Antique China and Fine China Collectibles - Homer Laughlin and Chamber Pot

by Bonnie Shafer
(LaFargeville, NY)

Antique China and Fine China Collectibles Query. Nice Site! I looked up, but could not find anything on the markings I saw yesterday in a little county shop we stopped at.

On a small set dishes of white with red transfer kinda like Currier & Ives blue willow pattern but it had the markings G48NE - Homer Laughlin.

Another item I liked was a chamber pot white/ gold trim with rose pattern. It looks like the rose pattern may be transfer ware. Marking was W.T.K. Co.

Can you help me find out a little more about these markings. I like both items and would like to go back and purchase them, but the owner does not no what the marking are.

Thank You

Bonnie

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Reply from Peter (admin)

Hi Bonnie

Thanks for the compliment. So glad you are enjoying the site. You can learn to search more efficiently by going to my China Replacement page.

These two items seem like nice little buys. The Homer Laughlin set does sound similar to their Currier & Ives range. Probably should retail for about the same. Remember, H L is a mass producer, so even though their Fiesta ware is collected, the prices are not at the top end and should represent great value for money.

The chamber pot maker is a mystery to the shop owner and also a mystery to me. W.T.K. Co. is one of the few marks that I can find no record of at all anywhere. My best guess is it is a regional US maker, of which there are many hundred who would not be included in the standard reference books. There are 3 different English makers going under the pottery mark of W.T. & Co - but no potters mark W.T.K. & Co.

I am not a china expert by any means, just an artisan within the industry, however, I always pass on any information I have for free and publish it for the benefit of all. You can use my in-house search engine located on the home page (and on many other main pages) to check for answers to any other queries you may have.

My own knowledge more centered on famous English china makers, but all queries are welcome.

I give general tips on pottery marks here .

Here my pick of websites for online pottery marks research:

Note: Pottery marks online research is a time consuming and often thankless task. Free pottery mark online information is often limited to the websites of antique dealers who tend to have only selective information. The most thorough antiquarian online databases are private and levy a charge. Some are better than others, but a good one can often be both cost effective and time saving.

Here is a selection of the better free websites which I use often:-

Gotheborg.com - Chinese & Japanese and Far East porcelain marks - export marks are normally in English, often with English sounding patterns and brand names.

Porcelainmarksandmore.com - German and East European porcelain marks - excellent site but uses navigation based on geographical location not maker’s name, so lacks simple alphabetical navigation (can be frustrating).

Collectorscircle.com - Bohemian & Czech china marks - great for eyeballing lots of pottery marks quickly – I always scroll down on ‘auto-mouse’ to look for a mark (you can sip a cup of teas as you do so).

Oldandsold.com – French pottery marks - 22 pages of French marks. Navigation can be somewhat muddled.

Oldandsold.com - American pottery marks - 41 pages of antique pottery marks to search in alphabetical listing. Good luck!

If you ever require more detailed advice, or you are short of time, using a professional online antiquarian service can be useful. For the cost of a couple of cups of coffee you can get often get an amazing solution to a thorny question. Some are better than others. If you have a one-off question, I recommend Whats-it-worth. Their service is well used and appreciated by visitors with zero negative feedback.

They are online antiquarians, specializing in identifying pottery marks. They charge per question or per appraisal, depending on the type of query you have. They are quick, efficient, friendly and not expensive. I can send you some sample appraisals to give you an idea of what they do – just contact me here.

WhatsItWorth are best for one off queries (they also run online courses run by their resident experts).

However, if you think you may have a series of ongoing queries (you may be getting seriously into antiquing), you need John's membership site at Marks4Antiques contact me here for the special discounts for visitors to this site.

You may have noticed some of the replies on this website are written by John. He and his team have an amazing knowledge, but in order to have them on-board full-time, you have to join their membership site, which is only worth it if you have regular items you need help on identifying and valuing.

We were lucky enough to have Marks4Antiques answer some of our visitors more obscure queries for free – in order to give a kind of taster of their knowledge base. For more details on John’s database and membership site, contact me.

Finally, if you are getting bitten by the china antiquing bug, you need to know about a fun and interesting ebook with all the tips and tricks of the pros called 'How To Buy & Sell Antiques For Fun & Profit'. Buy it and find out why ebooks work – much more efficient than carrying around lots of heavy books on antiquing!! Have it on your laptop, like a mobile library, and it will save you time, money and effort - and show you how to earn a few dollars more whilst having fun.

'How To Buy & Sell Antiques For Fun & Profit'.

Check it out here:

www.figurines-sculpture.com/buy-and-sell-antiques-for-fun


Hope that helps in making your choices.

Peter (admin)