Q & A

S.B. of Ottawa, Ontario writes:

This item was my grandmother’s. I used it as a child as a tea cup when we had tea parties. My mother thinks this may be a mustard dish. The saucer is 9.1cmL X 6.3cmW X 0.5cmH and the cup is 8.5cm L X 4.2cm W X 3.4cm H. The handle on the cup was broken at one time and glued back on, but this is the only damage that I can see. Markings on bottom of cup and saucer are: Hinode Japan. I know that probably the only value is sentimental, I was just wondering how old it might be. The design on both the cup and saucer is of a horse drawn carriage in gold. Thank you for any information you can give me on this item.

We asked Tim Manley to respond:

This is a tea cup and saucer with an unusually shaped sandwich saucer. It was produced in Japan for export probably between the two World wars. This type of hand painted china was mass produced for export during this period. The value of the piece, especially in damaged condition, is purely sentimental.