Sometimes when we go searching at garage sales, estate sales and auctions we wander around and see lots of wonderful old stuff, and then there are times when you find something that gets you thinking that this might be special. Well this is one of those tales. Last week we were attending our favorite auction, going through the specials cases and looking through some lots of costume jewelry when I spotted this lovely brooch. I picked it up and saw it was actually porcelain, and had an inkling that it was perhaps hand painted.…
How Much is My China Worth? Part 3 – Is it Hand Painted?
In this post, we will tackle the question of, Is my china hand painted? This is a key item in determining value, especially if the design is complex. So how do we tell? This may seem like an easy question, but it can be tricky.
First, a little bit of history. All porcelain and china was hand painted to start with – a very time consuming process. Early in the 1820s, a process was developed in Staffordshire England, the great porcelain and pottery up of England, that was called transferware.…