Beehive mark on porcelain had collectors buzzing

The shield mark, once mistaken for a beehive, was first used in the mid-1700s.

Pickard China, located locally in Antioch, is still producing fine porcelain.

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Q. Enclosed you will find a photo of a pair of porcelain vases that belonged to my grandmother. They each stand about 9 inches tall and 5 inches wide, and they are in mint condition. The front of each is decorated with a different scene of young women in robes. The back has small roses against a white background. Both the handle and rim are trimmed in gold. Marked on the bottom is the word “Austria” and a beehive.

I would never part with my grandmother’s vases, but I would like to know any information you can provide about their history.

A. Although your vases were made in Austria, the name of the manufacturer cannot be positively identified. The beehive mark is actually a shield. Collectors mistakenly interpreted the shield mark as a beehive. It was first used in the mid-1700s by the Imperial and Royal Porcelain Manufactory of Vienna. The mark represented the Habsburg family coat of arms. The shield mark has been copied and used for years by German, Austrian and even Japanese porcelain factories.

Your vases were made around 1900 and would probably be worth $200 to $375.

Q. This mark is on the bottom of a porcelain bowl that was my mother’s. It’s approximately 9 inches in diameter and 2 1/4 inches deep. Included is the letter “C” superimposed over the letter “A.” The bowl is decorated with red-orange poppies, buds and green leaves. The border is heavily embellished with gold. I plan to pass the bowl along to my daughter and would like to have information on its history.

A. Wilder Pickard founded The Pichard China Studio in Edgerton, Wisconsin, in 1894. He opened a home decorating studio in Chicago in 1895. Many of the blanks decorated were made in Limoges, France.

The letter “C” superimposed on the letter “A” is the mark of New York importer Charles Ahrenfeldt. He imported porcelain blanks to the United States from Limoges.

Around 1920, the company moved to Antioch, Illinois. In the 1930s, it introduced its own line of exceptional white porcelain. The decorators were extremely talented and creative. They frequently signed each piece they decorated. Carefully take another look at your bowl. It may be signed. The company continues today to be a family business and carry on the tradition of elegant porcelain manufacturing.

Your Pickard China bowl was made around 1900 and would probably be worth $175 to $275.

• Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she can’t answer individual letters.