I collect teacups. To date I have almost 400, mostly English. For 40 years I cared only about the content of a teacup. This interest changed after I'd held an "Afternoon Tea at the Vicarage" fundraiser. While researching tea, I became fascinated that 19th century Stoke-on-Trent produced 500 makers of pottery and china.

I began collecting cups with fruit patterns. When this became exhausted I began collecting exotic bird patterns. I also began collecting Aynsley to showcase the diversity of shapes made by a single manufacturer.

These days, I continue to collect all three, but tend to focus on pre 1910 production.

A star of the collection

  Davenport 1830

 Josiah Spode c.1818

 Powell & Bishop 1877

 George Jones c.1910

 Grainger (Worcester) c.1830

1920s Grosvenor    the pattern name is "Gay"

Some Dating Tips (not the romantic type):

If the cup has "Made in ........" printed on the base then it is made after 1910

If it just has a country name, such as "England" then it was made after 1891.

If a cup has a date printed on the base, it's likely the date that the company was founded; if it has written numbers that look like a date, it is more likely to be the pattern number. Many English cups have registration codes, either in the shape of a diamond (1842-83)  or "Rd" followed by 5-7 digits (after 1883). This is the date the design or shape was registered with the Patent Office. It may not be the manufacture date, but you know that it was first sold after that date.

Of course, many older items are not marked - that is where the real fun of collecting begins.

   Example of a registration diamond