Serve Delicious Chocolate in Valuable Pot with Underplate by Anne McCollam on Creators.com

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Serve Delicious Chocolate in Valuable Pot with Underplate

Q: Enclosed is a photo of my porcelain chocolate pot and plate, which are in perfect condition. The spout, handle and the top are embellished with gold. You can't see the spout in the photo, but it is the image of a woman. Marked on the bottom of both pieces are a crown and the words: "B. & M. Co. — Royal China."

I would appreciate anything you can tell me about my prized possession.

A: Burroughs and Mountford Co. in Trenton, N.J., made your chocolate pot and underplate. They were in business for only a short time, from 1879 to 1882. They produced artware, a line of dinnerware and toilet ware as well as white granite and creamware.

The value of your chocolate pot and underplate would probably be $175 to $225.

Q: This mark is located on the back of my newly inherited dish set. The words "Fairy Dell" are also included with the mark. A service for 12, the set consists of 88 pieces, including serving dishes. Each dish has a raised and swirled pattern with multicolored flowers against a white background.

I would like to know the value of my gift.

A: This mark was used by W. T. Copeland in Staffordshire, England, around 1920. Copeland has produced porcelain, Parian ware and earthenware from 1847 to the present. "Fairy Dell" is the name of the pattern.

Your early 1900s dinnerware set would probably be worth $1,000 to $1,500.

Q: I bought a ceramic Donald Duck bank at a garage sale a few years ago for $5.

Now, I am wondering about its age and if it has any value. Hand-painted over a white glaze, it stands about 12 inches tall and has no identifying marks.

Anything you can tell me will be appreciated.

A: Chances are your bank is a late 20th-century knockoff. If it isn't marked with a Walt Disney copyright, it isn't an official Disney collectible.

You more than doubled your money.

Q: I have a teapot that is decorated with tiny pastel flowers against a white background. The image of a sailing ship is marked on the bottom.

Can you identify the maker, origin and value of my teapot?

A: A. E. Gray and Co., Ltd. made your teapot. They have produced earthenware in Staffordshire, England, from 1912 to the present. Their sailing ship mark was used from 1934 to 1961.

The value of your teapot would probably be $50 to $75.

Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters. To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.