Q: What are my vases worth? We have two, and believe they are at least 125 years old.
- Bob
A: The above note arrived with four images - and no additional info. Thankfully, one image showed a vase bottom, and the green mark told us a lot. A laurel wreath with an M in the center encircled by "Hand-Painted Nippon" clearly identified the vases as Nippon porcelain. "Nippon" is the Japanese equivalent for the English word "Japan."
In her instructive book, "Van Patten's ABC's of Collecting Nippon Porcelain" ($29.95, Collector Books), Joan Van Patten writes that the ceramics were made in Japan from 1891 to 1921. In 1921, customs law declared that "Japan" should be used for exports; therefore, all china marked Nippon predates that law. So now our reader knows the approximate age of his vases.
Nippon china has been popular with collectors since the beginning. Fashioned into all kinds of decorative wares from hairpin holders to tea sets, pieces were hand-painted. Many were liberally decorated with gold or other precious metals. Some had enamel "jewels." Moriage (pronounced "more-ih-yah-gi"), a raised gold decoration similar to piping on a cake, is a well-known embellishment on better Nippon.
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Collector Jeff Mattison, president-elect of the International Nippon Collectors Club (www.nipponcollectorsclub.com), looked at images sent and wondered about height of the vases. As it happens, he recognized the mold shape and assumed that height is 10 1/2 inches. Smart collectors know that in some Nippon wares, height is a value factor. A large, finely painted and decorated covered urn can bring $5,000 or more.
Make time to look over the INCC's informative site. The "techniques" link is a gem.
Mattison noted that the vases were made between 1911 and 1921 by a predecessor of Noritake, specifically for export to the U.S. The M in the mark tells us the exporter was Morimura Brothers, with offices in New York City.
Mattison pegs retail on the vases at about $100 each, provided there are no cracks, dings or repairs. Gold wear at the handles and top rim affects value. A similar vase in A-1 mint condition would be $200. The mold also came in a smaller, 6- or 7-inch version. If that's the case, value for each is $50 as is or $100 if mint.
"Values depend on style, decorating techniques and collector taste," he added. A decade ago, collectors were wild for American Indian designs, done on humidors, steins, plates and other Nippon blanks. Today's darlings are pieces heavy with moriage and coralene (a glass bead decoration applied onto the design).
The current Nippon market is driven by Japanese collectors, who pay handsomely to bring the best back to Japan - where it all started, of course.
FYI: Nippon china has been reproduced and faked. Not all "Nippon" is authentic.
AUCTION ACTION
In a recent sale of shipbuilders' models and maritime paintings at Bonhams New York, a rare shipbuilders' model of the R.M.S. Ascania, launched in 1925 by the Cunard line, sold for $122,000. Built to 1/10 inch = 1 foot scale, the ship's starboard side has a waterline, inset portholes, veneer decks with plank lines, cargo winches, etc. The port side is cutaway and is similar to fold-out deck plans of the period. It includes supply stores, boiler and engine rooms, crews quarters, lounges, etc. Size of the cased ship is 63 1/2 inches by 27 1/2 inches.
COLLECTOR QUIZ
Q: Can you match Nippon wares in a 1908 catalog with their original prices?
1. Chocolate set (9-inch pot, two cups and saucers).
2. Hand-painted and gold-decorated creamer and sugar bowl.
3. Imari pattern 8 1/2-inch dinner plate.
4. Floral and gold teapot, creamer and sugar bowl.
5. 12 1/2-inch cobalt, gold lotus lily vase.
a. $2.18 per dozen
b. $1.15
c. $1.00
d. 27 cents
e. $1.25
A: 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-3, 5-c. Source: "Van Patten's ABC's of Collecting Nippon Porcelain" ($29.95, Collector Books), by Joan Van Patten.
Danielle Arnet welcomes questions from readers. She cannot respond to each one individually, but will answer those of general interest in her column. Send e-mail to smartcollector@comcast.net or write Danielle Arnet, c/o Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Please include an address in your query. Photos cannot be returned.