Q: I have some questions concerning the markings on my
Haviland china. The back of my china says Theodore Haviland, Limoges and Leob
Hermanos, Mexico. I also have some Haviland pieces that are marked Schulze, Cincinnati.
Could you please let me know if you have any info on these markings? What do they mean
and how old are the pieces?
A:
We frequently see this type of marking on the backs of old patterns by Haviland (and some
other brands too). The Leob Hermanos (Leob Bros.), Mexico and Schulze, Cincinnati marks
indicate the retailer who originally sold the china and the retail store's location.
Evidently, merchants could order certain quantities of china from Haviland and the factory
would offer to mark the wares with the retailer's name and location in addition to the usual
factory marks.
Today, we still occasionally see this type of marking on pieces of china from high end
retailers. For example, "Made expressly for Tiffany & Co." etc... Seventy five years
ago, the practice was much more common.
The additional marks do not necessarily add to the value of china sets, but they certainly
do add to the interest and historical information about the origins of old sets of china.
Haviland's largest amount of production seems to have been in the late nineteenth century
up through the early part of the twentieth century (1890s -1930s). If you would like to
try to identify your pattern and perhaps narrow down the date that it was produced,
check the edish Haviland identification page.
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