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.

 

Gustavsberg

The twentieth-century ceramics made by the Gustavsberg factory in Sweden were in the art deco style. Best-known is the 1930s Argenta Ware, green or blue glazed stoneware with silver-inlay decorations. The company was founded in 1827 near Stockholm, Sweden. At first it made transfer-printed creamware in the English style and, by the 1860s, majolica. Bone […]

Minton

Thomas Minton, after working for other potters, started his own firm in Stoke-on-Trent in 1793. The family business made a wide variety of tablewares and decorative pieces. By 1846 it was making Parian ware, and later it made majolica, tiles, bone china, and art pottery. From 1873 to about 1912, the name on the mark […]