A piece marked with a company name or identifiable logo tells you clearly the manufacturer of the pottery. Numbers molded into the bottom of American pottery pieces identify molds, shapes and even product lines. Some companies used two numbers, some used four.
What kind of pottery has three numbers on the bottom?
Three square numbers on a white pottery bottom may be Alamo Pottery, made in San Antonio, Texas from about 1946-1952, or it may be Gilmer, another Texas pottery in business for much longer. Notice the block style to the numbers on this Gilmer vase (right) made with white clay.
What does the bottom of a pottery piece Tell You?
In most of the American pottery pieces, the bottom tells more than the glaze. The bottom shows the name, if there is one, the color of the clay, the way the piece is fired, and other characteristics that help with the identification.
What do the numbers on the bottom of China mean?
Besides, what do the numbers on the bottom of China mean? The markings on fine china are like fingerprints that can lead you to the identity of the manufacturer or the artist, and the piece's age and origin. Marks may appear as letters, symbols, numbers, dates, logos or even signatures, based on the company or potter who made the item.
How do I find additional information on a pottery mark or piece?
If we have additional information on the pottery mark or piece, you can click the image to open that section. If no additional information is currently available, the potter will be named below the image and clicking will open the Antique Collectibles gallery, to assist you with any examples of the potters’ items we may have listed.
How do I identify pottery marks?
0:084:22How to Decode Pottery Marks by Dr. Lori - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis piece says japan on the bottom indicating where the piece was made okay made in japan. So theMoreThis piece says japan on the bottom indicating where the piece was made okay made in japan. So the fact that it's made in japan. And that japan is marked on this.
What does the number on pottery mean?
The Registered Number, usually written as Rd on the piece of pottery, gives the date when that design was registered to prevent copying, but it could have been made at any time later than that date.
What does a number on the bottom of a vase mean?
Check the Bottom Such marks often include the name of the company that manufactured the vase, as well as the name of its designer or artist. This maker's mark may be painted on the vase's bottom or appear in the form of an engraving.
How do you identify vintage ceramics?
A few factors to look out for when figuring out how to identify antique pottery are the weight of the piece, its translucency or resonance. It's easier to figure out the body if the piece is chipped - simply run your finger along the fracture to identify how hard the grain is.
How do I know if my pottery is worth money?
One of the best ways to determine the current value of your art pottery today is to simply put it up for auction and let the competitive bidding determine the price. Assuming the auction is well attended and advertised, this is a good way to determine the current market price a willing buyer will pay for your item.
How do you date ceramics?
One way to date pottery is to test it with carbon-14 or optically stimulated luminescence. There is also a kind of pottery age determination where fragments are compared with other known objects whose ages are already known in order to determine relative age. This method is referred to as relative dating.
How do you identify an antique pottery vase?
How to Tell If a Vase Is AntiqueLook for a mark on the bottom of the vase. ... Look at the composition of the glass. ... Look at the bottom of the vase. ... Look for an overmark, which is a stamp placed on the bottom of a vase over the original maker's mark.
What is a Nippon mark on a vase?
Nippon basically means “made in Japan.” When you see a “Nippon” mark on the underside of a base of a piece of ceramic, you know that you have a piece that was made in Japan.
How do you tell if a vase is Chinese or Japanese?
1:526:29Tips on How to Identify both Chinese and Japanese Cloisonne - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd scrollwork on Later pieces you can find bands of rui. Which are similar to the shape of a heartMoreAnd scrollwork on Later pieces you can find bands of rui. Which are similar to the shape of a heart another border you'll commonly find on pieces of chinese.
What is the most collectible pottery?
Redlands Art Pottery Pound for pound, Redlands is likely the single most valuable art pottery out there today. Surviving pieces are few and far between. Redlands pottery was made and sold in California. That is where most examples are found today.
What is the most valuable pottery?
Setting Record for World's Most Expensive Ceramic, Ru-ware Brush Washer Fetches US$37.7m. A tiny Ru-ware brush washer has become the world's most expensive ceramic after it was sold at Hong Kong Sotheby's for a record-breaking price.
A Collection of Pottery Marks Using Photos and Images from Our Antiques Collection
For easy reference and as a quick guide to the possible attribution of your latest porcelain collectible or pottery marks.The marks listed below ar...
Real Life Examples of Royal Crown Derby Marks from Our Antiques Collection
Click on the mark to open the Royal Crown Derby History and Marks sections and the Derby Porcelain gallery
Genuine Examples of Royal Doulton Marks on Doulton Antiques
A quick view of some samples of the diverse range of Royal Doulton Marks. Click an image to open the full Doulton marks section.
A Few Real Life Samples of Genuine Moorcroft Pottery Marks
The range of Moorcroft Pottery marks begins with William Moorcroft’s time at the MacKintyre pottery and covers the 100 year history of design and o...
Example Royal Worcester Marks
The range of Royal Worcester marks used over the Worcester company’s long history. Click an image to open the full Royal Worcester section.
Samples of Genuine Wedgwood Marks from Our Own Antiques Collection
To assist the Wedgwood collector who has to be careful of modern fakes and of making sure the Wedgwood mark on their latest acquisition is 100% gen...
A collection of pottery marks using photos and images from our antique collection
For easy reference and as a quick guide to the possible attribution of your latest porcelain collectible or pottery marks.
Miscellaneous Pottery Porcelain Marks
Including various marks from a range of British, American, and European pottery and porcelain manufacturers.
Real-life Examples of Royal Crown Derby Marks from our Antiques Collection
Click on the mark to open the Royal Crown Derby History and Marks sections and the Derby Porcelain Gallery
Genuine Examples of Royal Doulton Marks on Doulton Antiques
A quick view of some samples of the diverse range of Royal Doulton Marks. Click an image to open the full Doulton marks section.
A few real-life Samples of Genuine Moorcroft Pottery Marks
The range of Moorcroft Pottery marks begins with William Moorcroft’s time at the MacKintyre pottery and covers the 100 year history of design and ownership by William, his son Walter Moorcroft, other more current owners and marks of artists and designers from the Moorcroft Design Studio. Click an image to open the full Moorcroft Marks Section.
Example Royal Worcester Marks
The range of Royal Worcester marks used over the Worcester company’s long history. Click an image to open the full Royal Worcester section.
Samples of Genuine Wedgwood Marks from our own Antiques Collection
To assist the Wedgwood collector who has to be careful of modern fakes and of making sure the Wedgwood mark on their latest acquisition is 100% genuine.
What does the bottom of a pottery piece tell you?
In most of the American pottery pieces, the bottom tells more than the glaze. The bottom shows the name, if there is one, the color of the clay, the way the piece is fired, and other characteristics that help with the identification.
What is Watt Pottery called?
Watt Pottery is in a class I call yellowware, since they used a clear glaze over the yellow clay instead of colors. Robinson-Ransbottom, Blue Ridge, Purinton, Watt all made some yellowware with a clear glaze over the yellow clay. Take a look at the Watt Pottery yellowware bowl (left). Red clay Weller bowl.
What is a dry foot in pottery?
Dry Foot: Camark. Many pieces of pottery have a dry rim around the bottom edge, known as a dry foot.
What color is Weller's clay?
Weller sometimes used yellow to cream colored clay, but just when you think you have learned how to identify these pots by clay color, an anomaly shows up. Look at this Weller piece in red clay! CA pink clay Boy. Hull and Shawnee are a cream color with a pink tint to the clay.
What is the name of the first porcelain mark?
The earliest porcelain mark in the history of European production is the monogrammed Meissen "AR" mark, which stands for Augustus Rex, sometimes known as Augustus the Strong. As king of Saxony in the eighteenth century, Augustus commissioned the first production of European hard-paste porcelain.
What is porcelain mark?
Porcelain marks are the fingerprints of antique china. Serving as both evidence of its origin, age, and often times, quality, the makers mark on a porcelain item is the first place many collectors look before making a purchase. For any piece of fine china, the porcelain mark is a symbol of pride in the manufacturer's workmanship.
What are the Meissen marks on porcelain?
Most porcelain marks on fine antique china, such as the Meissen marks, are "underglaze"--meaning, they were applied to the piece prior to firing. For the first hundred years or so of porcelain production there were only two known pigments that could withstand the high firing temperature necessary: iron red and cobalt blue.
Who used blanks in their art?
These famous artists, including Carl Thieme, Helena Wolfsohn, Franziska Hirsch, and others , procured blanks from other factories and applied them with their own handpainting or sculpted embellishments. In most cases these blanks bore marks of the factories within which they were produced.
Is the maker mark imitated?
In general, the more prized the product by a certain manufacturer, the more likely it is that the makers mark has been imitated at some time or another. However, it is also important to remember that even the most prestigious porcelain manufacturers were, to some degree, considered imitators in their own day.
What is a diamond shaped pottery mark?
Patent Office Registration Marks And Numbers. Diamond shaped pottery marks, printed or impressed on the base, are official marks of the Patent Office Registry of Designs, set up in 1842 to protect manufacturers from plagiarism and piracy. In 1868 the positions of the code letters and numbers were changed, but the registration mark continued ...
When did the registration mark change?
In 1868 the positions of the code letters and numbers were changed, but the registration mark continued until December 1883, when it was replaced by a serial number. (see Pottery Marks )