Pottery Mark on Milk Pitcher

by Dorothy Heiss
(Lakeland, FL USA)

Pottery Mark on Milk Pitcher:- I have a milk pitcher from my grandma. I am 83 so have had it a long time. A crown with
Johnson Bros
England in green, and the number 1464
S
in gold are on the bottom of it.
I have searched and had it researched. No one can find out anything about it. It is decorated with raised white and purple (small) grapes. The grapes are on the inside lip of pitcher also. It is edged on handle and spout and base with gold.

Can you tell me anything about it?

Dorothy

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Reply by Peter (admin)

to Pottery Mark on Milk Pitcher

Dear Dorothy

Thank you for sharing your story of your Johnson Brothers Milk Pitcher. It sounds fantastic!

I have a full entry on the colorful history of Johnson Bros in my Online Antique China Guide. If you haven't managed to find it yet, just put the words "Johnson Brothers" into one of the search boxes you find dotted around the site.

without seeing the item I can't tell you much more.

It would assist me if visitors were to upload a clear picture of the back pottery marks as well as the item itself. The technology does not yet allow two photos at once. In other words the form only allows for one photo at a time - but it is a simple job to upload a second photo once the first form has been completed. Other visitors please note.

Best regards

Peter (admin)

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