Q & A

D.W. of Calgary, Alberta writes:

My late grandmother gave our family the China items you see here. Can you please help us date this Tea Pot, Cream Jug, and Sugar Bowl. The shamrock design is gold leaf and the numbers on the bottom are 1252 – 103 SW – with some gold markings. Perhaps you could also give us an indication of the current auction , replacement and insurance values for these pieces.

There are no chips but the Tea Pot has some craziness on the inside with one crack across the rim on the top of the pot (which is covered when the lid is in place.). Would you be able to date these for us and let us know if they have any 'value' other than sentimental. We thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you.

We asked Bill Kime to respond:

Your tea service is made by the Empire Porcelain Company, a Staffordshire pottery producing earthenwares, rather than porcelain or "china", at Stoke-on Trent from about 1896 onwards.

I don't know of a name for the pattern, but it is an allover repetitive floral style of decoration, transfer-printed in gilt, which is quite typical of the 1940's and '50's. The design perhaps owes something to the richly coloured "chintz" patterns of the 1920's and '30's, but I'm afraid it's a rather poor cousin.

You've had the foresight to let us have a photograph of the marks on the bottom of one of the pieces and they tell a story... that piece was made in December, 1952. It's not usual for this type of ware to be dated, but the Empire Porcelain Company seem to have made a point of it, identifying both the month and the year with numerals on much of their production during this period.

Though you've noted that there are a few minor condition problems (the teapot sounds quite like my kindred spirit!), I'm sure they don't detract from the sentimental value you place on this gift from your grandmother. No need to worry about insurance on this one... the commercial value would be very modest, I'm afraid.