Sabin Plate

Q: Is Sabin China valuable? I have six dinner plates, salad plates, and cups and saucers and a serving bowl decorated with a picture of George & Martha Washington dancing and a man playing a flute in the background. The bottom is marked “S” inside a painter’s pallet and says “Warranted 22K.” There are no chips or cracks and the gold border pattern is still in good condition. Can you tell me where and when they were made and what their value may be?

 

A: Sabin China Co. was founded in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, by Sam Sabin and his brother-in-law, Leonard Berkowitz, in 1939. The company was sold to Mount Clemens Pottery of Mount Clemens, Mich., in 1967. Production ended in 1987. This is an unnamed pattern. The couple dancing, dressed in Colonial clothing, in a romantic setting are unidentified and not meant to represent George and Martha Washington. Retail prices online: plate, $10; cup and saucer, $18.

 

Strehla Vase

Q: Help Please! I’ve looked everywhere I can think of to identify the mark on this little vase. I can’t make out the words, and I don’t know if the impressed number is 806 or 908. The vase is about 5 inches tall. Any identification help will be very appreciated!

A: This mark was used by Strehla Keramik, a pottery founded in Strehla, Germany, in 1828. The town became part of East Germany in 1949 and the company was nationalized. It went out of business in 1989. A lot of the pottery was made for export. The word “Import” is stamped under the company name. The number on the bottom is the model number. Your vase was probably made after 1949. Small vases with no decorations sell for $50-$75.

 

Satsuma Ware Plate

Q: This platter has been in the family for many years and belonged to my great-great grandmother. It has a stamp on the back that says “Satsuma Solian Ware, Cobridge, England.”

A: Soho Pottery Ltd. started in Tunstall, Staffordshire, England, in 1901. The company’s Elder Works was located at Cobridge from 1906 to 1944. Satsuma is the pattern name. Don’t confuse this with the Japanese pottery known as Satsuma, which has a creamy beige crackled glaze and sells for high prices. Solian is a trade name first used about 1913. This mark was used beginning about 1930. Value of your platter is under $20. A Japanese Satsuma plate sold recently for $177.

 

 

Brown Duck Vase – Wales and Crown on Bottom

Q: What is the value of this brown duck vase? There is a crown and the word “Wales” on the bottom of the vase.

A: This mark was used by the New York Merchandise Co., Inc., which imported inexpensive pottery and other items from Japan. The company was in business in the 1950s and ’60s. Vases, tableware, figurines, and other pottery items were marked “Wales.” Black stickers like this were made with gold or silver print. Some printed marks were also used. Most Wales pottery sells online for under $20.

 

Australian Pottery

Q: I live in Australia and I have a beautiful piece of pottery and am curious to know its history as it belonged to my grandfather. Growing up I assumed he made it as he was a potter, but I recently looked at the underside and noticed this stamp with the initials “LB” and the word “pottery.” Can you tell me who made this?
 

A: This mark was used by Les Blakeborough, who was born in England in 1930 and immigrated to Australia in 1948. He was manager of Sturt Pottery in Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia, from 1960 to 1972, and head of the Ceramics Department at the Tasmanian School of Art from 1973 to 1981. He opened a studio in Mount Nelson, Tasmania, in 1974. Blakeborough moved to Sydney in 2010 and opened a studio at Coledale, New South Wales, in 2012. He is still active.

Talavera Espana

Q: This large bowl was found in our flower shop. My husband remembers his buyer telling him he purchased it in Europe, Italy or Spain in the 1960s. It’s 6 inches wide at the base, 16 inches at the top, and about 6 inches high. Can you tell me who made it?

A: The marks on the bottom of your bowl include the words “Talavera” and “España,” indicating it was made in Talavera de la Reina, a city in the province of Toledo, Spain. Pottery has been made in Talavera since the 15th century. The city is known for its earthenware majolica and has been called the “City of Pottery.” Several potters from Talavera set up workshops in Mexico in the 16th century. Talavera pottery is still being made in both Spain and Mexico. Your Talavera bowl was made in Spain. Since it’s marked with the country name, it was made after the McKinley Tariff Act was passed in 1891, and may have been made in the 1960s, about the time it was purchased. It is decorated in an earlier, traditional style.

Gilbert Valentin

Q: I inherited a vase with this mark on the bottom. My Aunt bought it in France several years ago. The mark says "G. Valentin Les Archanges, Vallauris" and has a drawing of a vase with wings and a cloud shape above it. Can you tell me about the maker?

A: This mark was used by Gilbert Valentin (1928-2001), born in Nancy, France. In 1950, he and his wife, Lilette, moved to Vallauris, France, and established their workshop Les Archanges (The Archangels). He made earthenware, enamels, panels, tiles, sundials, and sculptures and also did lithography and weaving. His wife also worked in ceramics. Pottery has been made in Vallauris for almost 2,000 years. It became a center for modern ceramists in the 1950s, after Picasso moved there in 1948.

Paden City Pottery Bak-Serv teapot

Q: I bought this Bak-Serv teapot for $5 at a flea market. The mark on the bottom is a bit faded, but it looks like it says “Oven Proof, Bak-Serv, Tested & Approved, Good Housekeeping Institute, Good Housekeeping Magazine” and “P.C.P. Co., Made in U.S.A.” I’d like to know more about it. Can you tell me who made it, how old it is, and what it’s worth?

A: The P.C.P. Co. mark was used by Paden City Pottery, which was in business in West Virginia from 1914 to 1953. The pottery’s Bak-Serv line was introduced in 1931. The Good Housekeeping "seal of approval" was first used in 1909. The star was added to the seal in 1929. A lawsuit claiming unfair competition was brought against Good Housekeeping magazine in 1939 and the words “Tested and Approved” were removed from the seal. You have a carafe with decal decorations that was made before the words were removed in 1939. There is little collector interest in Bak-Serv pieces. A carafe might sell for $25.

Cemar Pottery

Q: This small blue clay pot marked "Cemar" is from my mother's estate. It’s 3 1/4 inches tall and 4 inches wide. I’d like to find out if it has any value.

 

A: Cemar Clay Products Co. was in business in Los Angeles from about 1935 to 1957. It was founded by Cliff Malone and Paul Cauldwell, two former employees of Bauer Pottery. The company made art ware, figurines, and solid-color dinnerware. Some pieces are also marked with a design number. A vase like yours sells for about $15 to $20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark & Gutherz Pottery

Q: I own a ceramic pot that has a lid and an insert with a hole in the middle. The bottom of the pot is marked "Marx & Gutherz, Carlsbad" and "1813/69." Can you tell us what it was used for? We have guessed everything from a chamber pot (we're pretty sure it isn’t that) to a butter churn. Also, can you tell me when it was made and its value?

 

A: You have a "slop bucket" made in the late 19th century by Marx & Gutherz, a company founded in about 1876 by Maximilian Marx and Oscar Gutherz in Altrohlau, Bavaria (now Stara Role, Czech Republic). It was in business under that name until about 1889. The number on your pottery may be a decorator's number or a stock number. The contents of a chamber pot or wash basin were emptied into the bucket and carried outside. The splash bowl–the piece with the hole in the middle–kept the liquid from splashing out of the bucket. Your slop bucket originally had a woven wicker or rattan bail handle attached to the two lugs on the sides. It was used when carrying the bucket outside. Value: $100 to $150.