Porcelain Archives

Ceramics

Whenever we are asked about what to collect, we always stress that you should collect what you like and what you want to live with. Fortunately, with the incredible diversity of ceramics available, everyone should be able to find an area they will enjoy. No matter your passion, whether it is Fiesta or a prized […]

Vienna Austria Vase

Q: I inherited this porcelain vase from my mother-in-law, but I know nothing about it. It’s about 13 inches tall and the base is about 4 inches wide. It is marked with a green crown with two shields. It’s signed, “M. Reiszmen, 1905.” Is this the artist? Can you provide any information about its history and possible value?

A: This green crown with two shields mark was used by four importers in New York City: P.H. Leonard (from about 1885 until 1898), Bawo & Dotter (1864 to about 1914), Charles L. Dwenger (before 1895 until after 1917), and Paul Staub (1915 until 1970). The mark was owned by Count Thun’s porcelain factory and used on Vienna porcelain. The factory started in Klosterle, Bohemia (now Klasterec, Czech Republic) in 1819 and is now operating as Thun Karlovarsky. Hand painting porcelain blanks was a popular hobby in United States in the early decades of the 20th century. The signature on your vase is likely the name of the amateur artist who decorated the vase. Vases similar to yours have recently sold for $50 to $120.

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles Vol. 48 No. 4 – December 2021

Christmas Postcards … Meissen Porcelain … Bakelite Jewelry … Old Storage Cupboards … Mechanical Pictures … Cool Mid-Century Design of Everyday Items … Marks on Dolls … Collector’s Gallery … Prices

Rare Meissen Smashes Record Prices

An incredible collection of rare 18th-century Meissen porcelain brought $15 million, seven times its pre-sale estimate, at a fall Sotheby’s auction in New York. The sale had more than 100 lots including boxes, canisters, tankards, figurines, dishes, coffeepots, tea ware, milk jugs, tureens, cane handles, clock cases, vases and scent bottles, most with Asian designs. […]

Zeh Scherzer Tea Set

Q: This tea set has been in our family for about 170 years. There are two marks on the bottom. Does it have any value other than sentimental? A: Your teapot, sugar and creamer are not quite as old as you think. This “Z.S. & Co., Bavaria” mark was used by Zeh, Scherzer & Co. […]

Unmasking the Goldscheider Ladies

Goldscheider Porcelain and Majolica Factory was founded in Vienna in 1895 by Friedrich Goldscheider (1845–1897). It produced decorative wares in Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles made of porcelain, earthenware, majolica and terra-cotta. Many were made for export. A recent sale by Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers of Essex, England, had 12 Goldscheider pottery masks picturing […]

Porcelain Plaque

Q: We inherited this porcelain picture. It has a few flaws, and the porcelain is chipped. The back is marked with a crown over the letter “N.” The picture is 5 inches high and 8 1/4 inches wide. Height including the wood frame is 7 inches by 10 1/4 inches. What can you tell us […]

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles September 2021 Newsletter Now Available

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter is available as a print subscription, or as a digital version that is included in the Kovels Knowledge and Kovels All Access memberships. Start your Kovels Knowledge Free Trial now or login.

Kovels’ September 2021 newsletter features Barbie dolls, mocha pottery, antique European porcelain, Scandinavian furniture and vintage oil cans, all with photos and prices.

Barbie dolls attracted collectors at an auction in Ohio and they are featured in a sale report in Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles September 2021 newsletter. Most desirable were vintage Barbies made from 1959 to 1969. See the top-priced Barbie, a 1960 example with a brunette ponytail and her original striped swimsuit that sold for over $1,200, as well as other limited edition models dressed in fashionable vintage clothing ensembles.

A recent auction in Chicago featured furniture by midcentury Scandinavian designers. Kovels’ September newsletter focuses on chairs and cabinets by the creative and prolific Danish designer Hans Wegner. A Flag Halyard chair designed by Wegner in 1950 took top price honors, finishing at $25,000. Readers will enjoy seeing other sleek yet functional Wegner pieces and their hefty auction prices.

Mocha pottery was among the cheapest ceramics available in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but not these days. It was made mostly around Staffordshire, England, used in simple homes and taverns, and exported to the young United States. Pieces were decorated in earthy colors with patterns that suggest cat’s eyes, earthworms, twigs, trees, and seaweed. Kovels’ September issue pictures mocha pitchers, bowls, mugs and other items that sold at auction in Pennsylvania from the low hundreds up to $13,000.

Think an old, rusted oil can is worthless? Well, think again! Kovels’ latest issue reports on vintage oil cans that sold at auction in Indiana. Old oil cans with interesting graphics appeal to collectors of “petroliana,” “automobilia,” and antique advertising. A bidder with deep pockets took home a 5-gallon Lincoln Motor Oil can with an image of Lincoln for $861. See some of the other motor oil cans and learn about the rating system used by enthusiasts to describe their condition.

A recent New York auction featured a single owner’s collection of European and Asian porcelain and ceramics. Amassed over decades, the collection included early European porcelain examples from many of the most prominent makers of the 1700s. Kovels’ September newsletter pictures an assortment of porcelain items related to tea service—tea cups, teapots and a tea canister among them—along with their auction prices and a Dictionary of Marks that lists identifying marks.

Terry shares a peek at the newest Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2022 which will be available at bookstores and Kovels.com later this month. Read about the Miami museum founder and collector who visited Cleveland, becoming an enthusiastic admirer of all the city has to offer, and see some of his favorite sites. The illustrated Collector’s Gallery answers readers’ questions about a mandolin harp, an elaborate porcelain picture, a Norman Rockwell print of Abraham Lincoln, and a Lincoln rocker. And more than 70 antiques and collectibles are listed in the September Buyer’s Price Guide.

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles September 2021 Newsletter

Arzberg Coffeepot

Q: I have a porcelain coffeepot that was my mother’s, so I know it’s at least 50 years old. There are two marks on the bottom. One is a circle with “Germany” and then another circle inside that. The other mark is a crown above a shield with the initials “P” and “A” in opposite corners and “Arzberg, Bavaria” below the shield. I’d like to know what it’s worth.

A: This shield mark with initials was used by porcelain factory Arzberg, Bavaria, Germany. The factory operated under various names and owners starting about 1887. It was called Porzellanfabrik Arzberg (Porcelain Factory Arzberg) beginning in 1927. This mark was used from 1927 to 1946. Arzberg Porcelain has been part of Rosenthal GmbH since 2015. A similar Arzberg coffeepot sold for $30.

July 2021 Prices

ADVERTISING Dispenser, Curtis Baby Ruth Chocolate Fudge, warmer, removable china insert, flip top lid, tin body, red paint, aluminum Baby Ruth tag, ladle, paper tag on bottom, No. 3, instructions, Fountain Maid, Chicago, 9 x 6 in., $230 Tin, Thurber’s Best Yeast Power, revolving cylinder for different spices, lithograph, woman in oval, red & black, […]