Australian potters' marks
Selected images Symbols
Selected images of identified marks are maintained in the Australian Potters’ Marks account on Flickr. These can be searched once you have linked through to Flickr. Limit your search to the Australian Potters’ Marks photostream to get tightly controlled results. Search either on potters’ names or on keywords describing marks such as RM or hexagon.
There are three collections of images in the Australian Potters’ Marks account on Flickr:
- Australian potters’ marks : the main list arranged alphabetically
- Australian potters’ marks by state
- Symbols
Most marks consist of signatures, names or initials. They may be hard to decipher but clues to the identity of the potter are at least contained in the letters. The symbols collection on Flickr has been set up to help with the identification of marks that consist only of a symbol, especially when these are hard to describe.
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Australian potters' marks 
I have a brown/cream shell shaped dish with Aboriginal painting inside. Looks like emu, sun etc. marking on back hard to read. Could be Australian ALFA ART. Maybe purchased 60/70 years ago. Any ideas? Thanks
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Posted by Rowena | June 2, 2014, 11:33 amHi Rowena, this could be the Alpha Studios listed in Geoff Ford’s Encyclopaedia of Australian Potters’ Marks. They were active from the mid-1950s to early 1960s and made slip cast ware decorated with Australian animals in Aboriginal abstract style. Ford doesn’t have any other information about them. The Early Australian Pottery group may know more.
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Posted by Judith | June 2, 2014, 12:07 pmI recently acquired a pot but can’t identify its maker from the unintelligible scrawl on the base. It’s a very nice piece. Is there somewhere where I can post a photo of the maker’s mark in case someone recognises it? Thanks
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Posted by Peter Dwyer | July 16, 2014, 9:00 amHi Peter, I see you’ve found your way to the Identifying Australian Pottery group on Flickr. Hopefully someone will be able to help you there.
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Posted by Judith | July 16, 2014, 9:41 amI have a Warren Arthur Amesfield Pottery carafe . . . can anyone provide some information on the value?
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Posted by Brooke Benner | November 19, 2014, 7:35 amHi Brooke, the best way to get an idea of what your carafe is worth is to monitor results for similar items on eBay.
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Posted by Judith | November 19, 2014, 8:34 amI did try that . . but there were not any pieces by him on Ebay. I found a picture of a very similar carafe on your flicker page, but that is all I can find. I am in the US, so Warren Arthur is not a well known name here.
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Posted by Brooke Benner | November 19, 2014, 8:37 amWarren Arthur trained with Victor Greenaway at his Broomhill Pottery and both potteries would have made carafes by the hundreds in the 1980s and early 1990s to be sold as sets with goblets. Victor Greenaway’s work turns up more often on eBay and could be used for comparative purposes.
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Posted by Judith | November 19, 2014, 9:03 amThank you!
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Posted by Brooke Benner | November 19, 2014, 9:04 amI have a large glazed
bowl with what looks like a horseshoe and a cross within an ellipsis (impressed mark). I’ve looked thorugh the marks on the website but can’t find the potter. Can anyone help?
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Posted by Jennifer Day | August 29, 2015, 3:43 pmJennifer, members usually post images for identification on the Identifying Australian Pottery group on Flickr. Guidelines for participants are here:
https://australianpottersmarks.wordpress.com/about/guidelines-for-participants/.
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Posted by Judith | August 29, 2015, 4:58 pmHi , I have a yellow basket and on the base it states Surrey 14 and it also has the original label that says Quality Surrey Pottery. Does anyone know if this is Australian? Thanks
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Posted by Jenny Cox | December 8, 2016, 8:21 pmThis is not a mark we have identified on Australian Potters’ Marks.
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Posted by Judith | December 8, 2016, 9:57 pmI have an olive green glazed oval pottery bowl with an unusual marking at the base. The entire base has a impression of a crane standing in a swamp with a castle in the background. There is also the number ‘5’ and ReF.22. Any help with this one?
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Posted by Ellen Kittson | December 15, 2018, 5:46 pmHi, new to this site, and not sure how to access the information. I have a vase purchased by a member of my husband’s family, and now passed on to him – but all he is able to say about it is that he remembers it in the relative’s house in the late 90’s – not a lot of help in identifying this item! It has an oval shaped potters stamp near the base that looks like it might say ‘Andy’ – but part of the ‘A’ could also be the edge of the stamp – not a lot of help really! But I’m hoping that someone might be able to help anyway.
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Posted by Cheryl Bingham | August 24, 2019, 3:41 pmHello, I am trying to identify a pottery set.
I can provide photos. The marking is hard to discern. May be a CNV. Can I share a photo? It was gifted to my parents in the 80s I think.
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Posted by Alison | September 18, 2023, 8:20 amHello Alison, please submit the photos to the flickr group . this site is currently being updated….. https://www.flickr.com/groups/austpots/
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Posted by Ray | September 18, 2023, 12:55 pm