Collectors of china and pottery do need to have considerable funds in order to acquire the finer pieces. Individual items have been known to create astronomical bidding frenzies within the world’s leading auction houses. But pottery has been around for almost as long as man himself and has some pretty basic beginnings when compared to the fine bone china collections in the world today.

One of the more ancient of human craftsmanship, pottery continues to be big business today. Collectors of ceramics will be aware that pottery is purely a ceramic that is created by a potter. Pure and simple. Pottery is the general term for stoneware, earthenware, porcelain and many others. Pottery can be functional as well as decorative.

Wedgwood, Royal Doulton and Minton are famous in England for the production of quality dinnerware and have always been extremely sought after.Today such tableware products are more likely to be collectors’ pieces than in use on the family table as comparatively low in price and mass- produced items are preferred. If any collectable china or pottery ‘lives’ within a household, the chances are that it is not in use and kept only for ‘special occasions’.

In England, Staffordshire Pottery has historically ruled the ceramic roost. Names such as Minton, Portmeirion, Spode and Fielding Majolica continue to attract the eye of the avid ceramic collector.

Majolica is renowned for its vividly coloured lead glaze - that which was originally designed for the 1851 Great Exhibition. Another familiar pottery studio, Spode, originated in the late eighteenth century and is recognized by its blue prints.

Portmeirion, another of the famous Staffordshire Potteries was the product of a husband and wife collaboration to commission designs (amongst the most popular are the Magic City, Magic garden and Totem ranges) for sale at the famous Ship Shop in the North Wales village of Portmeirion.

A personal favourite dinnerware design has always been that of the Willow pattern that originated in the Staffordshire Pottery of Minton in the early nineteenth century. In addition to collecting Minton I have a fondness for the stunning designs of Clarice Cliff!

A very notable ceramic artist, Clarice Cliff’s ceramics are popular collectors’ items. Eye catching and much sought after, original Clarice Cliff pieces never fail to catch the eye of the china collector. Vivid in design and colour the Art Deco design of Cliff is instantly recognizable and very sought after in today’s collector’s marketplace. Her hand painted triangular ‘Bizarre’ designs are considered to be the earliest examples of her work and adorn many a glass fronted cabinet across the world. The highest bid for a Clarice Cliff item was that of £39,500 for an 18 inch wall plaque or charger. It was sold at Christie’s, London in 2004, shortly before selling an additional Clarice Cliff item, a vase for £20,000.

Happy bidding out there!