Antique China Spode - Tumbledown-Dick Pattern Tea Set

by Rhonda-Joy VanGrafhorst

Hi Peter - Not sure if you got my last e-mail but just thought I would let you know -I am almost 100% sure that I have identified the Spode Ware shown above. It is called "Tumbling Dick" {editor's correction - actually 'Tumbledown-dick"} & was made in 1815 ****

Will need to work out how/where to get it appraised, unfortunately the back stamps do not Photograph easily or clearly-so assume I am possibly going to have to take a really long trip to a Capitol City to do this!!!!

I also have found some very old Minton as well-so really thrilled-still haven`t found the Pattern or Age for them as yet.

Just thought I would let you know as you were so helpful to me re- the Ultra Enquiry & that was time consuming for you.
So excited but trying not to get ahead of myself (just in case) but it I will have to sell most pieces as like many, doing it tough**

Thankyou again- hope to hear from you
regards
Rhonda Van Grafhorst

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Reply by Peter (admin)

to Antique China Spode - Tumbledown-Dick Pattern Tea Set

Hi Rhonda

What a beautiful genuine antique Spode china tea set. I am so glad you took the trouble to share this story with us. You are quite the china antiquer (what with the Minton too!) - and not at all a nuisance.

Great bit of detective work alright. Where did you manage to find this info? Wow! I am no expert, as I keep saying, but when I did a quick recky using the system I show on my China Replacement page, I saw the set is actually called "Tumbledown-Dick" named after the tumbling position of the birds (a copy of an original Chinese pattern).

The 'Dick' in question might well be a reference to Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver who fell dramatically from power in the 19th Century. He was known as Tumbledown Dick or Queen Dick. Great story!

The pattern number is 3716, and is thought to have emerged around 1823. One plate can fetch in excess of $150 to $175, in good condition. What did you pay?

Please tell me more about where you found it and how you got the info.

If you would like a proper antiquarian appraisal certificate, you can get them online. I mention a company who I find very good below in the general tips section. It helps with ebay selling especially where people can't inspect first hand.

Thanks for sharing. That's what it's all about! You are the opposite of a nuisance.

Peter (admin)
p.s. don't forget to post about the Minton too.

Some General Research Tips for China Antiquing

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. You can do a certain amount of your own research online by knowing the most efficient way to search. On my China Replacement page, I show you how.

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