Pottery Mark Alert! Wedgwood & Co is NOT J. Wedgwood -

by Susanne
(Copenhagen, Denmark)

Pottery Mark Alert! Wedgwood & Co is NOT J. Wedgwood - Old Milk pot Query:- I'm not sure what this pot has been used for, but I found it in an old apartment I was cleaning after a dead relative.

I don't seem to be able to find this specific pattern on Wedgwood china page. It's marked in the bottom with Wedgwood & Co Ltd, and then it looks like it says Englake, Viking. and there's also a crown in the middle. The pot is about 17 cm tall.

Maybe you can help me?

Susanne

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Reply from Peter (admin) below - just scroll down

HOW I MADE MONEY FROM BITS & BOBS OF OLD CHINA .....more

Reply by Peter (admin)

To:- Pottery Mark Alert! Wedgwood & Co is NOT J. Wedgwood - Old Milk Pot Query:-

Hi Susanne

Many thanks for your query, and welcome from wonderful Copenhagen! Thanks for a great photo too. Yours is a great question because it flags up a difficult area for new collectors.

What a nice pitcher jug you have by the way - 17cm is about 6.5 inches - just right for filling with milk for the family breakfast table (my mother hated bottles or cartons on the table!).

If any wares have '& CO' in the pottery mark or stamp then it does not belong to Josiah Wedgwood but to Wedgwood & Co.

The Wedgwood & Co pottery, founded 1860 (became a "Limited Company" in 1900) by Enoch Wedgwood of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

He was a distant relation of the 'other' more famous side of the family. Ultimately the firm became known as "Unicorn Potteries".

There seems to be a lot of sellers on ebay trying to pass off their wares as J. Wedgwood, so don't be fooled. There is nothing wrong with Wedgwood & Co as a company, they made nice quality wares and weren't trying to fool anyone - after all we should all be allowed to call a company by our own name (the different branches of the family had been making china tableware in Stoke for countless generations before Josiah bigged it up).

The problem is with sellers who are 'economical' with the truth or who just don't know better. That's why you need this website! (there is NOTHING else like it online so bookmark it quick - and tell your friends).

I don't do valuations myself (it's an area best left to experts, and I'm just an enthusiast working in the industry), but I've written a page especially to help visitors to my site research the value of their wares:

www.figurines-sculpture.com/antique-china-values.html

This is a unique identification & valuation resource which allows you to see if your mark is identifiable by experts without you having to pay any money upfront. My service is unique online and is designed to protect my site visitors from wasting their time and money online.

Getting back to Messrs Wedgwood:

Dating the "real" Wedgwood:-

In case any visitors looking for help with the real Josiah Wedgwood pottery marks find this page, I will list the dating marks:

With Wedgwood marks you can pin-point to a certain month.

The letters go in sets of 3 (From 1860).

The last letter depicts the year of manufacture:

O - 1860

P - 1861

Q -1862

R - 1863

S - 1864

T - 1865

U - 1866

V - 1867

W -1868

X - 1869

Y - 1870

Z - 1871

A -1872

B - 1873

C - 1874

D -1875

E -1876

F - 1877

G - 1878

H -1879

I - 1880

J - 1881

K - 1882

L - 1883

M - 1884

N - 1885

From 1886 -1897 The date letters 'O' to 'Z' are repeated and from 1891 the words 'ENGLAND' should appear on the piece.

From 1898 To 1906 the letters used from 1872 to 1880 re-occur (A - I) But England should appear on the piece.

From 1906, the sequence was continued, but the number '3' replaces the first letter, and from 1924, a '4' replaces the '3'. After 1930, the month is numbered in sequence, and the last two numbers correspond to the year of manufacure. i.e 2B33 would be February 1933, and B is the workmans mark.

(source: http://reviews.ebay.com)

I hope all this helps you with your very pretty jug.

Best regards,

Peter (admin)

p.s. The following page is a 'must see' if you are researching fine china - for value and identification:-

Researching the identity and value of antique and vintage fine china.

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