A Spode by Any Other Name

Spode dishes have undergone several phases of ownership over the years, and consequently, the markings on Spode pieces can be a bit confusing to the beginning collector. Perhaps you can relate to my experience the moment I picked up a dish with what I recognized as a classic Spode pattern, only to confusedly think, “Copeland?... Who’s Copeland?... This is a Spode dish!” If so, this post is for you!

Here it is in a nutshell: 

1776-1833 The earliest pieces may not have any markings at all, or could even be marked just with an x inside a circle. Early Spode often has just the Spode name impressed into the pottery, and could also have the Spode name painted on (with varying styles or fonts). 

1833-1847 Next is the “Garrett & Copeland” era, when the company was bought by joint owners (hence the name). Copeland bought the company outright in 1846, ushering in the next phase of markings.

1847-1966 The markings from this period sometimes feature just the Copeland name, but markings from throughout the whole Garret/Copeland eras often include the Spode name, as on the demitasse cup below, or even the phrase “Late Spode”. 

 1966-Present This era saw the return of the traditional Spode name. Early in this period, markings tend to have just the name printed on in a calligraphy-type font. Newer pieces feature helpful words like “dishwasher safe”, and often a short history of the pattern in the same blue ink as the pattern on the front, specifying the original date of production for that particular pattern. 

For a more specific, in-depth history of Spode and its owners, see the Spode Museum Trust site (link here), and for a good visual timeline of Spode History, check out Spode History here on Blogspot.