Mystery Tea Set Identified

Q: I have several pieces that all belong to the same set: a coffee pot, a small plate, a regular cup and saucer, and a demitasse cup and saucer, but at the moment, I’m particularly interested in the coffee pot.  Regarding provenance, these items belonged to the family of my wife’s former in-laws, who immigrated […]

Royal Winton Tea Set

Q: My mother gave me a 41-piece tea set as a gift. It’s a hand-painted set from England she bought at an antiques store in Canada. I can’t find any information on the maker. There are two different marks on the dishes, “Royal Winton Grimwades” and “Empire England.” The name “M. Chalmers” and “9-5-53” are written on each piece. Can you give me any information on the maker and value of the set?

A: Grimwades pottery started in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, in 1885. The company bought Winton Pottery and Stoke Pottery in 1900. Grimwades bought several other potteries, and the pottery names were sometimes used in Grimwades marks. Queen Mary bought a Winton tea set when she and King George V visited the pottery in 1913. The company began to use the name “Royal Winton” soon afterwards. It became the company’s trade name in 1929. Grimwades and the Royal Winton brand are now part of Duchess China 1888 of Stoke-on-Trent. Empire Porcelain Company was another pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, in business from 1895 to 1967. It had two factories, one of which may have originally belonged to Grimwades. Your Grimwades mark was used from about 1934 to 1950. The Empire mark on your dishes includes the date, indicating they were made in January 1953. The name “M. Chalmers” and date written on the dishes is a mystery. Perhaps they were a special order. Sets of dinnerware are hard to sell. If you want to sell them, try a local consignment shop.

Russian Tea Set

Q: I bought this Russian tea set — a teapot, sugar, 6 cups & saucers, and 5 glasses. It looks like the rims are 22K gold. The logo is mysterious. Can you tell me who made it?

A: Your tea set may have been made by the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory of St. Petersburg, Russia. The factory was the first porcelain factory in Russia, founded by a decree of Empress Elizabeth, Peter the Great’s daughter, in 1744. It became the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory in 1765. In 1918, after the Russian revolution began, it became the State Porcelain Factory. St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad in 1924 and the factory was renamed the Leningrad Porcelain Factory. The initials “LFZ” are for Leningradski Farforovyi Zavod, the name in Russian. The factory was privatized in 1993 and became the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory. The name of the factory was changed back to the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory in 2005. The company is still in business and uses a different mark with the same stylized Russian letters, “LFZ.” Your tea set was probably made after 1925. The code “1C” under the mark indicates the porcelain is first quality. The glasses are probably not part of the tea set. Russian tea glasses usually have a straight bottom so they can fit into a metal holder with a handle. Fake Lomonosov porcelain has been made in China and is being sold online. The company suggests contacting them before buying Lomonosov porcelain online and they will help identify the item so you can be sure it’s authentic. Contact information is listed on the company’s website (www.lomonosov-russia.com).

 

Japanese Tea Set

Q: My mother left me a tea set from Japan. It’s extremely delicate and is black matte with gold etchings. The bottom has a geisha lithophane, but the mark on the plates are symbols I have no idea how to research. How can I find out more about it?

A: Your tea set is Kutani porcelain, which was made by several different potteries in an area of Japan that is now part of the Ishikawa Prefecture. “Kutani” means “Nine Valleys,” the name of a village in the area. Kutani was first made in 1656 but most that is found today is from the nineteenth century. Items made for export to the United States had to be marked with the country of origin after 1891, so your tea set was made before that or was not made for export. You can find tea sets and other pieces in this pattern offered for sale online, both with and without lithophanes. Lithophanes are made by casting clay in layers of various thicknesses so the picture shows when the piece is held to the light. This mark is from the mid-twentieth century. The tea set may have been brought back by a tourist or a returning soldier after World War II and didn’t need the country of origin mark.

Hall Rose Parade

Q: My mother left me an antique tea set that is at least 100 years old. It was handed down to her. It’s marked “Hall’s Superior Quality Kitchenware, Made in U.S.A., Rose Parade, 1259.” Could you please give me any information about this set and the possible value?

A: Your Hall China “tea set” is not 100 years old. This back stamp was used after 1932. Hall China Company introduced Rose Parade pattern china in the 1940s. It is a modern style made in cadet blue with white handles and interiors decorated with floral decals. Most were decorated with pink flowers, but blue and other colors can also be found. Several serving pieces were made in Rose Parade, including bakers, bean pots, bowls, casserole dishes, creamers, custard dishes, jugs, coffeepots, sugar bowls, and teapots.  A white decal-decorated spoon was also made. Hall started in East Liverpool, Ohio, in 1903. It joined with Homer Laughlin China to form HLC Inc. in 2010 and is still in business, now making commercial and institutional dinnerware and accessories. Price of the various pieces depends on size and rarity. Some pieces sell for under $5, while other big pieces sell for $50-$75.