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Discover Mid-America — January 2005

Noritake China

Noritake items are semi-antique and very collectible. Prices on these items are on the rise and it wonÕt be long before they skyrocket just as older Nippon pieces have risen.

During the 1920s and Ô30s, the Noritake Company adopted a streamlined, mass production system and established a reputation for manufacturing fine quality china, a reputation they have maintained ever since.

Items made in Japan prior to 1921 would have been back-stamped ÒNipponÓ as the country of origin. As of Sept. 1, 1921, U.S. Customs agents were instructed that merchandise from Japan Ñ the marking of which was governed by the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890 Ñ should not be released when bearing only the Japanese word Nippon to indicate the country of origin. Thus the era of Nippon-marked goods was over.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, items from Japan were not imported into America. The ÒMade in Occupied JapanÓ back-stamp was not used by Noritake until August 1947 when export trade reopened. This mark was then used until the Japan-U.S. peace treaty was signed in 1952. During 1946-47, the Noritake Co. used the name ÒRose ChinaÓ on pieces they manufactured.

Collectors and dealers refer to Noritake collectibles as the wares manufactured between 1921-1941 although many desirable items have been produced since.

Novelty pieces and figures also attract collectors. The Art Deco style was perfect for the use of Luster and Noritake products produced during the 1921-1941 time span. Luster solutions used by the Noritake Co. were made of metals or oxide of metals such as gold, copper, nickel, tin, cobalt, chromium oxide and other metals with various oils as solvents.

The company made a number of lusterware pieces before WWII but after the war only three luster patterns in dinnerware were produced, those in 1965. One reason was that the lusterware was inferior in its durability against certain chemicals and in hot water.

When buying Noritake, as with any collectible or antique, always check carefully for damage and remember scarcity and condition determines the price.

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