Q: This plate belonged to my great-grandmother. I can’t find this maker’s mark anywhere. Can you give me any information about the maker?
A: Beyer & Bock, a company in Volkstedt, Thuringia, Germany, used this mark from about 1927 to 1960. The company began as a porcelain decorating shop. Porcelain was made after 1890. Value of your plate, about $53.
Q: I have a vase that was given to my father, a physician, as payment for services more than 60 years ago. I’ve been dusting this thing for years, since I inherited the vase when my mother passed. It has a mark with a crown over some letters I can’t read and the word “Silesia.” I would like to know more about the vase so my daughter will be more informed. Can you tell me something about the maker and how old this might be?
A: Your vase was made by Porcelain Manufactory Hermann Ohme, a factory in business in Nieder Salzbrunn, Silesia, Germany (now Szczawienko, Poland) from 1882 to 1930. Ohme had a decorating studio in Waldenburg, Germany. The factory made dinner sets, household, hotel, and decorative porcelain for the European and U.S. market. The company concentrated on export porcelain after 1913, but went bankrupt in 1930 during the Great Depression. The mark includes the letter “O” above a fancy letter “H.” Variations of this mark were used. It was used with “Silesia” beneath it from 1900 to 1920.
Q: I have two ceramic figurines marked with a crown over a shield. Can you identify the maker?
A: This mark was used by Von Schierholz’s Porcelain Manufactory Plaue. The company started in Plaue, Thuringia, Germany, in 1817. It was originally called C.G. Schierholz & Son Porcelain Manufactory Plaue, but it became Von Schierholz’s about 1900, after the family was knighted. This crown and shield mark was used beginning about 1907.
Q: I received a tea set from my mother as she is starting to pass on a great deal of her collections. I found this mark on the bottom. Can you tell me who made this and how old is it?
A: Your tea set was made by “Bohemia” Ceramic Works AG. The company was in business in Neurohlau, Bohemia (now Nová Rose, Czech Republic), from 1921 until 1945. In 1940, the SS bought the company and a portion of its production was designated as gifts to SS newlyweds, bomb victims and the needy. The factory began making military items in 1942. Some prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp in Germany worked at the factory. The words “handpainted,” “made in” and the name “Czechoslovakia” tell age. “Made in” was usually used after 1915, “Czechoslovakia” was used from about 1920 until about 1939, and “handpainted” was first used about 1935.
Q: I have a plate with a glazed stamp on it that has the word “Trade” under two flags. Some of the letters are worn off but there is a letter “A” in the top left corner. The stamp is white and purple. Can you tell me who the maker is?
A: This mark was used by A.A. Vantine & Co., an import company founded by Ashley Abraham Vantine in New York City about 1870. The company, which called itself “The Oriental Store,” imported clothing, jewelry, perfume, pottery, toys, decorative items, and a variety of other things from Japan and China. Oriental rugs were imported from Turkey. Vantine’s eventually had branches in several cities and at least two factories in Japan. The company was in business until about 1951. This mark has a letter “A” in both top corners, a letter “V” in the bottom left corner, and “& Co” in the bottom right corner. The crossed flags are the Japanese flag and the Imperial Chinese flag, with the Turkish crescent moon and star between them. The company was bought by Arnold Rothstein, a mob drug dealer, in the 1920s. Because Vantine was well-known as an import business, customs officials didn’t search shipments to them thoroughly. It was a perfect front for smuggling operations.
Q: I found this set of pitcher and six tumblers at a flea market. They are marked “Keramos, Made in Austria.” Can you tell me the age of the set?
A: The triangular mark on your water set includes the initials “KWK,” which stand for Keramos Wiener Kunst-Keramik. It started in 1920 when a group of artists and disabled World War I veterans founded a ceramics workshop in Vienna, Austria, partly funded by the government. It merged with another porcelain works for veterans in 1924. The company bought Wiener Werkstatte’s molds when that factory closed in 1932. Brothers Rudolf and Heinrich Wolf ran it from 1941, giving it the long name Keramos, Wiener Kunstkeramik Und Porzellanmanufaktur Bruder Wolf (Keramos, Viennese Art Ceramics and Porcelain Manufactory Brothers Wolf.) The company closed in 1982. This triangular mark was used beginning about 1929.
Q: I bought this porcelain “egg” at a flea market in Charleston, South Carolina, about 17 years ago. It’s 11 inches high and 20 inches around. It’s marked on the back “L.F. Fine Porcelain, Limoges – P.R.C.” I’ve been unable to find any information about it and its approximate value. It’s in excellent condition. Can you help?
A: Porcelain has been made by several factories in Limoges, France, since the mid-nineteenth century. The McKinley Act, passed in 1891, mandated that all china, glass, leather, and metal goods imported into the United States be marked with the country of origin. Some sources claim the letters “P.R.C.” stand for the People’s Republic of China, which was established in 1949. Others think the letters are “P.R.G.” This image of Mary and the infant Jesus has been found on porcelain eggs of different sizes and is a decal decoration, not hand painted. It’s not possible to identify the maker, but your egg wasn’t made in Limoges, France, so it is considered “fake” Limoges. The mark is included on a list of marks used on fake Limoges boxes made in Asia. Price could be about $100 as a decorative object. Several have sold on eBay.
Q: This porcelain ballerina figurine is about 4 1/2 inches high. It’s marked “Made in Ireland” with a crown and the initials “MZ.” I haven’t seen any others like it in this size; they are all larger. She seems very old and her dress is starting to crumble.
A: Figurines like this are known as “Irish Dresden.” The lacy dress is called “Dresden lace.” It’s made by dipping real lace into a thin porcelain slip and applying it to the figurine before firing. The fabric burned away, leaving just the porcelain “lace.” The letter in the mark that looks like a “Z” is a sideways “V.” The “MV” mark was used by Muller & Co., which was founded by Anton Muller in Volkstedt, Thuringia, Germany, in 1907. The factory was destroyed during World War II and was rebuilt afterwards by Muller’s niece and her husband. The family moved the business to Ireland in 1962. The factory closed in 2009 but was reopened by the niece’s daughter in 2015. It’s now called Muller Volkstedt. Dresden lace figurines were made in several sizes. Since your figurine is marked “Made in Ireland,” it was made between 1962 and 2009. The “lace” on the dress is fragile and can be damaged by improper handling or cleaning. Dresden lace ballerinas sell for about $100 depending on size, but since the lace on your figurine is damaged, it would be hard to sell.
Q: Over 40 years ago, my in-laws returned from Germany with a china tea set for my wife. There are seven pieces in the set, including two cups and saucers. It survived unscathed all these years until my grandchildren recently found it. I’ve pieced the creamer back together, hoping to find a replacement before my wife notices the damage. This mark with the letters “LDBC” and “Bavaria” in a circle and “Made in Germany” is on the bottom. Someone said this is a “Bavarian Rose” design. Can you tell me where I might be able to find a replacement?
A: This is inexpensive china and the orange luster wasn’t popular for long. This mark was used by L.D.B. & Co., a New York company that imported china from Bavaria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and Limoges, France. You can contact a matching service like replacements.com to try to find a replacement creamer. You probably won’t be able to find an exact match, but they may be able to suggest a similar creamer that would work. Mix and match is in.
Q: What company used this mark with a crown, the initials “WL,” “1895,” and wreath? Also, any idea what this is?
A: This mark is sometimes wrongly attributed to William Lowe, who worked in Staffordshire, England, from 1874 to 1931. It’s much newer, however, and was used by Wong Lee International Co. in Hong Kong. The company was founded in 1995 and began exporting goods in 1999. A “Made in China” sticker has been found on some pieces along with the Wong Lee mark. Some sources think “1895” was used to commemorate the year the war between China and Japan ended. It may have been used just to make the goods seem older. The company is evidently no longer in business. Your decorative urn is worth $150 to $200.
