Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-05-09
BITS OF OLD CHINA.
IT MAY BE THAT YOU SHELTER A
RARE PRIZE IN YOUR CUPBOARD.

Early Specimens of Dresden Ware
Are of Immense Value, and Old
Chelsea China Is Today Worth
More Than Its Weight In Gold.
Old china has a value far beyond its
intrinsic worth Sometimes its possessors
are ignorant Of what their treasured bits
are really worth. The story OF how Dres
den ware was made first in Europe Is in
tsresting. Eggshells and seashellS ground
up and buried for hundred years was
the recipe the Chinese gave two centuries
ago for making porcelain. 1t was trade
secret which the Chinese We're clever
enough to keep to themselves for thou
sand years, and If it had not been for an
enterprising young German named Bott-
cher it would probably be sealed yet.
Bottcher was an apothecary's appren-
tice in q small Prussian town. His am
bilious experiments with chemicals caus-
ed his townspeople to declare him wiz
ard, so he ran away to Dresden, where
the king set him to work to try to make
gold. Soon afterward a rich Dresden
ironmaster named Schnoor in riding
across his land was begged in bed of
soft white clay. Thinking it might do
for hair powder, he took some of the stun
home and dried it and sent 1t to the king.
The king handed it over TO his new
chemist, who burned some and then
found, to his amaZement, that the stuff
was real kaolin, or china clay.
When the king saw the value of the
discovery, he shut up BOttcher in the
fortress of Konigstein TO continue his ex-
periments. The clay was carried to him
in barrels under the royal seal, the work
men sworn to secrecy and notice hung
In every room, "Be secret unto death"
Four years later, in 1719, a workman
named Stohzel escaped to Vienna and
started a china factory there, and from
that town the secret was carried to Eng
land.
Early specimens Of this Dresden china
are of immense value. little clock,
dated 1921, was bought by one of the
Rothschilds some years ago for 5000 and
is worth today 1880. A pair of candle
sticks were sold at the same time to the
Marquis of Bath for $1,155. Genuine
Dresden work can easily be told by the
"hall mark" 1t bears Of a couple of cross
ed electoral swords.
The prices mentioned are nothing COM
pared with those paid for good English
porcelain made at Chelsea. A set of
seven vases sold for $4,000. A dessert
service specially made for the Duke Of
Meckenburg In 17G3 cost $4,000 at the
factory. If any Of it is still in existence,
1t will be cheap at 81 900 plate. There
is good deal of old Chelsea china in
private hands. Owing to the fact that
the making Of it ceased In 1865, it is
worth more than its weight in gold 1t
is deep blue-often a little wavy-claret
red, canary yellow or sea green. and TIE
gliding Is specially heavy. Each piece
bears underneath the regular Chelsea
mark. an anchor in red or gold.
Stratford, England, once had famous
china factory. Bow china, as Il is called,
Is second only TO Chelsea in value. There
Is a painted bowl of Bow china in the
British museum worth over $1,000. 4
single triangle, or sometimes two tri-
angles In q circle, Is the usual mark Of
Bow china. But some specimens have no
marks underneath, but have instead bee
modelled or painted on some part Of tie
upper surface. These are specially val
liable. Another way Of telling both
Chelsea and Bow china Is by its e1-
Quisite whitsness.
The letter d crossed by an anchor on
any old cup or saucer is the mark on the
ware turned out by another long extinct
factory, the Chelsea Derby. DR.. John
son says of the china produced in 1777
that "it was beautiful and dear as solid
silver" 1t would be gold today.
The most important china works in
England today are those in Worcester.
Specimens of its early output are as
valuable as almost any old china in ex-
istence.
Early Worcester china, made by Dr.
Wall, who founded the works, is, most
Of it, blue and white, like Chinese ware.
1t can easily be identified by the heavy,
irregular black crescent at the bottom Of
each piece. All the saucers have this
mark, but the cups have sometimes only
a tiny letter 3d." Worcester Of a few
years later has an oddly shaped "W"
upon it.
Bits of Worcester china of 1880 and
little later may be told by n mazelike
square, This is always valuable. A din
ner service, even though imperfect, fetch
ed $1,000 recently. The mark is always
in blue or red.
Flight, Barr & Barr were the next
owners or the W orceSter WORKS. Their
name sometimes appears in full on the
bottom of their exquisite plates and
saucers, but more often simply the ini
tials Of, B. & B." The painting on this
china Is some OF the finest in existence.
Two plates noticed by cyclist in a cot
tage near Pershore, in Worcestershire,
realized for their owner, who was un-
aware OF their value, $45 apiece.
A shield with "K. b." on the top
means that the piece OF china which
bears 1t was made by Kerr & Binns. who
owned the Worcester works in the middle
Of the last century. They were specially
commissioned once to make dinner serv
ice for Queen Victoria.
II the crown, with crossed swords un.
derneath and the letter ID" below them,
Is marked In violet on the bottom Of any
plate, 1t Is real Crown Derby, of which
there Is still a good deal in existence.
Early specimens are very valuable, some
fetching more than four times their
weight In gold.-London Standard.