How to Collect Transferware

Consider that beginning in the late 18th century, Staffordshire potters created huge amounts of blue-and-white transferware and are said to have cornered the international market. The Spode sporting scenes have been among the sought-after Staffordshire transferware designs.

Know that transferware patterns commemorating historical events and places are popular among collectors and can be expensive. Historical transferware was made in brown, red and many other colors, but the cobalt blue-and-white designs were the most popular.

Identify unmarked transferware pieces by researching the border that may surround the central print. Central motifs were often copied by several different potteries, but companies also created unique borders that were rarely copied by others.

Distinguish between transferred and hand-painted ceramic designs by looking for a break in the pattern, which shows where a print was cut to fit the piece. You may also notice that the edges overlap at that spot or that the images don't connect properly.

Note that finding a signature on a piece from known artists such as Francois Boucher or Angelica Kauffman would likely mean the design was transferred. It's believed that those artists didn't paint commercial porcelain pieces by hand.

Remember that the technique to create transferware is still being used, and some pieces are being produced from the original designs. A piece is likely less than 100 years old if it's marked with the words "England" or "Made in England." You can begin a collection by attending shows and events pertaining to transferware that are listed on the Transferware Collectors Club website.