SPODE--COPELAND

In 1749,Josiah Spode was apprenticed to Thomas Whieldon and in 1754 worked for William Banks in Stoke-on-Trent,Staffordshire, England. In the early 1760s, Spode started his own pottery,making cream-colored earthenware and blueprinted whiteware. In 1770,he returned to Banks' factory as master,purchasing itin 1776 Spode pioneered the use of steam-powered, pottery-making machinery and mastered the art of transfer printing from copper plates. Spode opened a London shop in 1778 and sent William Copeland there in about 1784. A number of larger London locations followed. At the turn o the 18th century,Spoke introduced bone china. In 1805,Josiah Spode ll and Wiliam Copeland entered into a partnership for the London business. A series of partnerships between Josiah Spodell,Josiah Spodelll and William Taylor Copeland resulted. In 1833,Copeland acquired Spode's London operations and seven years later,the Stoke plants. William Taylor Copeland managed the bussiness until his death in 1868. The firm remained in the hands of Copeland heirs. In 1923,the plant was electrified; other modernization followed. In 1976,Spoke merged with Worcester Spode.Ltd

FIESTA COLORS

From 1936 to 1972,Fiesta was produced in 14 colors(other than special promotions). These colors are usually divided into the "original colors" of cobalt blue,light green,ivory,red,turquoise,and yellow(cobalt blue,light green,red,and yellow only on the Kitchen Kraft line,introduced in 1939); the "1950s colors" of chartreuse,forest green,gray,and rose(introduced in 1951); medium green(introduced in 1959); plus the later additions of Casuals, Amberstone, Fiesta Ironstone,and Lustre pieces. No Fiesta was produced from 1973 to 1985. The colors that make up the the "original" and "1950s" groups are sometimes referred to as "the standard 11." In many pieces, medium green is the hardest to find and most expensive Fiesta color. FIESTA COLORS AND YEARS OF PRODUCTION TO 1972 ANTIQUE GOLD-------DARK BUTTERSCOTCH--------------------(1969-1772) CHARTREUSE-------YELLOWISH GREEN------------------------(1951-1959) COBALT BLUE------DARK OR"ROYAL"BLUE---------------------(1936-1951) FOREST GREEN-----DARK"HUNTER" GREEN---------------------(1951-1559) GRAY--LIGHT OR ASH GRAY---------------------------------(1951-1959) GREEN--OFTEN CALLED LIGHT GREEN WHEN COMPARING IT TO OTHER GREEN GLAZES;ALSO CALLED "ORIGINAL" GREEN---------------------------------(1936-1951) IVORY---CREAMY,SLIGHTLY YELLOWS-------------------------(1936-1951) MANGO RED--SAME AS ORIGINAL RED-------------------------(1970-1972) MEDIUM GREEN--BRIGHT RICH GREEN-------------------------(1959-1969) RED--REDDISH ORANGE-------------------------------(1936-1944 and 1959-1972) ROSE--DUSTY,DARK ROSE-----------------------------------(1951-1959) TURF GREEN--OLIVE---------------------------------------(1969-1972) TURQUOISE--SKY BLUE,LIKE THE STONE----------------------(1937-1969) YELLOW--GOLDEN YELLOW-----------------------------------(1936-1969)

MICKEY MANTLE

A Mickey Mantle checked dated July 11, 1949 sold at auction for $286,800 dollars.

A FEW NICE FINDS

URBAN FARMING

ENGLAND SILVER HALLMARKS

Silver Hallmarks Silver hallmarks are an invaluable aid to collectors and dealers for identifying the date & maker of antique silver, and indeed any piece of silver made in England. modern silver hallmarks modern silver hallmarks Hallmarks on silver were first introduced in the UK in 1300 as a method of proving that the silver object contained the correct amount of silver, since pure silver is a very soft metal and consequently any object made from silver requires some base metal to be added to it to strengthen it. In these early days it was not uncommon for silver objects to be melted down and converted into coinage, and so it was imperative that the silver used was of a sufficient grade, especially with continental silver containing a much lower percentage of silver. Silver Hallmarks were the answer to this problem. Any piece of silver had to be officially approved to be of a high enough silver content, and would be given it’s hallmark only when this was the case. As a consequence the hallmark became a standard of quality and assurance, and the presence of a hallmark on a silver object was an official seal of approval. English silver, or Sterling silver is often referred to as solid silver, but it does in fact contain 7.5% copper, so it is 92.5% pure, which is why modern silver often has a .925 mark stamped into it. Continental silver is often only 80% pure. English Silver Hallmarks evolved over time, with the eventual inclusion of the standard or sterling mark, the assay office, the year of manufacture, the maker, and sometimes an additional mark for special reasons. All of these silver hallmarks can help in identifying exactly when and by who any piece was made, which is not only helpful to collectors of antique silver, but also offers a fascinating dimension to any old silver object that you may possess.

Vintage Card

Nice little find.