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Great Links to Identify Antiques & Collectibles

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Bottle Identification     Vintage Road Maps     Glassware ID Links     Ceramics ID Links    

Antique References      Antiques Glossary and Definitions      Search Many Sites at Once

Glassware Identification Links

Below are some great links we have discovered on the web that can help you identify glassware makers. When you click the link, you will leave our website. If you want to return, click the back button on your browser.

American Brilliant Period Cut Glass ACG Association - Examples
Anchor Hocking Glass Corp.(1937 to present, Fire-King 1940s to present)
Blenko Glass Company vintage catalogs (1930 to present)
Candlewick Stemware Reference Pages (Imperial pattern: 1936-1984)
Carnival Glass 101
Hooked on Carnival Glass
Davidson English Pressed Glass
Decanters & Drinking Glasses
EAPG: Corrections to Edwards Book
EAPG: Early American Pattern Glass at patternglass.com
EAPG- Early American Pattern Glass at the online store allantiqueglass.com
Etched Crystal Patterns at Replacements.com
Fenton Art Glass Co. (1905 to present)
Fenton Fanatics site
National Fenton Glass Society
Glass Bottle Marks
Glass Encyclopedia
Glass identification Marks and Shapes Shotglass.org
Glass Identification: Signatures & Marks
Glass Marks
Glass notes some manufacturer's labels & marks
Glass Lovers Database
Glass Encyclopedia
Glass notes manufacturers, Q to R
The Glass Museum links page
Heisey Glass Museum
Indiana Glass: Carnival Patterns
King's Crown
Collectors Weekly: Morgantown Crinkle or Seneca Driftwood
National Imperial Glass Collectors Society
Orrefors & Kosta
PatternGlass.com
Pilgrim Glass
Pressed Glass and Goblets pressedglassandgoblets.com
Herbert Green Collection of Sandwich glass, Skinner Auction
justglassmall.com glass auction site
Viking Art Glass
Westmoreland Glass


Information About Bottles, Jars, and Insulators

Below are some great links we have discovered on the web that can help you identify marks and codes to establish the age of vintage and antique items. When you click the link, you will leave our website. If you want to return, click the back button on your browser.

Antique bottle closures
Antique bottle price list
Collecting Antique fruit jars
BLM/SHA Historic bottle site
Collectors Weekly Bottle collecting page
Bottle Typing-Shapes Page
Bottle Collector's Haven
Determining Values of Bottles
FruitJars.org Homepage
Glass Bottle Marks
Glass Factory Marks on Bottles, Pg3
MyInsulators.com
Antique-bottles.net
Antique Medicine Bottles
Milner Article: Fruit jars, a history worth remembering
Fruit Jar Primer and References
More Bottle Marks - USA
Wheaton bottle summary at bottlebooks.com
Ink Bottles
Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website
Country Living: Canning Jar Collectors Guide
California State Parks Type Bottle Collection
Fruit Jar Collector's Group Page on Facebook
Museum of historical bottles
Antique fruit jars at Hoosier Jars
Glassworks Auctions
Ink Bottles
Determining Values of Bottles
Chlorox Bleach Bottle Guide


Ceramics Identification Links

Below are some great links we have discovered on the web that can help you identify ceramic and porcelain manufacturers. When you click the link, you will leave our website. If you want to return, click the back button on your browser.


American Art Pottery marks
Beer Stein Library - Home Page
International Beer Stein Collectors
Blue and white.com
Ceramics Glossary
Miniapolis Museum Guide to Chinese Ceramics
Chinese Porcelain Marks-late; Gotheburg site
Chinese porcelain marks - 20th century
Ming Qing Chinese Porcelain marks
Chinese Porcelain, Ming,Qing porcelain pottery, marks
thepotteries.org: Crown Staffordshire Porcelain Co Ltd.
Delft marks free e-book
Delft: Porceleyne Fles
Delftware identification
Doulton Ceramic Marks
English Registered Design or Trade Mark
English Stoke-on-Trent
English Porcelain, Pottery and Ceramic Trade Marks
English Ceramic Trade Marks
Fiesta, Fiestaware, and Homer Laughlin article in Collectors Weekly
German site of International Ceramic Marks
Gouda pottery
Hagen-Renaker Retired at Margaret's
Haviland Online - Haviland Backmarks
Japanese porcelain marks
McCoy Pottery Online
Old Ivory and Ohme Porcelains
Piggy Banks and Famous Potteries
Porcelain Mark Identification
Pottery Links from GLSA
Quimper Marks and signs
Royal Copenhagen Marks
Royal Delft - Porcelyne Fles Marks
Staffordshire Pottery Trademarks
Replacements, Ltd.
Roseville Exchange Marks Fakes
Royal Copenhagen date marks
Royal Copenhagen Dating
Spatterware
Wade Whimsies Figurines
Wade Ireland
Wedgwood Datemarks
Weller Pottery History from Justpottery

Date References: Determining the Age of Vintage and Antique Items

Determining the Age of Vintage and Antique Items

Establishing the age or date of a manufactured item can sometimes be quite easy. Most often, however, you have to piece together a number of clues and make inferences. Below are some clues to look for. Of course, there are exceptions to some of these rules of thumbs, and you have to consider design elements, manufacturing materials, and use some common sense, to determine the general era of manufactured items. Of course when an item is marked by the maker's name, you can narrow down the period that the company was in operation through internet searches. Some companies had their own system of codes for dates. Many companies changed their markings or names on specific dates. A patent or registry number can pin down a date precisely. Some cameras and lenses had serial numbers that began with letters and numbers to indicate the year and factory our country of manufacture. At the other extreme, handmade items of any period can be extremely difficult to age, so form, purpose, composition, and wear are important indicators of these items.

Country of origin

The McKinley Tariff act of 1890 required imported merchandise to have the country of manufacture. Prior to that, top quality "prestige" merchandise might still have the country of origin, but most often they would have the company name and or mark. An unmarked ceramic, for example, could have been imported before 1890, or American made, after 1890, or was designated with a paper label that wore off.

In 1914, the tariff law was revised to require the phrase "Made in..." was required. Thus, an item labeled "France" could have been imported between 1890 and 1914, and an item marked "Made in France" was likely imported after 1914. In more recent years, the phrase "Made in" is sometimes dropped. From any period, the country of origin marking may consist of a paper label or sticker that may be removed. For all these reasons, the country of origin marking is not always reliable, so look for other clues about the age of an item to make sure they are consistent with the purported age of an item.

There are certain country names that can definitely pin down a date. For example, "Nippon" was only accepted for items made in Japan until 1921. Here are some general rules:

Nippon1890 to 1921
Occupied Japan1945 to 1952
Czecho-slovakia (with a hyphen)1920s
German US Zone1945 to 1950
Western Germany1950-1989
Taiwanmostly after the mid- 1970s
Hong Kongmostly 1970s to 1990s
German States (e.g. Bavaria)before 1914

Other markings

Depose (French for registered)mostly early 1900s
Bone Chinaafter 1915
Microwave safeafter 1970
Ovenproofafter 1935
Patent pendingafter 1940
Patentedmostly after 1900, but earlier

Bar Codes and Zip Codes

If a paper product shows a zip code, it was made after 1962. The first bar code appeared on a pack of Wrigley's chewing gum in 1974.

Helpful Links

Below are some great links we have discovered on the web that can help you identify company marks, silver hallmark codes, and other information to establish the age of vintage and antique items. When you click the link, you will leave our website. If you want to return, click the back button on your browser.

English Registered Design or Trade Mark

General Info on dating English ceramics and marks

British Hallmarks

Button Backmarks

US Patent Dates

English Registration Marks

English registry date mark

English Ceramics Date Guide

British Hallmarks

Rookwood Pottery marks

Bottle dating

Brownie Camera manufacture dates

Determining the age of a watch


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