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Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about different types of antique and vintage pottery and porcelain, how to tell the age of a piece of pottery or porcelain, and even what is the advantage of buying antiques over reproductions.

If you are interested in more in depth information than the brief summaries provided here, visit our Sources section for recommended books on these subjects and more.

What is Transferware?
What is Spatterware or Spongeware?
What is the advantage of buying an Antique over a reproduction?
What is Flow Blue?
What is Quimper?
What is Yellowware?
What is Stoneware?
How can I tell how old a piece of pottery or porcelain is?

What is "Transferware"?

Technically speaking pottery or porcelain is created by transferring a design, created on a copper plate, via transfer paper onto a pottery or porcelain body. Transferware was first produced in the mid 1700's. Wedgwood produced transfer printed creameware (cream colored earthenware). Other factories such as Spode and Rodgers as well as smaller regional factories created transferware in blue (by far the most popular color) brown, black, red, green, mulberry, purple and numerous shades and combinations thereof. They were considered utilitarian pieces. The decoration was easily and cheaply produced when compared with hand painted designs, and only one firing was needed.

At the beginning of the 1800's Staffordshire potteries began using wide decorative borders to surround the central print. The central print could appear on the pieces from several different potteries, but unique borders created by each company were rarely copied. This is one method used to help identify unmarked pieces.

If you have examined pieces of antique transferware, you will have noticed that sometimes the designs are oddly adapted to fit the more unusual shapes. This is just one of the charms of transferware. The designs can be divided into several categories: "Romantic" patterns contained generic scenes, such as pagodas overlooking water, or boats on canals with castles or churches in the background, pastoral scenes of shepherds with their flocks or couples in the garden. "Aesthetic" patterns have an all over pattern, usually floral. This style tended to be less popular then the others. And finally "Historic" patterns which are the most expensive types of transferware to collect. Around 1810 English factories began to use foreign landscape scenes on the transferware. After the War of 1812 they began catering to the growing American market and the surge in patriotism. The earliest patterns were of the Founding Fathers and the commemorative pieces of the return visit of Lafayette. The subjects then moved on to public buildings, geographical landmarks, parks and homes of Americans. Historical transferware was made in all colors, but the deep cobalt blue and white was the most popular.

Visit our English Country section to view our current stock of transferware. To learn more about collecting transferware visit:Transferware Collectors Club

What is spatterware or spongeware?

A white pottery body decorated with a stamped design of flowers or shapes. Part of the design may be hand painted or there may be bands of stippled color that create a rainbow effect. On closer inspection you notice that the stamped design is unevenly spaced and a bit blurry, there are color smudges or a smeared design. You wonder if the piece has been decorated by a child. What you are looking at is spatterware or spongeware, which ever you choose to call it.

First it is necessary to clear up the confusion over the name. According to Henry Kelly and Arnold and Dorothy Kowalsky authors of the book Spongeware 1835-1935 "The word spatterware became associated with spongeware in the U.S.A. and this somehow stuck." So, if you are shopping in the U.S. it most likely will be referred to as spatterware, and pieces in the U.K will probably be classified as spongeware. But we are all talking about the same thing.

As for its history, spatterware/spongeware had humble beginnings. In the 19th Century, potteries in Glasgow, Scotland began producing a utilitarian ware for consumers of limited means. The earthenware bodies were of low quality and the decoration was done by unskilled workers. The pieces were successful and soon production spread to Staffordshire, England, and to other countries in Europe and eventually the U.S.. The pieces were rarely marked, as they were not the best work of the companies that produced them. Most of the goods were produced for export, with the U.S. being one of the biggest markets. The pottery was most popular in the Mid Atlantic region of the Country, particularly with the Pennsylvania Germans.

Spatterware/spongware was decorated using one or a combination of four methods:

*Hand painting or brushstroke decoration was done by the most skilled of the unskilled.

*Spattering was the application of color by blowing a powder onto the body using a pipe. This was expensive and required skill. So the look was achieved by patting on the color with an ordinary sponge.

*Dabbing was applying color and pattern using an ordinary sponge.

*Stick spatter or sponge printing involved stamping a pattern using a piece of cut sponge on a stick.

The most common colors were blue, red and various shades of green. In Scotland purple and brown became popular. Yellow, pink and other shades were introduced, but were not as popular. Black also became a common color.

The simple pottery that resulted from these methods remained popular for over 100 years. Today many collectors consider the pieces folk art. What was originally produced as inexpensive wares now can command high prices. Pieces start at about $100 and go up. Pook and Pook, an auction house in Downingtown, PA., had a record breaking sale in April 2003, when they sold off a collection of spatterware for over $1 million. In one of their upcoming auctions they feature a red and green spatter plate in the clover pattern estimated at $2000-$4000, and a purple and black rainbow spatter waste bowl is estimated at $1200-$1400.

The next time you happen to come across a piece of spatterware, take the time to study and appreciate it. The imperfections in the decoration are part of its charm. You can see the individual brushstrokes that went into creating each flower and leaf. The smudge of color reminds you that a human hand created that piece over 150 years ago. And it has survived all these years because someone thought it special enough to take care of it.

Be sure to check out our Country Style section for our current stock of Spatterware.

What is the advantage in buying an antique over a reproduction?

Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Show is one of the largest shows in the U.S. Held three times a year, spring, summer and fall, over a six day period, almost anything you want can be found there. Thousands of people attend the shows. Hundreds of die hard antiquers show up at 6 AM each day to begin the hunt. Inevitably, there is a buzz through the dealers about what the "catalog" buyers are purchasing. These select items will be taken back to "catalog" company headquarters, examined, discussed and eventually, some of them will be reproduced and sold through catalogs, which I am sure many of you receive. Just check out Pottery Barn's painted furniture line or their line of "Great White Pitchers" to name a few.

"New antiques", as some of us call them, do serve a purpose. For those who appreciate the design, but not the wear of age, new old is great. And for some utilitarian items like bowls or pitchers, you can be sure that the new ones are not as fragile and do not have lead glaze. But if you are looking for decorative pieces, purchasing real antiques is the smart way to go. Antiques are an investment. If taken care of they appreciate in value, and can be resold for a profit. And the satisfaction you receive from living with the beauty of antiques is priceless. To illustrate my point, I've done a little research. I compared similar items listed in "Kovels Antiques and Collectibles Price List". I have shown prices from the 1999 guide and the 2004 guide:

Historical Staffordshire transferware platter (mid 1800's) showing the "Landing of General Lafayette". 1999 Price: 17 inch platter $1320; 2004 Price: 14 inch platter $1800.

Spatterware plate (mid to late 1800's) with a central dahlia design in red and blue with green sprigs. 1999 Price: 9 inch plate $385; 2004 Price: 8 1/4 inch plate $745.

McCoy 4-inch green flowerpot with attached saucer c.1960. 1999 Price: $15; 2004 Price: $30-45.

Happy investing!

What is "Flow Blue"?

Popular from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's, this style of pottery was made very much like transferware. The difference was in the glazing. It was discovered that by adding lime or chloride of ammonia the blue would "flow" or blur. The blurring covered printing faults, glaze bubbles and other defects. The designs could be blurred to produce a slight halo effect or until the pattern was unrecognizable.

What is "Quimper"?

Pronounced "KEM PAIR", Quimper is a city in France, 350 miles west of Paris, on the Odet River, in Brittany. The Brettons have been producing "faience" or pottery there since 1690. There were three major factories, Grand Maison HB, Eloury-Porquier and Henroit. All three factories were gradually merged into one, which is currently owned by Americans. Quimper is considered quintessentially French because it is usually decorated with the native Brettons or peasant figures dressed in traditional garb. The style of the mark on the back of the pieces helps in determining the age of the piece.

To view our collection of Quimper, visit our Country French section.

What is "Yellowware"?

Yellowware is made from a variety of clays that fire dark to light yellow. In the U.S., these clays are found primarily in New Jersey and parts of the Midwest. First produced in England, yellowware was exported to the U.S. In the late 1820's it began being produced in the U.S. From the 1850's into the early 1900's yellowware was very popular. The pieces were given a clear glaze, but the mixing bowls were decorated with bands of color. The Rockingham finish was a brown glaze dripped onto the yellow body, which resulted in a "tortoise shell" appearance.

To view our collection of "yellowware" visit our Country Style section.

What is Stoneware?

Stoneware is made from clays that fire to a tan or light gray color. Baked at very high temperatures, stoneware becomes nonporous and as hard as steel. It is decorated in a variety of ways from salt glaze to slip decorated.

To view our collection of stoneware visit our Country Style section.

How can I tell how old a piece of pottery or porcelain is??

If you are considering collecting any type of pottery or porcelain, you must have a reference book of marks. Millers "Pottery and Porcelain Marks", Barber's "Marks of American Potters", or Kovel's "Dictionary of Marks Pottery and Porcelain", are just a few of those available. Companies change names, change marks, change owners, all of these factors help in dating a piece. The books will help you keep track of the changes. You may not always have your book with you when you come across a piece that interests you. One of the easiest facts to keep in mind when trying to determine age is that if the piece is marked with a country of origin, it was made AFTER 1891.