A Simple Tip for Buying Majolica Online.

Someone recently sent me the following online auction listing and asked me what I thought of it:

I told them it was a reproduction of a Minton game dish. They didn’t seem to believe me. They said, “But it’s marked!” Then they sent a photo of the mark.

These are the kinds of pitfalls that confront buyers that don’t do their homework before bidding on a piece. The game dish that is described as a Minton majolica game dish should more realistically be listed as a Minton style majolica style covered dish. 

The piece in this auction listing is one of the most commonly found majolica reproductions on the market. I’ve written about it several times before, most recently here. So how did I know it was a reproduction before seeing the mark? In my case it’s because not only does it not have the superb quality of a Minton piece but I’ve also seen this reproduction dozens of times before. For a novice without the kind of experience I’ve had the dead giveaway should have been the second photo with the spurious mark. 

The manufacturer’s intention was to deceive, so they placed a blank English Registration mark on the bottom without any understanding of the English registration system. To cover all their bases they included the crescent mark of George Jones so if you weren’t convinced by the registration mark perhaps the crescent would convince you because the Jones pottery later took on the name of the Crescent Pottery. Many people unfamiliar with English markings seem to believe that the English Registration mark is a George Jones mark. I’ve seen that mistake made hundreds of times over the years. Because many Jones pieces are marked only with a registration mark this confuses people who don’t know English pottery marks.

Take a look at a real registration mark below as well as a real Jones crescent mark.

English Registration mark

George Jones & Sons mark

Note that the registration mark has a mixture of numbers and letters. These represent specific things. For a thorough explanation go here. 

The George Jones mark is also not blank, nor does it stand on its own. There is always a stylized GJ above it while the crescent has wording that says “& Sons.” For more details on the Jones marking system go here.

The bottom line is that you need to know your facts before buying anything or you may end up spending hundreds of dollars on something that has only minimal value on the decorative market.

Genuine Minton majolica game dish