Antique Plate World

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Collecting antique bone china is a popular hobby among antique plate collectors these days. Naturally these antique plates are durable as they are made of strong clay mixed with bone ashes. However, over time, they can become prone to stains and dust. Beautiful pieces passed down from generation to generation should be treated with respect. The best maintenance is begins with cleaning them regularly.

There are a number of ways to clean antique plates; especially antique bone china. But the number one rule is not to put them in dishwashers. Dishwashing might save time and effort; however it can also damage plates over time, accelerating wear and tear and cause cracks. No matter how sturdy you think your antique bone china is, dishwashers can cause chipping and hairline cracks.

Dishwashing antique plate is a no-no, which leads us to the next rule. Wash your antique plates and antique bone china by hand. Yes, it takes more time and effort but it’s the safest way to make sure your plates don’t get damaged.
But it doesn’t end there. You might think you know how to hand wash plates, but antique plates need particular care. Extremely hot water and strong detergents have been known to wear away antique bone china patterns and show up hairline cracks or make them bigger.

Wash your antique bone china with warm water and a mild detergent. Carefully clean your plates removing all traces of sticking dust. If this doesn’t work try using baking soda which is one step up but still mild on bone china. Use soft cloth, never a scourer.

After hand washing, it’s time to dry your antique china. The best way to dry china is naturally but gentle wiping with a dry soft cloth is also a good alternative.
But what if you have a terrible stain that won’t budge using mile detergent or baking soda?

Secret Recipe to Remove Difficult Stains

Before you get out a scourer or discard your china altogether, try this Stain Removing Recipe. Make up a formula of 2 parts peroxide, and 1 part water. Using a q-tip, dab some of the solution on the stain. Gently rub until the stain is fully removed. This works most of the time and a great solution before seeking professional advice.

Preserving your antique plates is a must. Taking care of them, by cleaning them regularly and carefully, is the best way to keep them beautiful and useful for you, your family and friends to enjoy.

When you hear the word tea you instantly think of a group of British sitting around at “high tea” and sipping tea poured from a delicate china pot into matching delicate china cups. Oddly enough though, tea is anything but just British.

Antique teapots, antique tea sets and specialty porcelain tea sets have entered the world long ago but remain quite collectible for both the young and the young at heart with collectors all around the world.

Tea pots are actually a Western innovation, becoming widely noticed in the 19^th century. Some say it was created to mimic a small server for wine that the Chinese used, while others argue it mimics an Islamic pot used to serve coffee.

While the origins are argue, it is known that the English preferred mostly silver tea pots, which originally resembled coffee pots for many years, but later resemble what most of us know as the teapot of today’s style. Both styles of antique teapots are actually in museums in England.

More Antique Tea Pot Resources

At one point some didn’t care for the silver pots and began to use imported Chinese red stoneware to serve their tea. The pots originally were round in shape but later started coming in shapes and sizes of all types.

The novelty teapots quickly became a trend in the 19^th century as Minton introduced some intriguing teapots but not to be outdone by artistic flairs of many others, including Sadlers, the company of artist James Sadler, Beswick & Price’s, and Cardew to name a few. The creators, artists, companies, and individual exclusive pieces are all sought after for various reasons.

Today teapot collecting is quite an extensive and exclusive pastime for many. There are everything from part-time collectors to full fledged collectors who make a living finding, buying, trading, and selling these varied vessels.

Like any collection, beauty is in the eye of the beholder so what one might find to be “wonderful” another may find quite plain and unappealing. One thing is for sure, the more unique, the original creator, the less worn, the material used, and sometimes when it was created, some teapots can cost upwards of $50k. One Yixing brand teapot from China, created in 1995 sold for $75k.

Some collectors collect based upon brand name/creators only. Yixing is one of the most highly sought after teapots. However people from every walk of life can and have loved their teapot collection.

Simple designs to cute characters and copycats of original rare pots, all call to both the individual collector and the business collector. Magazines, Collectors’ books, calendars and hundreds of online pages dedicated to these varied and beautiful vessels we call Teapots.
Collectors should collect them for their love of the teapot and not just the value of an antique teapot or resale price on a tea set. Once you realize the fun and excitement in finding something that makes you smile, without the concern of the resale value, you will become a true teapot collector.

By Naomi West

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If you think that the china plate your grandmother passed down to you is an antique than you have to find out to know for sure one way or another. Try to think about how it came to be in your family. Did your family buy it from an auction sale it or did they acquire it at a flea market? Some individuals have purchased these simple items for a low price not understanding what they were.

One of the single ways that you will master the art of identifying these pieces is if you study them first. Invest in magazines or books that will help to teach you what you have to look for and what the most common pieces are. They will provide you with tips on how you can pick out a fake and methods used to determine where it came from.

After a bit of studying you can study the piece that you have. Look at it all over and try to find the mark of the manufacturer. This is normally settled on the bottom. This may be a number, symbol, or a name. Frequently when the manufacturer made each piece they will stamp or indent the mark that is on it.

Do a bit more research on the mark that you discovered to determine what era it was produced in. The art work and design have to also help to determine the year. This will assist you to understand not simply who made the piece but also how rare they might be. It will assist you to understand what materials were used to make it.

If you think that you have an antique teapot or plate than you will be ready for the last step. It is time to take it to an appraiser who will find out how special it is and how much it is worth. They can tell you what makes it particular or why it is a fake.

There are many of us who own an Antique Teapotor plate without realizing what it is. Learn how you can Identify Antiques and understand the value of them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Naomi_West

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The antique porcelain is basically held to be important because of its artistic and historical values. Because they usually come in expensive prices, they deserve to be well taken care of. Culturally speaking, these antique pieces are very significant. But then again human negligence along with a couple of natural disasters or accidents can cause them to get stained or worse, damaged.

Because collecting them is such a popular hobby, it matters that you know of the tips on how to make them last longer. When properly done, you can expect them to last longer that you can even pass them on to your next generation of kin.

The first rule in cleaning your antique porcelain is to never put it in a dishwasher. Sometimes you get so tied up with another task that you want the cleaning procedure to be immediately done. But if you have antique porcelain plates, the dishwasher can just damage them. You see, its temperature can get too hot and the prolonged exposure of your antique pieces to this kind of environment can wear them down and cause them to crack. Also, fragile pieces are more prone to chipping and cracking especially when they get all tossed around during the wash cycle.

Therefore, wash you antique plates by hand and use only warm water and mild detergent cleaner. Hot water and a very strong detergent can destroy the patterns. Avoid using anything abrasive. Use only a soft cloth. For heavy scrubbing, use the baking soda.

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Never rub the stains. Instead, create a solution of 1 part water and 2 parts peroxide. Use a q-tip to dab the solution.

If you want things done by a professional, you will be happy to note that there are actually shops that do this. Professional porcelain restoration is a course training that is offered in colleges and universities to train students in ceramic and porcelain restoration. The students are awarded certificates and diplomas and you can trust them to have the ample knowledge on restoring different materials aside from porcelain such as the majolica, ceramic, earthenware, terra cotta, plaster, and clay.

Anyhow, you can always find a shop that specializes in the restoration procedures that are definitely safe and worth applying to your antique porcelain collections. These professionals should be informed of the historical period of the item to be restored so as to be able to retain the surface and color patterns.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Imanuel_Mansoor_S

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Ironstone collectibles such as ironstone plates date back to when Charles James Mason registered ‘Patent Ironstone China’ for the Mason Family partnership in July 1813.

While the ‘Patent’ was real enough, trade marking and selling ironstone was a great marketing feat since it is not made of porcelain and the iron content less than half of one per cent, unlike Mason’s published recipe which describes in detail the ironstone and iron slag components.

Charles Mason went to great lengths to compete, misinform and even discredit the other 172 ironstone manufacturers in Staffordshire – many trading off the success of the Mason’s.

Mason’s plan proved to be a marketing triumph; the new ironstone was hard and durable while copying Oriental designs from Chinese porcelain imports. Everyone wanted it.

And they still do – so knowing what to look for is a great investment in time and money. Markings, collectability, history and pricing are all necessary in the landscape of ironstone.

While originally designed by Englishman Charles Mason it didn’t take long before there were other ironstone manufacturers to Mason to compete with. But Mason was considered the master of ironstone. Mason’s reputation was in part attributed to the way he sold his goods. Unlike most others selling either by catalog or door to door Mason auctioned his pieces.

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Ironstone remains highly collectible in the United States and around the world and start as low as thirty dollars to a few hundred dollars, even thousands for rarer items.

Markings on the bottom of each piece include words stamped such as CJ Mason & Co., M Mason, Fenton Stone Works, or Lane Delph as the more valuable manufacturers and often accompanied with markings of crowns or a coat of arms.

Other manufacturers of ironstone include Spode, Turner & Tomkinson, Wedgewood, Wood & Sons, J&G Meakin, T & R Boote and Birks Bros. & Seddon.

Scour the internet stores for information and pricing on ironstone china before making an expensive purchase. This knowledge will help you collect at the right price so you can continue collecting and enjoying your ironstone plates.

History

Charles Mason is credited with creating ironstone plates in the early eighteen hundreds and since he also designed antique bone china his designs and creations are highly collectible. But he was not alone in creating ironstone tableware, nor should they be confused with low cost dishes. Ironstone is also known by different names such as hotel china, white granite and semi-porcelain to name a few.

Today’s ironstone plates look great and hold up over time but are totally different to the antique ironstone dinnerware that is highly collectible.

Ironstone dinnerware has its roots like many things in mass marketing. The early 1800′s saw British potters experimenting to create an inexpensive dinnerware into the hands of the masses. This ironstone was refined earthenware but heavier and thicker than most porcelain.

Ironstone was given birth as the new ‘semi-porcelain’ of the time although as a refined earthenware is not true porcelain. It became popular in Great Britain first and then went viral in the United States where many ironstone potteries were thriving.

Ironstone was manufactured in Staffordshire, Great Britain where potters looked to improve dinnerware called pearlware. Charles Mason patented the term ‘ironstone’ in 1813. By 1820′s other local potters were producing the same transfer printed and hand decorated pieces but manufacturers discovered that their clientele preferred austere white dinnerware. Once the conquered the UK, America became their next target market.

Ironstone maker’s marks are normally a coat of arms and a crown of some kind. Unmarked pieces exist but without the entire dinner set it is difficult to determine whether they are genuine.

American Ironstone Dinnerware

At the time America had a small tableware pottery industry since most potteries focused on manufacturing bricks, tiles, stoneware and redware. The fashion for white ironstone dinnerware  meant potters could thrive without needing to know about hand painting or transfer printing.

New Jersey and the then Ohio had high quality clay and together with a highly developed transportation system made them the centers of American ironstone tableware production.

New Jersey

Ironstone production began in the late 1850′s and was marketed as ironstone china, white granite, hotel china and stone china and by the 1890′s a thriving industry was established.

Ohio (later New York)

This area began producing yellowware in the 1840′s but  by the 1870′s had moved on to ironstone dinnerware.  Two of the most famous brands from the region are Knowles, Taylor and Knowles and The Homer Laughlin China Company.

It is best to identify pieces by the maker’s mark found in the center of a piece’s base in under glaze black, dark blue or brown.

Following tradition, early American marks are similar to English marks, so research is needed to discover the origins of a piece. There are several guides available which can date maker’s mark and help identification.

Do not limit yourself to Mason antique plates but research and discover other ironstone manufacturers whose pieces will become more valuable with time.

Ironstone dishes also range in price starting from twenty dollars to anything over four hundred dollars. Today there are auctions, online auctions, forums and shows to help you buy pieces for your collection. Shows and forums give you access to knowledge on current pricing, condition and availability.

Ironstone plate collecting requires experience and lots of research but both these can be acquired over time. Ironstone antique plates are wonderfully collectible, great to decorate with and if you look to the UK and US there is also a great selection of ironstone plates to select from.

standing antique ashtray

Antique ashtray, pocket ashtrays and antique lighters are becoming more and more difficult to find.

Now that smoking is no longer fashionable, beautifully crafted antique ashtrays, pocket ashtrays and antique lighters are no longer used – yes, they are on their way out.

Which makes them the perfect antiques to collect.

Once a popular drawing room piece, highly decorated and adorned, antique ashtrays today are hidden away.

Unlike antique teacups or antique dishes that can still be used, ashtrays like smokers have been cast out – in the case of smokers – into the garden.

And you wouldn’t buy a beautiful antique just to stick it outside where it can get broken, forgotten and faded.

Would you?

But if you love to collect, this means these antiques are one of the best buys in the collecting market. And because no one else is collecting pocket ashtrays, antique lighters and antique ashtrays, you can select from the best for a fraction of their real antique value.

At one time antique ashtrays included simple pocket ashtrays carried in a ladies’ or gentleman’s purse or pocket. They were both practical and decorative according to your station and finances.

antique ashtray

Some drawing and smoking room ashtrays were so large that they were supported by hand crafted tables and stands made of brass or gilded iron. Often they were part of a smoking set housing tobacco, antique lighters, cigarettes and cigars which adorned living room tables in the best homes and gambling houses in Europe.

Ashtrays were manufactured in the shape of animals, flowers, hand painted and gilded in every shape and color. Later colored glass ashtrays became popular and decorated with scenes of flowers or landscapes. As tobacco became more accessible to the masses, ashtrays were manufactured in every type of material including metal, ceramic or glass.

Smoking and ashtrays were a fixed part of high society and had a style that reflected that elegance. Today ashtrays are scarce, plain – desperate to be invisible.

This has become the best time to collect ashtrays from the 1920’s when smoking was considered very chic and sophisticated. These ashtrays were made from bronze or pewter in often as standing ashtrays or tall ornaments. They are not quite antiques but will be before too long.

Don’t Forget The Souvenir Antique Ashtray

There is a raft of souvenir antique ashtrays that deserve mentioning. For a long time tourists doing the grand European tour purchased or stole ashtrays as souvenirs. Street bought ashtrays were fairly pedestrian but those prized from high class hotels were proof of visits made to grand cities and made the best gifts for friends and family back home.

These pieces are great collectibles if you ever find them.

Famous Ashtrays

Ashtrays owned by the rich and famous may not yet be classified as antique but are very close.

Marlene Dietrich had 23 ashtrays when she died, including souvenir ashtrays from Maxim’s in Paris, fetching more than $3,220 when sold at auction.

There are Frank Sinatra ashtrays so famous and in demand that a whole line of fakes have been created and seeping into the auction market for the unready and unsteady buyer.

Famous comedian George Burns left several ashtrays behind which brought in large amounts when sold.  One of his chipped glass ashtrays brought in more than $100 over the reserve of $250 others were sold for over $1,000.

If you are looking at collecting antique ashtrays this is the time to research and buy because the price of ashtrays is will only rise. Before too long the best ashtrays will no longer be classed as inexpensive. As usual keep your eye out for any markings on these pocket ashtrays, antique lighters and antique ashtrays by going to online auctions, garage sales and yard sales – you never know what you will find.

The best way to start collecting antique cups and saucers is by knowing everything about it. photo by http://flickr.com

Do you know the value of your antique cups and saucers?

 You may not know it but you could be in possession of rare heirlooms passed down by your great grandparents.  

In the world of rare antique finds, antique cups and saucers may not be on the list of Tomb Raiders or Indiana Jones but that doesn’t make them less rare, precious or collectible.   

So dust them off because if you know the value of them, the manufacturers history and the family history then collecting more antique cups and saucers and antique plates could become a lifelong pastime.   

It is important for an antique cup collector to know the value of each piece in your collection. And the best way to start it is by knowing its background and everything that surrounds it.  

Silverware and Porcelain 

While very early cups were made of silver for the wealthy, today these are expensive and not as easy to collect as porcelain. The huge variety of colors, shapes and manufacturers that produced porcelain tea sets makes collecting easy and inexpensive.Once you know the style of what you like, the era and what you will happily pay the hunt begins in every nook, cranny, antique and garage sale.  

More Than Just Display

Don’t neglect them – use them. Just think how many teas, coffee or hot chocolate were poured and drunk from these cups. How nostalgic to think that the antique cup you sip your hot chocolate from is the same one your grandmother drank tea with her friends or relatives.How many occasions, happy and sad were celebrated over a cup of tea or coffee? And nicer than pulling out a photo album.  

While many choose to display their antique cup collections as decorations, it shouldn’t be forgotten that these cups were designed to drink tea, hot chocolate or coffee. Wash With Care.   

When antique cups are used as a display they collect dust. If you use them to serve at an afternoon tea party they could be stained by tea or coffee.  

Either way, hand washing antique cups and saucers is the best way to preserve them. Putting them into a dishwasher is a great no-no. They may break, chip or discolor. If you are enjoying your antique collection then take good care of them and always wash them by hand.  

It Is Not About Money 

For collectors, antique cups and saucers is not about money. But money is important. The question is how valuable is this tea set and what are you willing to pay for it?  

Know the value of the cup before buying it. And the best way is by looking at its background. Asking questions about where it was made, which manufacturer, the year and the cups condition are essential.   

Heirlooms, Collecting And More 

The more you learn about antique cups and saucers, the more knowledge you gain and the more your passion and interest in collecting grows.  

So when adding to your collection of heirlooms whether from an antique shop or buying online the best advice is; buy what you like. That way if they never go up in value you will continue to enjoy your cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate.  

There are many antique cups and saucers out there, so are you ready to collect?