domestic fine china tea and tableware

Minton (Royal Doulton) – Sir Henry Doulton House, Forge Lane, Etruria, Stoke on Trent, ST1 5NN T: 01782 404040

Moorcroft – very beautiful pottery

Portmeirion – ceramic manufacturer

Promotional Ceramics – ceramic items for the promotional industry

Roy Kirkham – Bone China. Royal Albert (Royal Doulton) Sir Henry Doulton House, Forge Lane, Etruria, Stoke on Trent, ST1 5NN Tel No: 01782 404040

Royal Doulton – whose brands are inclusive of Royal Crown Derby, Minton, Royal Albert, Caithness Glass, Holland Studio, and Royal Doulton

Royal Worcester

Many of these sites permit you to choose and purchase your selection online and have it shipped to you worldwide.

There is very little reason in today’s online world not to have the china you want regardless of where its made.

Life is short; use your good china and enjoy it!

Bone china from companies like Royal Doulton can be a great investment for your home tableware collection.

The major characteristics which are desirable in bone china are the very high level of whiteness, the translucency and its high strength in comparison to its thickness.

In the beginning the manufacturers of porcelain were hoping to find porcelain that would be of the same quality that was being imported from China and could not, so they attempted several different routes to gain it.

The first time that bone was used to make the china has been attributed to Thomas Frye, a porcelain maker in the mid 1700’s. In 1748 at his china works factory, Bow China World, Frye made a type of soft paste porcelain.

In the latter part of the 18th century, Josiah Spode developed it further, adding china, clay and stone to try to compete with the Chinese porcelain.

Today’s bone china will contain at least one quarter bone ash, which adds the high whiteness and strength and also makes the piece translucent. This makes the china not clean but transparent enough to see light through the pieces.

Most Bone China is made by a particular company, such as Royal Doulton or Royal Albert for example, and will have a trademark that can be found on each piece in the set.

Antique China will for the most part also have trademarks or brand marks which can be researched to show what company made your china and when it was made.

If you hold up a piece of bone china to light and place your hand behind it, you should be able to see your fingers through it.

It also has a clear crystal light ring to it if you flick the edge of the piece with your finger. In this way you can know that the piece you are purchasing is actually bone china.

Bone china is a great deal stronger than it appears, however you should still take care when handling and moving the dishes.

Some newer items will be marked dishwasher safe, however hand washing is always preferable.

Sought by collectors today and highly prized, the Limoges region produced Limoges Porcelain in several factories from the 1700′s through the mid 1930′s prior to the change in economic factors that also saw changes in Limoges from the very ornate china that we know as Limoges to a more basic and simple home type tableware that is produced today.

At one point in history, most notably the 1920′s as many as 45 companies situated in the Limoge region were making tableware that was marked Limoges, according to Mary Frank Gaston, an expert in the China field.
Some LImoges was sent out blank, to be used for china painting, which was a huge hobby earlier in the last century, and many pieces of plain white Limoges which are hand painted were not made so by the factory but rather, eager home makers or art students.

Haviland, one of the more popular companies to produce Limoges is often time the preferred one of collectors, who will sometimes completely ignore all of the other factories, which is a great mistake in that some of them are very rare and also very valuable.

To Learn more about Limoges and how it is made and collected,

pay a visit to the Limoges Antiques Site

A china, or pottery mark, is very much like a fingerprint is to a human. A means of identifying and letting the purchaser or owner know when and by whom their china or pottery was made.

The porcelain mark serves us as evidence of the maker, the origin, age and in many cases the quality of a piece of porcelain or pottery, and is in most cases the first thing that will be viewed and checked prior to the purchase of an item whether that item is newly produced or is an antique.

To the Porcelain or china maker, their own mark is also a symbol of pride, in their craftsmanship, and will often inspire confidence and loyalty in the buyer.

Most porcelain marks on fine china, such as the Meissen marks of the crossed swords, or the Limoges marks, are what are known as under glazed, which is to say they were applied to the piece of porcelain prior to the firing, or curing of the china.

For about the first hundred years of production, there were only two pigment colors that could take the high heat that firing produced and so the colors of the older porcelain marks will usually be either cobalt blue or iron red, the two colors that could remain even under the high heat.

Cobalt blue was the more popular color of the two so it is the most often seen in older porcelain marks. There is one big exception to this, which is in Dresden porcelain, which was present in the latter part of the 19th century. The Dresden decorators covered the porcelain marks with a gold glaze, and then applied their own above-glaze mark; usually a blue crown.

In many cases a piece of china will have two marks, applied in this fashion, one beneath the glaze, indicating the factory that produced the blank, and the second above the glaze indicating the decorator. Much of the Haviland for example, has the green underglaze mark “Haviland France,” and the red decorators stamp: “Haviland & Co. Limoges.” In this case, the china bears two marks even though the pieces were produced in different parts of the same factory.

China marks today are many and diverse and are used to show the year, the original and the type of china that is the piece you are holding.

In many cases, porcelain marks are difficult to find, if they are much older in nature and require some vast research to find the age, origin and value of a piece.

To research them more fully, there are several books as well as the following sites which can help you in finding your own china mark.

The princess pattern is among an estimated 60,000 patterns of china produced by Haviland.

In the 1840s Mr. Haviland left New York for France, looking for a place to start his own business focused on a passion for porcelain.

By 1855 his porcelan company was up and running with as much technology and know-how as he could find.

In particular, Haviland was the first to utilize limoge blanks, saving a great deal of time and money (something with which high-brow china aficionados took great umbrage).

No matter the early critique, his factory gained distinction in France, and by 1865 began producing American and English patterns too. By this time the plant had grown by leaps and bounds, and started making what would become a hugely successful pattern called Ranson.

It was also during this period that Haviland created the Hayes Service for the White House for just over $3,000.00. This unique set based on a series of paintings can be currently viewed at the Smithsonian.

The distinctive Haviland China mark from France.

The base company was more successful in that it tied itself to retailers who got their names placed on large orders. Among these clients we find Macys as one example.

From that point forward a variety of problems besieged the two companies including death, fire, and the stock market crash, leading to the closing in 1931. Ah, but the story doesn’t add there.

The Limoges end of the company was left to Theoore’s son who reopened the company in 1942 producing some very well-received patterns like Clinton, Appleblossom, and Rosalinde.

By the time the family retired the business in 1972, its estimated that this company produced 60,000 patterns.

Haviland collectors and patterns are available for your perusal by visiting the Haviland Online Site.

Josiah Wedgwood founded a company in the mid 1700s. Within 10 years he developed the distinct cream earthenware for which Wedgwood is famous (see Queen’s Ware).

Another development around this time was called Egyptian Black, used for various items. This continues to be relatively popular. Modernly, the Wedgwood company continues to remain strong, having successfully merged with Waterford crystal.

Egyptian Black Pattern

There are four types of Wedgwood most recognizable to novice collectors. The first is Jasperware, distinguished by Greco-Roman images and a blue base. Wedgwood often used this style for making tourist memorabilia. This became highly recognized and popular and remains a “signature” of Josiah.

The second is known as Queen’s Ware. This type of china was used specifically for dinner by an English Queen, and its characterized by ivy leaf borders.

The third type of Wedgwood boils down to trinket items like holiday decorations, commemorative plates, and thematic figurines. New Collectors often favor these are they’re a little more affordable when released than some of the classic/vintage pieces.

Finally we get to the largest bulk of Wedgwood, namely table settings.

No matter the desired piece, its important to know how to shop for Wedgwood to weed out fakes and less desired pieces.

Like any china, you want to avoid chips or cracks, as well as obvious flaws in the markings. On the upside, Wedgwood is not easily faked.

The Wedgwood Egyptian Black china pattern is one of many popular patterns.

During its entire period of production nearly all china companies market their pieces, and Wedgwood is no exception. The mark typically reads: “Wedgwood England” or “Wedgwood Made in England” – there were a few shifts and changes over the years, but those two markings are relatively consistent. Only the oldest of Wedgwood could be found without a mark.

There is another company that produces china called WedgEwood (note the E). This is not collector level material.

Teacup of the month for December, 2007 from the Royal Doulton collection.

Who hasn’t heard of Royal Doulton?

From its fame as fine bone china, to its continual mention on the Britcom, “Keeping Up Appearances” we all know the quality and the beauty of the china teacups that Royal Doulton produces.

In their repertoire in recent months are some new lovelies, called the flowers of the month.

The month of the year is written inside the cup in gold, while a gold rim touches the outside of the cup.

Royal Doulton Violets Tea Cup.

They are not just collectibles but also lovely for your coffee or tea, and are currently on sale at Royal Doulton UK and USA for about half the regular price, and just in time for a holiday treat for your favorite person.

They are available at Royal Doulton USA site where you can find more of the famous and fabulous Royal Doulton offerings.

Don’t forget the clearance section!!!