Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1850 to the Present [Hardcover]

Ralph Kovel (Author), Terry Kovel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 1986

You may be the owner of a valuable piece of porcelain or pottery, but the cryptic symbol on the underside of the piece may be your only clue to its value. Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: 1850 to the Present will help you identify your pieces.

Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks provides the quickest and easiest way for professional and amateur collectors to identify more than 3,500 American, European, and Oriental marks. The perfect companion to the Kovels' original best-seller, Kovels' Dictionary of Marks -- Pottery and Porcelain: 1650 to 1850 (still in print after more than 42 years and 41 printings), Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks is the most comprehensive reference for nineteenth- and twentieth-century marks. Together, the two volumes are an indispensable guide to porcelain and pottery marks of the last four centuries.

Also available from Three Rivers Press, Kovels' Dictionary of Marks--Pottery & Porcelain: 1650 to 1850

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As millions already know, any book carrying the Kovel byline will be as reliable, informative, and fact-filled as any collector could wish."
--American Country Collectibles

"What the Kovels don't know about antiques isn't worth knowing."
--House Beautiful

"The Kovels are arguably the authorities on antiques and collectibles in this country."
--Los Angeles Times

From the Inside Flap

You may be the owner of a valuable piece of porcelain or pottery, but the cryptic symbol on the underside of the piece may be your only clue to its value. Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: 1850 to the Present will help you identify your pieces.

Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks provides the quickest and easiest way for professional and amateur collectors to identify more than 3,500 American, European, and Oriental marks. The perfect companion to the Kovels' original best-seller, Kovels' Dictionary of Marks -- Pottery and Porcelain: 1650 to 1850 (still in print after more than 42 years and 41 printings), Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks is the most comprehensive reference for nineteenth- and twentieth-century marks. Together, the two volumes are an indispensable guide to porcelain and pottery marks of the last four centuries.

Also available from Three Rivers Press, Kovels' Dictionary of Marks--Pottery & Porcelain: 1650 to 1850

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown Publishers; 1st edition (December 13, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517559145
• ISBN-13: 978-0517559147
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Porcelain & China
  • #1 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Pottery & Ceramics
  • #15 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Use It Constantly!, March 6, 2002

By 

Miss Marple (PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1850 to the Present (Hardcover)

This is the book I refer to first when I get a new piece of porcelain. 90% of the time I find the mark in this book. U.S. Marks are not as well represented, however I do get some good information about the marks I do find.

I like the way the book is organized. You can look in the index if you know a name. This leads you to locations in the book where this name is listed. Or you can search by the shape, design, or letters used in the mark.

I am a beginner and I still found this book to be very helpful in my research.

My only request for an updated version is to include more U.S. Marks. The U.S. Pottery and Porcelain markets are getting very hot and it would be helpful to be able to quickly identify them.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners and advanced collectors alike!, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1850 to the Present (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to find information on porcelain manufacturers because I'm just getting started on collecting porcelain tea cups and demitasse sets. It has great info, it's well organized and easy to use. It has domestic manufacturers as well as foreign and will be a big help to anyone who uses it. It also has a great helper in the back: an explanation of and chart for dating the old-style English registry marks. I found out I have a plate made Dec. 3, 1855 from looking in this book. Buy it. It's a big help.

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy extension of the first Kovels pottery book., June 20, 2001

By 

William L. Gilstrap - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kovels' New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1850 to the Present (Hardcover)

The authors of this book have been writing it for almost 50 years. It is not a replacement for their "Kovels' Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain", which was first published in 1953 and is still in print. This book is an addition to the first book, having about 10% of the marks shown in the first book because of new information or for completeness. The other marks are newer and not shown in the old book. There are two sections of marks, the first section is marks that look like objects and the second is alphabetical by initials and words. There is also a section called: "Some Additional Information". It has a glossary of terms, dating systems, foreign words commonly used in the marks, fakes and forgeries, a list of "Selected Reading", and an index. This book alone is not enough for accomplished collectors, but is excellent for beginners and used in combination with the first book (as the authors apparently intended) will cover a large percentage of the "Pottery and Porcelain" marks.