Christmas Ironstone

When we went to Roanoke last weekend Sarah finally gave me my Christmas present since we hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving. She bought it at an antique store in Southport, North Carolina when they were at Dan's parent's for Christmas. She sent me a picture of it when she bought it. But I had to wait. I had already picked out a spot in my dining room.  

I didn't take a picture of the marking on the back but it said, Ironstone China J&G Meakin Hanley England. I looked it up and found that the bowl was made between 1890 and 1906. I am amazed that it lasted. Just makes me wonder where it has been the last one hundred years.



Seth also bought me ironstone for Christmas because he knew I liked it. He had gone downtown to Rocky's antique store and asked about it. There was a piece but it didn't actually say ironstone. So, a couple of days before Christmas he was here for lunch. I saw him in the dining room hovering over the sugar cookies (or so I thought.) I asked him what he was doing and he said he was just looking at the cookies. I told him he could have one (I was saving them for our Christmas get together.) I noticed he didn't eat it all.

After I opened his present at Christmas he told me that day he had been in the dining room trying to look at my ironstone pieces to see the markings to compare to the piece at Rocky's. Of course everything was decorated for Christmas and was covered with greenery so he couldn't disturb anything.

I looked up the marking on this piece and found it was made around 1906. Again, I just can't believe it has lasted that long especially without the lid getting broken.

It was fun to look these pieces up on the Internet and read more about ironstone. I need to look up my other pieces to determine when they might have been made. I am going to be on the hunt for more of these really old pieces.