I hope you can tell me something about this set of china. I’ve always liked the nautical flair it gives to my table when I use it.
The feet and cup handles look like rope. Each piece also has a gold band with raised dots. Each piece is marked with a diamond and the number C6433. Can you tell me who made it and how old it is?
English Nautical themed lunch set - the blue hints that it might have been made by Minton
From the pictures I can’t tell you what company made your set but I can tell you quite a bit more! The diamond mark you see does not indicate a maker. The mark is an English Registration Mark and these marks were used on ceramics, metal, glass and wood decorative arts in the mid to late 19th century.In the 19th century Britain was a global superpower exporting and importing products to and from all over the world. In order to protect the authenticity of British made goods and to prevent fakes or imitations from hurting British manufacturers, Britain began the registration mark system.
The marks do not indicate who made the item or when it was made. The marks indicate very precisely the year, the month and the date when the design was registered with the patent office. Once the design was registered, it was copyright protected.
Diamond marks come in two series; the only difference between the series is the placement of the letters and numbers. The mark on your set was used between 1868 and 1883. The Rd in the center indicates the pattern is registered.
The Roman numeral in the circle at the top represents the type of material: I – metal; II – wood; III – glass; and IV ceramics. The Arabic number in the top section indicates the day of the month. The letter in the right hand section is a date code; the letter in the bottom section illustrates the month.
With the help of a decoding chart I can tell you that the design for your ceramic pattern was copyright protected on February 1, 1869 but I can’t tell you the registering company or artist.
To help with identification I sent your images to Colin Knight, president of the San Francisco Ceramics Circle, an affiliate support group of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. From the translucency and the turquoise color, Colin’s best guess is Minton Bone China. Thomas Minton started the company in 1798 and it was still in business until the 21st century so they certainly could have registered this pattern in 1869. Also, the identification C6433 is within a series of Minton patterns registered about this time.
I’ll continue trying to find the maker and pattern but, until then, I can safely say that your 19th century English bone china dessert set would sell in the $200-400 range.
For more information about the San Francisco Ceramics Circle find them on Facebook.
If you have the fortitude for research you can comb through the British National Archives at discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1741435 for pattern registration information