Pottery and porcelain marks
How to read and date pottery and porcelain marks: Meissen, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Noritake, Limoges, Fiesta and more, with what each mark can and cannot tell you.
Mark histories come from maker archives, museum collections and published reference works listed on each page. A mark dates a piece only roughly; shape, decoration and body confirm it.
- How to identify pottery marks and date a piece from its backstampHow to identify pottery marks: impressed vs printed vs painted marks, under or over the glaze, country names after 1891, British registration diamonds and Rd numbers.
- Meissen marks: dating the crossed swords and spotting imitationsMeissen marks explained: how the blue crossed swords changed by period, the AR monogram, grinding cuts on seconds, and how to spot Samson and other imitations.
- Wedgwood marks: how to read the impressed name and date codesHow to date Wedgwood marks: impressed WEDGWOOD, Wedgwood & Bentley, three-letter date codes from 1860, ENGLAND from 1891, MADE IN ENGLAND and the Wedgewood imitation.
- Royal Doulton marks: how to identify and date DoultonHow to read Royal Doulton marks: Doulton Lambeth and Burslem marks, the Royal title from 1901, the lion and crown backstamp, HN figure numbers and Rd numbers.
- Noritake marks: dating Nippon, Japan and Occupied Japan backstampsHow to date Noritake and Nippon porcelain marks: Morimura and Nippon Toki history, Nippon 1891–1921, Made in Japan, Occupied Japan 1947–1952 and fake Nippon backstamps.
- Limoges marks: how to tell who made and who decorated your porcelainHow to read Limoges porcelain marks: Limoges is a place, not a maker. Factory marks under the glaze vs decorator marks over it, Haviland, France and Déposé.
- Fiesta dinnerware marks: vintage or post-86, and what about the red?How to tell vintage Fiesta from post-1986 Fiesta: backstamps, date codes, colors by year, and the facts on uranium in vintage red glaze from ORAU and NRC data.
About valuesEstimates are not appraisals. Prices depend on maker, age, condition, rarity, provenance and the market at the time of sale, and neither an app scan nor a guide can replace an expert who handles the object. For anything that may be valuable, or before you sell, insure or buy at a high price, consult a qualified appraiser or a reputable auction house.
Identify your antique in seconds
Antique ID identifies an item from a photo, reads visible maker's marks, suggests a period and gives an estimated value range, so you know whether it deserves a closer look.
