Moorcroft Marks: How to Identify and Date Them

The mark is located on the base of the piece and combines a hand-painted or printed designer's signature, an impressed 'Moorcroft' mark, place-of-origin text ('Burslem', 'Made in England'), and a year symbol.

• 1897-1913: The earliest Florian ware carries a standard brown mark, together with William Moorcroft's hand-painted signature in green; some pieces also carry a design registration number.
• 1904-1913: Pieces from this period instead carry a brown 'Macintyre and Co., Burslem' stamp; William Moorcroft's initials are more common than a full signature.
• 1928-1945: After William Moorcroft left Macintyre & Co. to start his own firm in 1914, pieces from this period carry a full signature, a Burslem stamp, and a 'Made in England' stamp.
• From 1990 onward: From 1990, a 'Year Cypher' symbol was added to indicate the actual year of manufacture, distinct from the copyright year that represents the design's original release date; painter/outliner initials also began being marked from this period.

Pieces can be dated by combining several base-mark details: signature style (full signature vs. initials), the presence and wording of the place-of-origin mark, the exact wording of the Royal Warrant paper label ('Potter To HM The Queen' from 1928, changed to 'Potter To HM Queen Mary' after 1936, held under Walter Moorcroft's name 1946-1978), and the Year Cypher symbol used after 1990; the company also offers paid and free physical authentication services.

• The fine 'crazing' on the base of a piece is often mistaken for damage or artificial aging, but the company states this is actually a natural aging effect from the clay body absorbing moisture over a decade or more, and is a positive clue for judging age and authenticity; if an old piece shows no crazing at all, this may instead indicate it has been refired, and its provenance should be re-examined.

Turn the piece over and light the mark from a low angle with a lamp or phone torch, which throws the impressed or engraved lines into relief; a printed or painted mark wants soft, even light instead. Fill the frame with the mark, then take a second shot of the whole piece. Do not clean tarnish off silver before photographing; the mark reads better dark. The app matches the mark and shape to the notes above.