Discover Mid-America | Is This An Antique?


News & Events Mid-America News Show Calendar State Event Calendars Regular Features The Antique Detective Antique Detective Q&A Common Sense Antiques Refurnished Thoughts Traveling with Ken Good Eye Books for Collectors Directories & Classifieds The Finder: Unique Shops Lodgings Directory Museum Directory Aviation Museums Wineries in the Heartland Classifieds Web Links Archived Features Antiquing in Colorado Dealer Profile Archive Editor's Notebook Heirloom Recipes Helpful Hints for Collectors Is This An Antique? Past Cover Features Reflecting History 2005 Best Of Winners *Destinations 2006*	Discover Mid-America — April 2005 A few terms to judge by E ven if the appraisers at Roadshow tell us that they look at the object before they look at the bottoms, there is an inherent drive in any antiquer to “look for the mark.” There is much to be learned from the mark maybe even to find out that it is a fake one. The study of marks is a separate case, but allied to the terms that will be defined herein. A good dealer will know or have some knowledge of what certain companies did or did not make. That also helps to identify if an item might or might not be truly antique. • Impressed: the mark is stamped into the body of the ware while still soft. • Incised: Hand-marked while body of ware is still soft. • Underglaze in color: Painted by hand before being glazed, usually blue. • Overglaze in color: Includes those marks stamped, printed or painted on the exterior of the glaze. Because Japanese and Chinese marks are so numerous and complicated, the above to not always apply. The various grades of pottery and porcelain will be defined to help the new collector identify things they might consider buying or collecting. • Porcelain: A translucent ceramic ware, generally white, usually glazed. Has a clear ring when struck. Porcelain can be soft paste or hard paste. A sharp instrument can scratch soft paste, leaving a soft powder. Hard paste does not. Soft paste, when broken shows a granular surface, while hard leaves a smooth surface at the break. • Pottery: Pottery includes all ware different from porcelain by being opaque and generally formed of colored clay (earthenware, faience, stoneware, etc) • Earthenware: Broad term including all pieces made of clay and then baked (delft, faience, stoneware, etc) • Biscuit or Bisque: White, unglazed porcelain usually found in moldings of groups or figures. • Delft: A colored, tin glazed earthenware frequently blue and white, believed to first be made in Delft, Netherlands. • Faience or Fayence: Glazed pottery usually painted in bright colors. Sometimes referred to as majolica. Early on produced in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Spaniards brought technique to Mexico where it is still widely used in decorator ware. • Majolica: Highly decorative, glazed pottery • Stoneware: Hard, impermeable, glazed earthenware. ( American crockery) For the student of certain types of tablewares, it is wise to study, handle and become familiar with these different grades of pottery. Handling good quality wares over and over gives one an innate sense of the heft of old versus new. It comes only with continued feeling and looking. This is not an overnight process, but might take a while, depending on the time spent. I doubted this when I questioned a very reputable and knowledgeable dealer years ago. I love early American pattern glass and I had found that some of the goblets I had were copies. This dealer told me that in time I would learn “the feel” of old versus new. It took time, but it is true. There is a feel and weight to old and new. This is the same with old and new salt glaze crockery. The old has a beautiful dullness to the eye, but a definite grain to the touch. The new has a brighter glaze and the feel of the “salt” is more pronounced to the fingertips. The serious student of antiques will use every opportunity to learn which is old and which is the new. There are many overseas companies that have gotten very good at reproducing and fooling the buyer. There is a lesser chance of you being duped if your fingers learn the feel and your eyes learn the look. Norma Crews is a native Texan, graduate of Texas Tech, former teacher and rancher, mother of three grown sons and six grandchildren, and raised in South Texas on a ranch as a member of two pioneer families. Upon retiring from teaching and ranching, she and her husband James became pickers for large Texas shops, before branching into doing shows for a number of years in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. She currently resides in Neosho, MO. > Is This An Antique? Archive — past columns	{rightside ad cell}
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for Collectors
Is This An Antique?
Past Cover Features
Reflecting History

2005 Best Of Winners
Destinations 2006

Discover Mid-America — April 2005

A few terms to judge by

E ven if the appraisers at Roadshow tell us that they look at the object before they look at the bottoms, there is an inherent drive in any antiquer to “look for the mark.” There is much to be learned from the mark maybe even to find out that it is a fake one.

The study of marks is a separate case, but allied to the terms that will be defined herein. A good dealer will know or have some knowledge of what certain companies did or did not make. That also helps to identify if an item might or might not be truly antique.

• Impressed: the mark is stamped into the body of the ware while still soft.
• Incised: Hand-marked while body of ware is still soft.
• Underglaze in color: Painted by hand before being glazed, usually blue.
• Overglaze in color: Includes those marks stamped, printed or painted on the exterior of the glaze.

Because Japanese and Chinese marks are so numerous and complicated, the above to not always apply.

The various grades of pottery and porcelain will be defined to help the new collector identify things they might consider buying or collecting.

• Porcelain: A translucent ceramic ware, generally white, usually glazed. Has a clear ring when struck. Porcelain can be soft paste or hard paste. A sharp instrument can scratch soft paste, leaving a soft powder. Hard paste does not. Soft paste, when broken shows a granular surface, while hard leaves a smooth surface at the break.
• Pottery: Pottery includes all ware different from porcelain by being opaque and generally formed of colored clay (earthenware, faience, stoneware, etc)
• Earthenware: Broad term including all pieces made of clay and then baked (delft, faience, stoneware, etc)
• Biscuit or Bisque: White, unglazed porcelain usually found in moldings of groups or figures.
• Delft: A colored, tin glazed earthenware frequently blue and white, believed to first be made in Delft, Netherlands.
• Faience or Fayence: Glazed pottery usually painted in bright colors. Sometimes referred to as majolica. Early on produced in Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Spaniards brought technique to Mexico where it is still widely used in decorator ware.
• Majolica: Highly decorative, glazed pottery
• Stoneware: Hard, impermeable, glazed earthenware. ( American crockery)

For the student of certain types of tablewares, it is wise to study, handle and become familiar with these different grades of pottery. Handling good quality wares over and over gives one an innate sense of the heft of old versus new. It comes only with continued feeling and looking. This is not an overnight process, but might take a while, depending on the time spent.

I doubted this when I questioned a very reputable and knowledgeable dealer years ago. I love early American pattern glass and I had found that some of the goblets I had were copies. This dealer told me that in time I would learn “the feel” of old versus new. It took time, but it is true. There is a feel and weight to old and new.

This is the same with old and new salt glaze crockery. The old has a beautiful dullness to the eye, but a definite grain to the touch. The new has a brighter glaze and the feel of the “salt” is more pronounced to the fingertips.

The serious student of antiques will use every opportunity to learn which is old and which is the new. There are many overseas companies that have gotten very good at reproducing and fooling the buyer. There is a lesser chance of you being duped if your fingers learn the feel and your eyes learn the look.

Norma Crews is a native Texan, graduate of Texas Tech, former teacher and rancher, mother of three grown sons and six grandchildren, and raised in South Texas on a ranch as a member of two pioneer families.

Upon retiring from teaching and ranching, she and her husband James became pickers for large Texas shops, before branching into doing shows for a number of years in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. She currently resides in Neosho, MO.

> Is This An Antique? Archive — past columns

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