Watch any seasoned collector at an estate sale and you'll see the same move: pick it up, flip it over. The base of a piece of pottery or porcelain is where the story usually starts. Here's how to read what you find there.
We have 10 marked pieces in the shop right now, from an Occupied Japan vase at $18 to a Royal Vienna style cabinet plate at $136, with their marks shown in the photos.
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Printed marks (backstamps)
A printed mark is applied over or under the glaze, often as a stamp or transfer. It may show a maker's name, a logo like a crown or wreath, a pattern name, or a country. Printed marks became common in the 1800s, and their style and wording change over time, which is what makes dating possible.
Impressed and incised marks
Impressed marks are pressed into the clay before firing, so they feel like dents. Incised marks are scratched in by hand. These often appear on stoneware, art pottery and older English wares. Numbers pressed into the base are frequently mold or shape numbers rather than dates.
Hand-painted marks and artist signatures
A painted mark or signature can mean hand decoration, but not always. Some makers printed a signature to look hand-done. Look closely: real brushwork varies in thickness.
What the country name tells you
Country names are one of the most useful clues. After the 1891 McKinley Tariff Act, goods imported into the U.S. had to be marked with their country of origin, so "England," "Germany" or "Nippon" usually points to 1891 or later. "Made in" wording, as in "Made in England," generally appeared later, often after about 1914 to 1920. For Japanese pieces, see our guide to Nippon, Japan and Occupied Japan marks.
Pattern numbers, registration marks and words like "Est."
Pattern numbers identify the decoration, not the date. British registration diamonds and "Rd No" numbers can narrow down when a design was registered. And a date like "Est. 1750" or "A.D. 1750" is the year a company claims it was founded, not when your piece was made. Our Coalport guide shows exactly how that works.
See it in person: marked pieces in the shop
Each one is a single piece, so when it's gone, it's gone.
Retailer marks
Some marks name the shop that sold the piece rather than the factory that made it. A city name with a shop name, like a department store or importer, is a retailer mark.
What if there's no mark?
Unmarked doesn't mean worthless. Many pieces had paper labels that wore off, and plenty of fine early porcelain was never marked at all. Then you date it by the clay, the glaze, the shape, the foot ring and the style of decoration.
Watch for fakes
Famous marks get copied. A mark that looks too crisp, sits on top of the glaze when it should be under it, or appears on a piece whose quality doesn't match the name deserves a second look.
Keep reading
See our guides to Limoges porcelain and majolica, or browse Kitchen and Dining and Vintage Home Decor for pieces with their marks shown in the photos.
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Vintage kitchen & dining →Vintage home decor →Figurines & collectables →
Keep reading: How to Date Coalport Porcelain · Nippon, Japan or Occupied Japan? · Flow Blue, Delft or Blue Onion?
What's the most surprising mark you've ever found when you flipped something over? Tell us what it said and what it turned out to be.