where the white ware was made and another from the factory where the piece was decorated. Many Limoges items were sold as blanks and decorated by housewives and hobbyists. Pieces hand-painted in the factory are worth more than either transfer pieces or those decorated by an amateur. An artist's signature and date further enhance a piece. There are lists of Limoges marks that will acquaint you with the various dates when they were used.
LOCKE ART
This etched glass was made during the late 1800s and early 1900s by Joseph Locke in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most of his pieces are marked either Joseph Locke, Jo Locke, or Locke Art You may have to hunt for the mark, as it was usually hidden in the pattern of the glass.
LUSTER WARE
Although lusterware has been made since the 1500s, the examples you're apt to run across at flea markets and auctions were produced from the late 1800s until the present. This shiny metallic finish comes in copper, silver, gold, and pink and is often used in combination with flowers, scenes, or geometric designs.
MAJOLICA
Much of this usually highly colorful pottery, which is glazed with a tin enamel, isn't marked. The Majolica that we know today and that you're liable to encounter at auctions, flea markets, and occasional garage sales dates from the mid-1800s through the 1930s, although some is still being made. It's safe for the novice to stick to pieces that bear the backstamps Etruscan, Avalon, or Clifton. You may find plates, pitchers, umbrella stands, tea sets, and a number of other items made from Majolica. The soft clay from which Majolica was fashioned made it quite vulnerable, and many of the older, more desirable pieces have a chip here or there. Majolica is one of the few categories of antiques in which a damaged piece is still quite valuable. Of course, a mint piece is better.
MARBLEHEAD POTTERY
This pottery was developed as occupational therapy for patients in a hospital in Marblehead, Massachusetts, around the turn of the century. The baskets, bowls, tiles, vases, etc., mostly decorated with marine designs, were so well accepted that within two years the pottery separated from the hospital. The factory continued until the mid-19308 when it was closed. Marblehead pottery is highly prized. It's marked with a stylized sailing ship flanked by an M and a P and enclosed in a circle.
MONMOUTH POTTERY
Cookie jars, vases, pitchers, dishes, and many other useful items were produced in Illinois by the Monmouth Pottery Company, starting in 1892. In 1906 the Western Stoneware Company incorporated Monmouth. The wares made before 1930 are sought. These mostly moderately priced items are marked with a maple leaf.
NEWCOMB POTTERY
This pottery, started by students at Newcomb College in New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 1800s, produced art pottery until the 1940s. Most pieces had a matte finish and an incised decoration. It is highly prized and easily recognizable by the initials NC. Many pieces were initialed by the artists who designed them.
NIPPON PORCELAIN
From 1891 until 1921, many Japanese companies marked their porcelain with the word Nippon, meaning Japan. This was used in conjunction with a great many other marks that identified the individual factories. Several forgeries of these marks have been found in recent years. The maple leaf mark and the rising sun mark are two that have been used on newer items. But the recent marks are easy to identify if you familiarize yourself with the original rising sun and maple leaf marks. After 1921, the word Japan replaced Nippon.
NORTHWOOD
With factories in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Wheeling, West Virginia, Harry Northwood produced many types of glass from 1902 until his death in 1923 when his factories closed. Although the name Northwood is usually associated with carnival glass, the Harry Northwood Glass Company also produced goofus glass (a glass with the pattern embossed on the reverse side then painted, usually in gold and red) and custard glass (which was so named, because its texture resembles that of the pudding). Many Northwood pieces are marked with an N that is underlined. This is easily seen by holding the article up to a light.
ORREFORS GLASS
While much of the Orrefors glass that surfaces at auctions and occasionally at flea markets is quite new, the Orrefors factory has produced high quality perfume bottles, plates, vases, etc., since 1898. This Swedish glass is heavy, sometimes etched, and is generally signed with the name Orrefors.
OYSTER PLATES
Produced by a number of manufacturers and varying greatly in quality, oyster plates were generally made to hold six oysters. These plates have indentations the size and shape of oysters. They were used extensively during the late 1880s when there was a special type of plate or receptacle for almost every food that was served.
PIRKENHAMMER
This porcelain, backstamped with the mark of two crossed hammers, was made in Bohemia during the early 1800s. The Pirkenhammer Company produced tablewares and lithopanes, usually decorated with either a scenic design or floral theme.
QUIMPER
Made in Quimper, France, in three factories, this tin-glazed pottery is hand-decorated and features flower and peasant designs. The mark usually includes the word Quimper. The earliest Quimper was known as H B Quimper and was first produced in 1685; Porquier was founded in 1772 and is marked with an AP or P; H R Quimper came along in 1778. By 1968 the three companies had merged, and in 1984 were sold to a United States firm that operates as Les Faienceries de Quimper.
ROOKWOOD POTTERY
This very desirable art pottery is easily identified by a backstamp depicting a flame with a reverse R flanked by a P. Examples without numbers were produced from 1880 until 1900. Numbered pieces were made from 1900 until 1960. Some Rookwood molds have been used recently, but the items are clearly marked as reproductions.
ROYAL COPENHAGEN
Many items, including candlesticks, vases, and bowls, have been produced by this pottery, founded in Denmark in 1772. They are best known for the blue and white plates they produce annually and for their figurines. Pieces are marked with a crown over three wavy lines.
ROYAL CROWN DERBY PORCELAIN
Founded in the late 1800s, Royal Crown Derby porcelain was the first in a group of companies that now includes Worcester, Crown Derby, and Derby porcelains. Pieces made before 1921 will not have the words Made in England in the backstamp. The cups, dishes, pitchers, vases, etc., are marked with a crown and the company name.
SILESIA
Porcelain made at the Reinhold Schlegelmilch factory in Tillowitz, Germany, from about 1915 until 1935 is marked R. S. Silesia. Silesia was made by the same family that produced R. S. Germany and R. S. Prussia.
STEVENS AND WILLIAMS GLASS
Art glass, cameo glass, and etched glass were produced in Stourbridge, England, by the Stevens and Williams Company between 1830 and 1930. Intricately decorated pieces depicting works of nature such as flowers, trees, and leaves were the most popular. Many Stevens and Williams items are marked with an 5 and a W.
Furniture
While American-made furniture is more popular in most parts of this country than furniture made elsewhere, there is always a market for the better examples of any period, regardless of their origins. Much furniture has been reproduced, so it's important before making a purchase to arm yourself with as much knowledge as
