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Antiques Q&A, Part I

© Barbara Nicholson Bell

In the last article, I solicited questions from readers, which would become the basis of succeeding articles based on my responses to these questions.

Well, dear readers, no one has sent a single question. I'm at a loss to understand why, as you haven't hesitated in the past to send me your inquiries regarding your collectibles and antiques. Perhaps you are shy?

There are four weeks left, of course, for you to send me your requests for information. To give you an idea as to the kinds of questions (and answers) you can send me, I will adapt some past correspondence as examples. As I do not have permission to quote from the e-mail, I must turn them into generic information requests. But my responses are the same as I sent to the inquirer at the time.

Terminology
New collectors often have questions about the basics.

I just began looking at advertising and movie posters from the 1960's. I am confused by the terms "vintage" and "first printing"?

The simplest answer is that "vintage" refers to age or era - i.e., printed during the actual year or years as the event or movie happened. Posters from the 1960's rock concerts would be "vintage 1960's" posters.

Vintage also usually means that the item is not over 100 years old, when it would be officially "antique". Think of wine "vintages" which refer to the year in which the wine grapes were harvested. The harvest date is the important fact about the wine.

First printing means just what it says: it is the original, often limited to small numbers, and not a reproduction or later/larger re-issue. It doesn't refer to age, other than that it is dated as the actual date of the event or movie's release date.

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Maker's Marks on Pottery
One of the most important tools for identifying the manufacturer of a piece of china or pottery, is the mark on the reverse. What can it tell you, or not tell you?

I have a set of china which I inherited from my grandmother. The only mark on the bottoms is the pattern's name. I'm enclosing a picture of the mark. I have been told [by a museum in England] that it might be Staffordshire. Can you help me find out the manufacturer?

I've searched through my reference books, and done an extensive search on the Web, to no avail. The one thing I might suggest (in spite of the interesting information received from the museum) is that it is not Staffordshire at all, but American. The reason I suggest this is that British manufacturers were religious about putting their registered mark on the back of the piece. Every known Staffordshire pottery can be traced back to its origins, by the marks. (For example, Mason's became Morley became Ashworth became Ridgway became Wedgwood!) A piece that doesn't have a patent mark, Registry mark, or manufacturer's mark, would be very rare. Even in the 18th century, factories all over Europe used unique marks.

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