S M Chodziez ABC Plate

Q: I’m from Holland and would like information about this plate. It’s marked with the initials “S” and “M” and a word that looks like “chorziez.” Do you know where it was made and what it’s worth?

 

A: The blurry word is Chodziez, a town in northwest Poland. In the early years, Chodziez was part of Prussia and in 1879 the name became Kolmar in Posen. The initials on this mark stand for Stanislaw Manczak, a Polish goldsmith who became the owner of the Kolmar porcelain factory in 1921. He sold the factory in the late 1930s and it was taken over by the German government during World War II. The Kolmar Porcelain Factory was under private ownership again after 1992 and is now in business as Zakłady Porcelany i Porcelitu Chodzież S.A. This mark was used from 1922 to 1936. The value of your plate is minimal because it has two large chips, a small crack and several “dings.” If perfect, it might sell for $50 to an alphabet plate collector.

 

ABC Plate

Q: This plate belonged to my father when he was a young boy. In the center there is a picture of two little girls having tea. The alphabet in raised letters is around the outer edge and hands signing the alphabet are around the inside edge. The markings on the back of the plate are “Haynsley & Co., Longton” and “RON 426673.” I would like to know more about this plate.

A: ABC plates have a raised or printed border of letters of the alphabet that were meant to help children learn to read. They were especially popular in the 1800s, but are still being made. Your plate was made not made by Haynsley, but by H. Aynsley & Co. of Longton, England. The company was founded in 1873. The initials on the backstamp are RdNo and the numbers that follow indicate the registry number for the design, shape, color, or pattern. The number on your plate indicates it was probably made c.1916. Alphabet plates with sign language and letters are prized. Yours is worth about $250.

Aynsley ABC Plate

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