Marks on Mason Ware

Date Mark Miles Mason mark printed on porcelain (c.1800-1816) G.M. & C.J. Mason mark, usually printed (c.1813-1854) G.M & C.J. Mason mark transfer-printed on ironstone (after 1823) Charles James Mason & Company mark printed on ironstone (1829-1845)

Hints on Care of Pottery and Porcelain

Wash antique dishes in the same manner as you would any fine modern china. A dishwasher can handle anything that is not crazed or does not have gold decorations. These dishes must be washed by hand.

Toby Jugs

The Toby jug was named for Toby Philpot, a notorious drinker mentioned in a song written in 1761. The jug was shaped to resemble a seated person. Toby jugs were very popular from 1776 to 1825, but many later versions have been made. A jug shaped like a person’s head and shoulders is not a […]

Tiles

Decorative tiles have been made for centuries. Most popular with collectors are tin-glaze earthenware tiles, such as faience, delftware, and majolica. Tile making was brought to England from the Netherlands in the late sixteenth century. By the eighteenth century, Liverpool, London, and Bristol were the centers of tile making in England. Most designs copied Dutch […]

Shaving Mugs

Shaving mugs were most popular from 1860 to 1900. Many men went to the local barbershop each day for a shave. The shaving mug was kept for the patron in a mug case at the barbershop. Occupational shaving mugs were decorated with fire engines, milk wagons, or other easily identifiable trade items or with the […]

Mustache Cups

The flowing mustache became a feature of many men’s faces after the Mexican War ended in 1848. Proper care of a mustache included curlers, oil, dye, brushes, combs, and even nets that held it curled at night. After all his efforts to take care of his mustache, no man wanted to dip it in hot […]

Puzzle Jugs

Several types of puzzle jugs were made by the practical jokers of their times.One jug, the simplest of the puzzles, had a frog on the bottom. When the unwary tippler drank his grog, the frog appeared—a startling, lifelike visitor. Many hard drinkers must have had a real fright from this jug. Another type of jug […]

Pot Lids

Pot lids are china tops that were used on commercial soap, cosmetics, and mustache-wax boxes. The lids have become popular with collectors and are often framed and hung as a group. F. and R. Pratt Company made pot lids in Fenton, England, during the late 1840s. The first pot lid with a colored transfer print […]

Hot-Water Dishes

The hot-water dish looks like a covered soup bowl with a lower section that can be filled with water. Hot water was poured inside, and it kept the upper plate warm and the food hot. The hot-water dish was popular after 1830.

Fairings

Souvenirs have always been sold at fairs. Small trinket boxes and figurines called “fairings” were popular during the nineteenth century. Hundreds of designs were made during the 1855 to 1870 period, when the boxes were in great demand for pins, matches, and other small objects. The figurines were often sentimental gifts for a mother or […]