Shamrocks Everywhere! Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day With Belleek

This week, everyone will be Irish (even if they aren’t) as Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated with parades and lots and lots and lots of shamrocks. Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, thought to be the day the patron saint of Ireland died.

While beer served in hearty mugs might be the beverage of choice on this day, nothing is as iconically Irish as Belleek pottery decorated with delicate shamrocks on a basket-weave texture. It was designed in the 1880s by artist Frederick Slater to portray the “essence of Ireland.” The pattern is based on the weave used in wickerwork baskets commonly found throughout Ireland. The design also uses the stems of the shamrocks to shape such features as the handles and details of the design. Belleek Pottery Limited in County Fermanagh, Ireland, has made Belleek pottery since 1863. The firm, which is still working, gained the legal right to use the name “Belleek” as part of its trademark in 1929. No other companies may use the word “Belleek” with a capital “B” as part of their mark or advertising

If you are a budding collector of shamrock-patterned Belleek here are some things to know: Belleek made in Ireland is marked with an Irish wolfhound, a harp, a round tower, and a shamrock with the name Belleek imprinted on it. This mark can be green, brown, black, red or blue. The words “Belleek-Fermanagh” were also used. Factories in the United States produced belleek (notice the lowercase “b”), but the designs are easily distinguished from the Irish products.

 

 

Aynsley Eggcup

Q: Can you tell me the age of an Aynsley eggcup in the shamrock pattern?

A: John Aynsley established a pottery in Longton, Staffordshire, England, in 1775. He made printed earthenware. His son joined the business and the name became John Aynsley & Sons (Ltd.) in 1864. The factory began making bone china. “England” was added to the company’s mark in 1891. The words “Made in” were added after 1915. Waterford bought the pottery in 1970 and changed the name to Aynsley China Ltd. It was sold to the Belleek Group in 1997. The factory in England closed in December 2014 and production shifted to China. Aynsley is still a brand owned by Belleek. Eggcups sell for about $15 to $25.

 

Luck of the Irish To You! Shamrock Collectibles 

Break out the green! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! There were celebrations in Ireland for centuries, but it was not until 1762 that America held a celebration and parade in New York City. By the 1840s, the parades had become an annual event to remember the saint. Gradually, Irish immigrants realized that the parade was a show of numbers of voters and the parades became more political. Today, the day is best known for shamrocks, church in the morning, parades, music and green beer. While this year’s celebration will be different, there is no doubt the symbols of the day will still be everywhere!  

If you are looking for St. Patrick’s Day collectibles, collectors like shamrocks and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Vintage Irish Belleek pottery with shamrocks in good condition sell well.

Other ceramics, like this “Dooley” beer stein (of the pair Schultz & Dooley, advertising character steins used in commercials and promotional items for Utica Club Beer) also picture shamrocks, and their prices are based on rarity and condition. The stein is marked “Western Germany.” Pottery marked West or Western Germany was made from 1949 to 1990.

Since the shamrock is a popular Irish symbol, you can also buy a live shamrock plant to enjoy! 

 

 

Willets Manufacturing Company (1879–C.1912)

Three brothers, Joseph, Daniel, and Edmund R. Willets, founded the Willets Manufacturing Company in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1879. The company made belleek, often hand painted, in the late 1880s and 1890s in shapes similar to those used by the Irish Belleek factory. Willets also made white graniteware, majolica, semiporcelain, and porcelain toilet sets, dishes, […]

Belleek Pottery

Q: I bought a Belleek creamer and sugar bowl decorated with yellow ribbon and bow back in the 1960s. The marks has a circle ”R” over a harp and the words ”Belleek, Ireland” and ”Deanta in Eirinn, Reg. No. 0857.” The sugar bowl has a green mark and the creamer a black mark. Why are the marks different colors?

A: The black mark with the words Deanta in Eirinn was used from 1926 to 1946. The green mark that is the same, except for the color, was used from 1946 to 1955.  A sugar and creamer pair usually have the same marks since they were bought at the same time. Belleek made some patterns for many years and you may have a replacement for a broken piece.