Antique Plate World

Local Resources

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.

Related Information

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.

photo by http://www.flickr.com

Would you use an antique plate every day and night? For most people plates are just another kitchen utensil used during mealtime.

But for others plates are more than utensils particularly if they are antique bone china passed down from generation to generation.

Your great grandmother handed it to your grandmother. Your grandmother passed it down to your mother. And now, the plates are under your care.

The length of time the plates stayed in your family could establish them as antique plates. Are you using valuable antique bone china every night and don’t know it?

Well, it is time for you to take your antique plates and dishes out of the cabinet and discover how much that antique bone china is worth – in dollars and historical value. But most of all, it is time to learn how to lengthen their shelf life, so you can hand them down to the next generation looking great and in great working order.

Putting Value On Plate

•Play inspector. Imperfections found on antique bone china created by the manufactures should not disturb you. What is important is if our antique plates have cracks, stains and discoloration due to incorrect use. Check the designs. Take note if they are stamped, hand-painted or a combination of both. Stamped designs were popular after the 1900s.

•Look for the MARK. Manufacturers or makers of antique bone china still leave a logo or mark on almost every piece they produce. It may include the series where the plate is included or even the date when the plate was created. If you antique plates have marks – what do they mean and what does that tell you?

•Check out sources. Investigate online stores that can provide you with more information about the manufacturing company. If the name of the manufacturer cannot be found, refer to the logo instead. There are certain sites online that can provide you with manufacturer’s logo. You may want to compare it with the one found on your plate.

•Ready for appraising. Now you hold the basic information you need about your antique bone china. It is time to visit a couple of appraisers to judge the condition and quality of your plate.

Increasing Shelf Life

To extend the life of you antique plates so you can display them or hand them down to your future offspring,

photo by http://www.flickr.com

here are some ways to do just that.

• Put them inside a secure chest or cabinet so that no one can touch them. I personally don’t like this point unless you plan to see your antique bone china I think you should use them – even if only on special occasions.
• Whether using your antique plates regularly or leaving them as a display – wash them regularly so they do get food, dust and dirt stains on them.
• Never place antique pieces in the dishwasher. You run the risk of breaking them or stripping the designs from them.

Antique plates are great dinnerware and display, something of real value you can sell if you ever need to. For most people antique bone china is a great way to preserve family history.

If you’re interested in collecting, buying or selling antique plates and antique bone china then you should build your knowledge over different periods, styles, fashions and manufacturers. The more you learn about antiques the more you’ll know what you like and collect.