SHANGHAI ENGLAND PLATE

Q: I have a piece of blue and white pottery with this diamond-shaped mark on the bottom. I found it during an archeological excavation. I haven't been able to identify the maker. Can you help?

A: The mark with "W" in a diamond was used by W. & E. Corn c.1900. "Shanghai" is the pattern name. Edward Corn founded a pottery at Burslem, Staffordshire, England, in 1850. His sons, William and Edward, took over the pottery c.1864. William died in 1885. The pottery moved to Longport in 1890. After Edward's death in 1891, his sons Alfred and Edmund took over the pottery. The pottery continued to operate as E. & E. Corn until 1904.

COPELAND SPODE BYRON

Q: I have a Copeland Spode England sandwich plate marked "Spodes Byron Series No. 1." I've heard that the Byron plates were made in the 1830s. Is my plate really that old?

A: Marks like the one on your plate were used by Spode in the early 1800s, but they did not include the word "England."

When a country name is included in a mark, it usually indicates the piece was made after 1891, when the McKinley Tariff Act was passed requiring the country of origin to be on all pieces sold in the United States. All china imported into the United States after that had to be marked with the country of origin. A series of blue and white transfer plates with center scenes based on engravings in a book about Lord Byron's life were made by Copeland & Garrett, successors to Spode, in 1834. The plates were also made with brown, green, pink, and puce transfer scenes. They had acanthus leaf borders. These are called the Byron Views Series. Multicolored scenes like the one on your plate were made c.1931-1969. The center scenes are not the same as the older Byron series and the plates have grapevine borders. The twentieth-century plates sell for about $25-$35. A sandwich plate similar to yours recently was offered for sale for $67.

CENTENNIAL DESSERT SET

Q: My great-grandmother received a dessert set for 10 as a wedding present in 1896. We have 40 pieces, including a teapot, sugar and creamer, plates, and cups and saucers. It was manufactured by W.T. Copeland & Sons for J.M. Shaw & Co. New York. It says "A Memorial of the Centennial" and pictures George Washington. Are these worth anything?

A: W.T. Copeland & Sons was founded in 1847 in Stoke, Staffordshire, England. It became W.T. Copeland & Sons Ltd. in 1932. J.M. Shaw & Co. was an importer that sold Copeland's china in the 1870s. Your dessert set was made to commemorate the centennial of the United States in 1876. The set would be worth about $1,500 to $1,800 today because of the patriotic and commemorative decorations.

ABC PLATE

Q: I found this unmarked plate decorated with Benjamin Franklin's proverbs at an estate sale. It is 6 3/8 inches in diameter. Do you know who made it?

A: Children's alphabet plates, or ABC plates, were made by several potteries, including many in Staffordshire, England, beginning in the late eighteenth century and are still being made. They were popular until about 1860 and were used to help children learn to read. ABC plates were made of pottery, porcelain, metal, or glass. Most have embossed or printed letters around a central transfer design. Benjamin Franklin's maxims or proverbs and other "inspirational" sayings were often used on ABC plates. The same scene can be found on plates of different sizes. Benjamin Franklin wrote seventy-eight maxims or proverbs between 1733-1758 and published them in Poor Richard's Almanack under the title "The Way to Wealth." Mugs and other items were also made with alphabet decorations. The Staffordshire ABC plates sell for about $175. Perhaps we should still listen to Benjamin Franklin. The motto on this plate is: "For age and want save while you may. No morning sun lasts all the day."

HUMIDOR

Q: I would like to know what this was used for. The lid has a rubber seal and the finial seems to be brass. The whole thing is heavy. Can you explain the stampings on the bottom of it?

A: You have a humidor used to keep cigars fresh. The scene on the side is from the comic operetta "Les Cloches de Corneville" ("The Bells of Corneville"), which was first produced in Paris in 1877. Later it was made into a silent movie. The operetta was called "The Chimes of Normandy" when it opened in London and New York. It is one of the most popular French operettas and is still performed occasionally. We did a lot of research on the mark on your humidor and found a humidor like yours with a similar mark plus an additional mark that identifies the maker as Taylor, Tunnicliff & Co. The company was founded in 1867 by Thomas Taylor and William Tunnicliff in Hanley, Staffordshire, England. The pottery made humidors, biscuit jars, fairy lamp bases, and other items from 1868 to 1898. After 1898 the company specialized in making ceramics for the electrical industry. The company is now called Taylor Tunnicliff Ltd. and is located in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. The A.F.C mark on your humidor is a mystery. It may be the artist's mark. Your humidor is worth about $150.

MY FIRST FRANCISCAN WARE

Q: I have used a set of Franciscan Apple dishes for over 60 years and my mother used them before me. I have one 8-inch plate that is marked "this is my first piece of Franciscan Ware." Can you tell me when these dishes were first made and why "this is my first" is stamped on one?

A: A piece of Franciscan Ware was given to each girl graduating from high school in the Los Angeles area in the 1940s-50s, probably marked like yours. We have seen an Apple mug with the "this is my first" marking. Franciscan dinnerware was made by Gladding, McBean and Company of Glendale, California. Gladding, McBean was founded in 1875 and began selling dinnerware and art pottery under the name Franciscan Ware in 1934. Two of the most popular Franciscan patterns are Apple, introduced in 1940, and Desert Rose, introduced in 1941. They are both still being made. Franciscan became part of the Wedgwood Group in 1979 and production was moved to Staffordshire, England.

WOOD & SONS TEAPOT

Q: I've been collecting teapots for a while now, but I'm having trouble dating a couple of Wood & Sons teapots in my collection. Can you help me out?

A: Wood & Sons was founded in 1865 in Burslem, England, and operated potteries in several locations. Wood owned shares in Ellgreave Pottery, founded in 1921, and eventually that company became part of Wood & Sons. The Ellgreave name was not used after 1978. Marks similar to the one on your teapot, with the names of Ralph, Aaron and Moses Wood, were made beginning in the late 1940s.

STUBBS AND KENT PLATTER

Q: This platter belonged to my wife's ancestors. Her grandmother said that it was brought over from England in the late 1700s or early 1800s. The mark on the back is Longport Stubbs & Kent. Can you tell me anything about the company?

A: Stubbs & Kent was a pottery located in Longport, Burslem, England c.1828-1830. A platter like yours sold at auction for $805 in 2008.

WH & CO.

Q: This mark is on a pitcher and bowl set given to me by my mother's family. I tried looking everywhere and can't find the mark. Can you identify the maker?

A: Yes, this mark was used by Whittaker, Heath & Co. from 1892 to 1898. The company made earthenware at Hallfield Pottery in Hanley, England. The pottery was built in 1882 and was operated by Whittaker, Edge & Co. until 1886, and by Whittaker & Co. from 1886 to 1892. So your set was made in the 19th century.

JAMES KENT OLD FOLEY

James Kent Old Foley

Q: I have a collection of James Kent Old Foley china in the Chinese Rose pattern. I'm trying to figure out how old the pieces are but I'm confused by the different marks. Can you tell me when these marks were used?

A: James Kent (Ltd.), Old Foley Pottery was established at Longton, Staffordshire, England in 1897 and was in business until c.1989. The name is now being used by another company in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. The clues we found indicate that "Ltd." was added to the company name in the mark in 1913. The words "Old Foley Pottery" were used after 1955 (first mark). The first and third marks shown here were used after 1955. The second mark was probably used between 1913 and 1918. The third mark with the word "Ltd." was probably used from 1950 to 1989. Chinese Rose pattern was made c.1897-1989.

GOOD NEWS FOR COLLECTORS

Because of the credit crunch an auction house in England has reduced the Buyer's Premium to 5 percent. We wonder if it reflects the name of the company, Haltemprice Auctions. (That really is their name, we checked.)

There may be problems with the economy but some collectors still can pay. A Babe Ruth game-worn hat from the Bustin' Babes barnstorming team auctioned at Heritage Auction Galleries, Oct. 17 for $131,450. Very little memorabilia exists from the 1920s barnstorming tour. The cap has Babe Ruth embroidered on the interior leather headband.

DANESBY WARE MARK

Danesby Ware Mark

Q: I found a lovely old vase with Danesby Ware marked on the bottom. What can you tell me about it?

A: Danesby Ware was made by Joseph Bourne & Son Ltd. of Denby, Derbyshire, England. Bourne began making salt-glazed pottery at Denby in 1809 and is still in business. At first the company operated under Bourne's name, but it is now known as The Denby Pottery Company. In the 1920s Denby began making decorative and giftware lines they called Danesby Ware.

ASBURY PARK PLATE

Asbury Park Plate

Q: Can you tell me the value of my old blue-gray souvenir plate picturing views of Asbury Park, New Jersey? The views show six different town landmarks. There are stars circling the plate's rim and at the top is the title, "Views of Asbury Park, N.J."

A: Many different potteries in England and the United States made American souvenir plates. The plates were immensely popular from the 1890s until World War I and show scenes from famous places like Niagara Falls and from small towns, too. Others picture historical events. The plates are often marked with the maker's name, the importer's name, or both. Rowland & Marsellus, a New York City importing company in business from about 1893 to 1937, sold at least three different Asbury Park plates. If yours was originally sold by Rowland and Marsellus, it should have a diamond-shaped mark on the back with "R&M Co." inside. Rowland & Marsellus imported plates, vases, cups, saucers, and other items from different potteries in the Staffordshire district of England, but the items were marked only with the Rowland & Marsellus mark. No matter which company made or imported your plate, it would sell for about $75 to $100.

VALUE HINT

Value Hint

If the name "England" (or that of some other country) appears, the dish was probably made after 1891, but it may have been made as early as 1887. The words "made in England" (or some other country) indicate the piece was made after 1914.

REPLICA INDIAN TREE?

Replica Indian Tree?

Q: I have a soup dish marked "Indian Tree Ridgway." How can I tell if it is a replica or the real thing?

A: It's not a replica. The Indian Tree pattern is based on a Chinese design from the 1700s. It was a popular design in the 19th and 20th centuries and was made by several different manufacturers, including Ridgway. Pottery marked "Ridgway" or "Ridgways" has been made in the Staffordshire district in England since 1808. Your dish is also marked "detergent proof," which means it was made after c.1944.