There are many people who work hard at trying to find antique dishes from around the world. For some it is a hobby that was started by their mothers and grandmothers before them. For others it is something that they stumbled onto and thought to pursue. Anyone who is new at collecting these dishes should know exactly what to look for and how to find the best ones for their particular collections.
One might think it would be easy to spot something that is antique or vintage. However, this is a common misconception and one that you should try to avoid. It is not hard for a manufacturer to make a dish that has the illusion of being old – but that is only two years old. When something is truly an antique it is 100 years old or more.
Sometimes the best place to find them is in your own home. If your grandparents or some other relative has left you old china ask them what kind of history it has and when they purchased it. If they cannot help you then look at the backstamp that is located on the bottom of the dish. This stamp is used to determine who the manufacturer was and what year it was produced.
When you have determined the name of the manufacturer you can visit any antique collector website and obtain information on them. There are many different sites on the web to use. To gather the correct information you should visit more than one. Some might have more information then the other and therefore give
There are other things that you can look for when determining what type of china you have or how old it is. The weight of the china can help you to determine what type of china it is. For example, if it is lightweight and delicate than you might have bone china. This is a type of porcelain that was used during the late 18th century. The heavier antique dishes were most likely used in various restaurants. These were made to be heavy so that they could endure more.