The Collectibles Journal

Antique English Imari bone china in cobalt blue, iron-red and gilt, including Royal Crown Derby and Coalport cups and saucers, arranged on a wooden sideboard

Royal Crown Derby: A Collector’s Guide to Imari Patterns

Tania Knoetze
Royal Crown Derby has painted Imari patterns for more than two hundred years. The article traces the factory’s history, the Arita origin of the palette, backstamp and year-cypher dating, and the related English makers whose Imari-style wares built the wider collecting field.
Antique English Imari bone china in cobalt blue, iron-red and gilt, including Royal Crown Derby and Coalport cups and saucers, arranged on a wooden sideboard

Royal Crown Derby: A Collector’s Guide to Imari Patterns

Tania Knoetze
Royal Crown Derby has painted Imari patterns for more than two hundred years. The article traces the factory’s history, the Arita origin of the palette, backstamp and year-cypher dating, and the related English makers whose Imari-style wares built the wider collecting field.
Blue Willow dinner table setting using actual Churchill, Swinnertons and Burleigh Ware collection pieces with charger, side plate, bowl, cutlery and glassware

Blue Willow: Myths, Misconceptions and Clever Marketing

Tania Knoetze
Blue Willow is an English-made family of related transferware patterns. Explore its origins, named variations, makers, backstamps and practical dating clues for collectors.
Curated display of vintage Beswick pottery including a Rebeccah Puddle-Duck figurine, ivory ewer jug, leaf vase and serving bowls

Beswick Pottery: History, Marks and Collector Appeal Beyond Beatrix Potter

Tania Knoetze
Explore Beswick Pottery history, marks and collector appeal, from Beatrix Potter figurines to horses, dogs, wildlife and practical identification tips.
Five vintage SylvaC ceramic pieces on a collector's wooden display shelf, including rabbit, terrier and hare figures and a mottled Art Deco jug

SylvaC Pottery: History, Marks and Collector Appeal

Tania Knoetze
A collector's guide to SylvaC, covering the pottery's history, its marks and shape numbers, the ranges collectors look for and the pieces currently in stock.
SylvaC and Beswick pottery figurines arranged together

Classic English Pottery Makers: A Collector's Series

Tania Knoetze
A series on classic English pottery makers, beginning with why the industry grew up in Staffordshire and how postwar decontrol revived colour and novelty ware.
PZH Gouda Toos hand-painted polychrome floral ceramic cachepot with green interior, cream crackle-glazed ground and bold flower decoration, Dutch Gouda pottery

Gouda Pottery Collectors Guide: Dutch Art Pottery from the Netherlands

Deon Knoetze
A complete collector's guide to Dutch Gouda pottery, covering the history of the city's plateel tradition, the main factories including PZH, Flora, Zenith, and Regina, how to identify and date pieces using marks, and what to look for when collecting.
Chinese export Famille Rose Rose Medallion figural floral plate with court scene decoration, Collectibles by Deon

Imari and Oriental Ceramics: A Collector's Guide to Blue, White and Famille Rose Porcelain

Deon Knoetze
A practical collector's guide to Oriental ceramics: covering blue and white Chinese export porcelain, Famille Rose, Imari ware, Chinoiserie, and Japanese ceramics, with advice on what to look for and how these pieces arrived in South Africa.
Fenton Peacock Tail marigold carnival glass square crimped bowl showing iridescent pressed glass pattern

What Is Carnival Glass? A Collector's Guide to Iridescent Pressed Glass

Deon Knoetze
A complete collector's guide to Carnival Glass: its history, how the iridescent effect is achieved, the key American and European makers, colour rarity, and what to look for when buying.
Royal Doulton Mandy HN2476 bone china figurine in white dress holding a yellow floral posy, showing the fine detail and quality of a genuine Royal Doulton piece

How to Tell If a Royal Doulton Figurine Is Genuine: A Collector's Authentication Guide

Deon Knoetze
A practical authentication guide for Royal Doulton figurines, covering how to read HN numbers and backstamps, what the bone china body should look and feel like, how to identify reproductions, and which published references to use.
Belleek Ireland cream basket weave sugar basin with hand-painted pink lily motif showing the delicate parian porcelain and signature lattice moulding

Belleek Irish Porcelain: A Collector's Guide to Marks, Patterns and What to Look For

Deon Knoetze
A complete collector's guide to Belleek Irish porcelain, covering the history of the Belleek Pottery, how to date pieces using the numbered mark system, the basket weave and shamrock patterns, and what to look for when collecting.
Spode Blue Italian rectangular covered butter dish with underplate showing the classic blue and white transferware pattern with Italian landscape scene

How to Clean Antique Ceramics Without Causing Damage

Deon Knoetze
Safe, practical guidance on cleaning antique ceramics, bone china, figurines, transferware, and glassware without causing damage to gilding, enamel colours, restored areas, or delicate applied decoration.