Things You'll Need
Instructions
Begin by assembling all existing information about your object. You have always been told, for example, that your German grandmother, whose husband came from Alsace-Lorraine, brought her flowered china vase from "the old country" when she came to America as a bride. They had met as teenagers on a Rhine River day-excursion. After writing letters for years, they were finally able to marry after the First World War and came to the U.S. in 1920. They were working people, and your grandmother treasured her vase as a wedding gift. You don't recognize the initials or the symbol printed on the bottom of the vase. Chances are high, however, that the vase comes from Northern France or Southern Germany, close to the Rhine. They met on a day-trip and were working people. War made much travel impossible. All the family details suggest beginning your maker mark search search between 1910 and 1920, in areas close to the Rhine in both France and Germany.
Copy all the marks you can see on the bottom of your vase. Take photographs of the whole piece and of the marks, if possible. If you are adept at drawing, make a sketch of the object, noting colors, and draw the marks. Having copies keeps you from having to take your vase on searches for information.
Research print sources of maker marks at your local public library. This is a popular research topic and you are likely to find, or be able to ask the library to obtain, print sources to examine. Both your family facts and your copies will help you narrow down the search and compare marks (these resources are often reference books and cannot therefore be checked out of the library). Take notes on what you find. Include directory titles, page numbers, and information. Copy pertinent pages.
Expand your search with online sites. Especially for china, silver and other domestic wares, sites tend to be large and informative. Give greater attention to information sites than to those featuring buying and selling. Information will be more extensive and more reliable than that provided by people most concerned with monetary value.
Include historical society and museum online sites in your search. While you are unlikely to find a museum that pinpoints your object immediately, knowledgeable curators are generous with free information and may well have research sources unavailable to you otherwise. Use contact information--and your copies--to refine your search. Online research permits you to access historical sites and museums in "the old country" as well as close to home.