Three-looped Staffordshire knot has a history
Q. The three pottery vases in this picture were given to my wife by her aunt. We believe they originally belonged to her grandparents. They are in graduating sizes and were made by William Brownfield Pottery in England. Each vase is decorated in relief with designs of blue ferns, yellow corn, blue twisted rope on the handle and gold trim. Marked on the bottom of each piece is a raised diamond shape with numbers and letters. Below the diamond is a knotted rope. Also, there is the handwritten number "12860" on each.
For how much do you think the set would sell? Should we approach a local dealer or auction house, or post it ourselves on the internet? A. William Brownfield Pottery was located in Cobridge, Staffordshire, England, from 1850 to 1891. You have an example of a stoneware set of jugs or pitchers, rather than vases, and the pattern is "Fern." The number included with the marks is a design number. The three-looped Stafford knot shaped like a pretzel was frequently used by multiple Staffordshire potteries. Its history can be traced to the Middle Ages, when it was used on early coats of arms. In the 19th century, it became a symbol of potteries in Staffordshire, and it is often used today. The diamond-shaped mark is a faux registration mark.
All of your suggestions on selling are good provided you do some research on the reliability of a dealer or auction house and the terms of selling. Interview several dealers, and also consider consignment.
Your circa-1859 set of jugs would probably be worth $300 to $400.
Q. The enclosed mark is on a milk glass dresser set that has been in my family for close to 60 years. It was a wedding gift to my grandmother in the 1950s. I always admired it as a child, so when I married, she passed it along to me. The set consists of a covered powder dish, a covered pedestal dish, two perfume bottles and a matching tray. Each piece is decorated with blue flowers, pink roses and lavender bows.
I would never part with the set, but I would like to know more about it history.
A. Westmoreland Glass Company made your dresser set. It was located in Grapeville, Pennsylvania, from 1899 to 1984. The flowers and bows are hand-painted. The pattern is "Roses and Bows," and it was introduced in the 1950s.
Your milk glass dresser set would probably fetch $175 to $225.
• Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she can't answer individual letters.
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