Antique Plate World

Proven! Antique Tea Pots Slow Time! 

Most people would never consider antique teapots as important historical artifacts. But they are. They hold the key to many cultures; the way they spent their time, how they withdrew from the day, entertained and courted friendships and traded secrets. A lot like today.

Drinking tea and the tea ceremony give us relief during a busy day – even if for a moment. Of course, everything today is minimized and tea ceremonies consist of unceremoniously throwing a tea bag into a mug. This is nothing like ceremonies that other eras developed – but the shorthand is still there -pausing from the day.

Countries like China, Japan, England, India, Egypt, Russia and Germany have their own tea histories. Antique teapots provide proof and clues as to how people used tea in these different countries to conduct business, treaties, marriage contracts and gossip. Antique teapots sybmolized your life, status and position.

Today people collect antique teapots because of their visual or collectible appeal. And there are so many antique tea pot styles, designs and eras to choose from. From porcelain antique tea pots, Victorian teapots, cast iron or Japanese antique teapots you can find antique teapots in every color, shape, size and country.

While blue antique tea pots are well-known there are also antique bamboo teapots, antique bronze teapots, silver antique teapots, antique clay teapots, glass antique teapots, and even antique crystal teapots.

So in your quest for finding and collecting antique tea pots things to consider include:

1.            The era or period

2.            The maker or manufacturer

3.            Antique markings on the piece

4.            Uniqueness of design, color or shape of the lid, spout and body.

5.            Number in existence.

Some antique teapots have strainers built into the bottom of the teapot to prevent loose tea leaves from getting poured into teacups. Clever – and a design feature some modern tea pots have copied from these antique tea pots.

Some antique tea pots have strainers attached inside the spout but on the whole many without strainers at all.

Antique teapots may feel out of place next to the teabag world but they still serve a great purpose. For those who collect the pleasure ranges from uniqueness, color, design and even price.

For those who enjoy taking a moment to make tea in an antique teapot, whether it’s Staffordshire teapots, antique silver teapots or a yixing teapot, when they reach for an antique teapot they make time stand still. It’s may be an illusion but by using antique tea pots in your home you slow down the process of making tea into individual components. Each important for making tea and slowing down the day to collect yourself before you head off again.

I make tea in my antique teapot when I can; its antique Georgian made of sterling silver. My only complaint is that it’s too small because once I have poured two cups there is no third and I only have so much time to make tea.

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Staffordshire Pottery Marks

The Staffordshire Potteries refers to the area known in the 17th century for ceramic production. It consisted of six towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton.

Over 1500 pottery companies have operated in Stoke-on-Trent since the early 1700’s. The reason for the concentration of potteries was the local availability of clay, salt, coal and lead, which are all needed in the production of quality pottery.

Some companies only stayed in business for a few years while some have been operational for over 200 years. The distinction in the pottery is found in the Staffordshire pottery marks; they clearly identify the manufacturer and the time period when the ceramic or porcelain was produced and the pottery marks could be letters, crests or symbols on the bottom of the piece.

A popular ceramic and porcelain manufacturer was Wedgwood.

The first ceramic pieces circa 1860 – 1900 by Wedgwood used standard name-mark or impressed marks, "Wedgwood".

The Wedgwood mark changed many times within that same time period. Another printed mark read "ROYAL STONE CHINA WEDGWOOD & Co." and incorporated a printed mark of Royal Arms.

Another Wedgwood pottery mark circa 1890 – 1906 displayed a lion standing on a crown with banners circling above stating "SEMI ROYAL PORCELAIN" and the bottom banner reading, "WEDGEWOOD & CO. ENGLAND".

Another popular Staffordshire pottery was Spode. Spode was founded in 1767 by Joshua Spode who has been credited for the perfection of the formula of fine bone china.

The first pottery marks circa 1780-1790 by Spode were early impressed or printed mark in upper and lower case letter of the company name. In 1805 – 1833 Spode used typical printed marks. One pottery mark was written in script , "Spode’s Imperial". Another pottery mark read "Spode’s New Fayence".

Staffordshire pottery marks reflect the craftsmanship of these potteries and these marks indicate who and when these pieces of art were created. Today they are used to help to date and value a piece of English pottery from the area.

Author: Blake Hygate

Blake is the owner of a website that called AllEnglishpottery.com, which provides information on British based pottery makers as well as providing Pottery for Sale. Of course one of the most popular of all pottery from England is Staffordshire Pottery, which can also be found at AllEnglishPottery.com.

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Where to Find Discount Wedgwood China 

There is not a lot of discount Wedgwood China available, although, given the prices of some of the items in the line, any discount is greatly appreciated.

You might not think paying $50 for a plate is a discount, however, depending on the age of the particular item and the supply of pieces, $50 might seem like a discount.

You might not think of it but not every design, not every creation from the Wedgwood Company has been a smash hit.

Even the most successful companies in any field have products and designs that failed to catch on with the public and Wedgwood is no exception.

Not many people are aware that in the mid to late 20th Century, a lot of the actual production of Wedgwood China was farmed out to other factories and craftsmen for a variety of reasons.

Some of this product was less popular than other lines manufactured in the original premises. As a result there is a variety of less expensive, discount Wedgwood China available for the discerning shopper who must have Wedgwood and must have it at a bargain price.

These days you have to do your homework before you make any purchase of discount Wedgwood China or you’re very likely to get fleeced by an unscrupulous merchant.

With factories all over Asia churning out imitations of every designer line, there are items being advertised for sale as Wedgwood that aren’t; and there are items being advertised for sale as antique Wedgwood that also aren’t.

Unless you’re simply looking to fill in that missing piece from grandma’s collection and you don’t really care about dating or authenticity, then let the price be your guide.

However, if you are more of a purist who insists that his Wedgwood be real Wedgwood, then do your homework, learn the identifying characteristics of Wedgwood China and then go shopping.

Author: Max Bellamy

Wedgewood China provides detailed information about discontinued, antique, and discount fine china, plus fine china outlets, values, and history. Wedgewood China is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

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Decorating Your Kitchen With Antique Plates

Antique plates can add whimsy and interest to your decor. Many people hang them right on the walls for a unique look.

You can hang them up on special holders made just for this or use ribbons to hold them and hang from fancy hooks.

Learning how to arrange your plates so that they look best is key to making them a successful part of your wall dcor.

Lets say you have a beautiful antique platter that will go perfect in your kitchen. You run out to the store and get a hanging bracket, insert the plate and hang it on the wall over the server. Instant charm!

Pleased with your accomplishemnt you stand back. You tip your head to one side and then the other. Squinting, you take another look at the plate. Something doesn’t look right.

If you have ever found yourself dissatisfied with the appearance of the decorations on your walls you are not alone.

Many people make the same common mistakes that the eye can read as awkward but the individual does not know how to fix.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when arranging your plates as well decor:

Hanging Large Platters:

Large platters or chargers can be the focus of your dcor so you must make sure you hang them in a spot that is appropriate for the size and focus.

Where do larger pieces look the best?

Try above the server or dry sink, over a couch, behind the dining set, over a fireplace or on a feature wall.

A feature wall is where the placement of furniture or the layout of the home naturally guides the eye to a wall – a great place to feature your antique platters.

Hanging Small Plates:

Grouping smaller plates together in one area can add interest and keep them from getting ‘lost’. Use a common theme like, color, pattern or style to pull them together.

Hang a single smaller piece low on the wall and as close to the furniture as possible, otherwise it will seem to be floating.

Grouping Plates:

The key to grouping pieces together is to space them properly. Each item should be spaced about 3 inches away from the items on either side. Try positioning them on the floor or a table to get a pleasing arrangement before placing the nails and measure carefully before making any holes.

Height:

Plates should be hung with the center of the plate at eye level. That means the center should be about 60 to 66 inches from the floor. If you’ve visited a gallery you will see that the frames are not lined up by their top or bottom edges but that the pictures are all centered at the same height.

If the platter or plates will be viewed from a sitting position – like from the dining table, you should hang at the eye level of the sitter.

If you are hanging it behind the dry sink or server, make sure it is no more than 10′ above the back.

Using these tips you can transform your bare kitchen walls into a designer showcase with a unique focus on antique plates!

Author: Lee Dobbins

Lee Dobbins write for A Kitchen Decorating Idea Guide where you can find out more about decorating your kitchen. Don’t forget to visit the article database for more decorating ideas.

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Enrich Your Dinner With Antique Dishes and Kitchen 

Antique dishes exude a charm that makes your dining experience a truly classy one.

Such kitchenware is decades old and transports you back to the classic era. When you place these antique dishes on your dinner table, the entire ambience of the room changes. Time stands still.

You’re no longer in the modern, fast age. You actually begin to feel the vibes of ancient traditions.

Status Symbols

It’s no wonder that antique dishes are getting popular. They certainly are spectacular things to have on your dinner table.

People want to own them as a status symbol. Antique dishes add to the appeal of their kitchenware.

Anyone who values the art of dining knows how important these dishes are. People buy them no matter how expensive they might be. It’s not the cost that matters; it’s the pride of owning them that matters!

Bringing Alive The Heritage!

Visit any heritage hotel of your city and you’ll get a chance to dine in antique dishes. These are the oldest places that have managed to retain the rich and diverse legacy not only of kitchenware, but also of the entire culture.

Enter a Heritage Palace and you’ll be awed by the grandeur of the walls and furniture. As you make yourself comfortable on one of the classic dining chairs, you’ll notice that the dishes, set impeccably, invite you to a scrumptious dinner.

The notable feature of such palaces and hotels is that they serve you in a traditional style in various kinds of antique dishes.

Each hotel maintains its style of serving based on the heritage of the particular region.

Many hotels transform the entire interiors to create a replica of the ancient era. They use sheer white, embroidered tablecloths with complementary tablemats.

The antique dishes and plates are set on the table with attention to every detail and symmetry to lure the customers to dine on them.

Even the cutlery in many heritage hotels is antique, thus, maintaining the richness in serving style. The entire dinner table looks so inviting that even if you’re not hungry, you’d still sit for a glass of wine!

The Antique Matter

What’s the secret of the amazing durability of antique kitchenware? Well, it’s porcelain! This material is a blend of kaolin, which is white clay, and petuntse, a crystalline substance. Porcelain is hard, dense, and resistant to moisture, scratches, and stains. Most of the antique dishes that you admire for their flawless finish and low maintenance are made from porcelain.

Interested in antique kitchenware?

Internet is the best place to look for it. You can have a look at all the antique pieces, along with their price.

There is a vast collection of antique kitchenware and dishes available in different shapes and sizes. Some are so beautifully crafted; you just can’t help buy them!

Bring home a classic set of antique dishes and set them on your chic dinner table. You’ll get a perfect blend of antiquity and class.

Author: Julie Casper

Julie Casper has a whole collection of Antique Dishes and her friends thinks she is crazy for collecting so many. Come and see her fine China Dishes at her personally run blog site!

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What Is Jasperware And How To Date It? 

Jasperware is the form of pottery devised by Josiah Wedgwood which has a stoneware body and can either be white or coloured and comes in a matte finish.

As said it was first developed by Josiah Wedgwood and is most famously known in the popular blue and white versions, but it does come in many other colours.

The term ‘jasper’ came from the Greek word ‘iaspis’ which itself has oriental origins and is related to the Hebrew word ‘yaspeh’ which stands for an opaque variety of quartz which is usually coloured red, yellow or brown.

It is very difficult in some cases to date Jasperware and the rules below should help you when considering the age on any item of Jasperware that you are considering purchasing.

Firstly, most modern/vintage pieces, those that date from 1908 to the present date are usually marked with Wedgwood, Made in England.

But if you find that the marks are separated (Wedgwood Made in England) then the piece has probably made prior to 1970 and if the stamp is altogether then it is post 1970.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule for example smaller pieces such as thimbles or miniatures, often these pieces will only carry the stamp Wedgwood England because of their size in comparison to the stamp being used.

Items of Wedgwood which are pre 1908 will be marked Wedgwood England and although it will be separated the stamp will not be uniformed in shape.

There will also be letters accompanying the Wedgwood England which will help you to date items produced between 1891 and 1908.

Any items that were produced before 1891 will have a three letter dating code on them and this type of marking ran from about 1860 until 1891.

The letters used would represent the month in which the piece was produced, the potter who produced it and the year of its production in this order.

For example O stands for 1860, P for 1861 and so on.

Although this was not a fool proof system for dating purposes, because sometimes they overlapped and in some cases certain letters may provide you with possible dates for its production.

However, anything that was produced before 1860 will only be marked with Wedgwood and is normally accompanied by the potters marking and a single letter.

Author: Allison Thompson

Allison Thompson webmaster of several sites and a work from home mum who now lives in Spain. After a large amount of time carrying out large amounts of research on Wedgwood she decided to set up a site that is dedicated all things relating to this most sought after pottery and ceramics. If you would like to learn more then please visit http://www.wedgwood.householdfacts.info.

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Collecting and History of Blue Willow China List

THE HISTORY OF BLUE WILLOW

I have seen credit given for the willow china pattern given to at least two different people. One would be Thomas Turner who is said to have introduced the famous design in about 1780.

The original copper plate for his design was engraved by Thomas Minton and is still preserved at Coalport China.

The most reported story says that the willow design was the creation of Josiah Spode, a derivation of an original Chinese pattern called Mandarin. Spode developed his willow pattern sometime around 1790.

The traditional willow design always features a large beautiful Chinese home with a willow tree, small bridge with 3 figures, a humble servants house at the foot of the bridge, a small Chinese boat & of course the famous love birds above the willow tree.

The romantic lore of the design could have added to it’s popularity over the years.

The story goes something like this…….

Long ago, in the days when China was ruled by emperors, a Chinese mandarin, Tso Ling, lived in the magnificent pagoda under the branches of the apple tree on the right of the bridge, over which droops the famous willow tree, and in front of which is seen the graceful lines of the fence.

Tso Ling was the father of a beautiful girl, Kwang-se, who was the promised bride of an old but wealthy merchant.

The girl, however, fell in love with Chang, her father’s clerk. The lovers eloped across the sea to the cottage on the island.

The mandarin pursued and caught the lovers and was about to have them killed when the gods transformed them into a pair of turtle doves.

These are seen gazing into each other’s eyes at the top of the design.

A lengthy and old Staffordshire poem of the pattern concludes with the verse: "In the oft quoted plate two birds are perceived, High in the heaven above: These are the spirits of Chang and Kwang-se, A twin pair of ever in love".

Companies That Produce Willow China

Due to Spode’s obvious success with the Blue Willow design, many, many pottery & china companies went on to produce some version of it. Here is a list of manufacturers that I am familiar with that produced or still do produce Blue Willow.

Adams Adderly Alfred Meakin Allerton Barratt Booths Buffalo (restaurantware & hotelware) Burslem Churchill Coalport Cuthbertson Homer Laughlin John Maddox & Sons Johnson Brothers McCoy Pottery Myott Made in China Made in Holland Made in Japan Maruta Moriyama Pottery (Japan) Norcrest Ridgeway Royal China Royal Doulton Royal Wessex Scio Pottery (Ohio) Spode Staffordshire Syracuse China(Restaurantware & Hotelware) Wedgewood Wood & Sons

VARIETY OF WILLOW ITEMS

As the popularity of Blue Willow grew & grew over the years many companies begin to make a variety of merchandise to coordinate with the customer’s china pieces.

You can find just about anything in Blue Willow including but not limited to: glassware, wallpaper, linens , tablecloths & towels, flatware & cutlery, picture frames, piggy banks, cookware, enamelware, fabric, tins, needlepoint pillows & kits, planters, candles, switchplates, items for bed & bath, soap dishes, even paper products including paper plated & napkins!

Besides numerous price guides written to aid collectors, there is a child’s story book entitled BLUE WILLOW by Doris Gates. You might enjoy recipes from The Blue Willow Inn Bible of Southern Cooking.

In 2005 there was even an animated short movie made in New Zealand that tells Blue Willow’s story of love & family betrayal.

The willow design is also made in red (sometimes called red transferware, or pink willow), green, brown & multicolored.

There are many Blue Willow pieces now being made in China. These are nice pieces to fill in your collection with & much more reasonable than antique or vintage pieces.

There are sellers however that try to pass these newly produced items off as vintage or antique.

Be sure you are buying from a reputable sellers.Also be sure what you are buying is actually blue willow. I have seen Flow Blue, Blue Onion, Blue Calico & other Blue Transferware advertised as Blue Willow.

The most valuable Blue Willow items are the early English, Staffordshire & Spode pieces. The Mid Century Made in Japan pieces are growing in popularity as well & can command a good price on unusual styles.

 There are quite a few restaurantware collectors out there too, so the heavy restaurant weight china usually does well.

I hope this has given you a little insight into collecting Blue Willow China ~ Have Fun!

http://www.nanaluluslinensandhandkerchiefs.com/

Author: Luanne Oda

Luanne R Oda aka NANALULU nanaluluslinensandhandkerchiefs.com

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H&K Tunstall – The Delicious Dozen

Hollinshead and Kirkham, originally of Burslem in Staffordshire, moved their pottery works to nearby Tunstall in 1890.

They catered mainly for the middle class end of the market and, in the main, produced a range of conservatively designed dinner ware.

However in the economic slump following the First World War the company needed to do something to address their falling sales.

Designer Harold Growcott was their White Knight.

Growcott came up with a range of designs for hand painted porcelain that tapped into the growing interest in all things Art Deco.

The designs featured an abstract painted background of two or more colours on which bold fruit or floral designs were hand painted. The result was bold and exciting.

The Delicious Dozen as it came to be known was actually a range of 14 designs, but let’s not be pedantic about a good nickname.

The designs were applied to many of the existing pre-war shapes, to give them a new lease of life, as well as some fresh new shapes more in keeping with the Art Deco style.

Due to its similar subject matter and large bold painting style H&K has also been dubbed ‘Poor Man’s Moorcroft’ but if the prices I have had to pay for some of my pieces are anything to go by, that’s not a title that fits today’s collecting market.

This is the major collectible area for this pottery. Hey made many dinnerware designs, many of them very attractive but none of any real collector interest (except, of course to people who have a set handed down to them from their grandmother).

But the Delicious Dozen have become extremely popular in recent years and if you come across a piece you will understand why.

Author: Karen Bellamy

Karen Bellamy is a digital as well as a traditional scrapbooker from Australia. She writes the Scraps of Mind blog which she describes as: A feast of Scrapbooking information and tutorials for both the Digital Scrapbooker and the Traditional Paper Scrapbooker. Seasoned with Antiques & Collectibles, Music inspired, and Blog Presentation articles to add some extra spice. All served up with a light hearted and fun style.

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