My Obsession with Transferware

My love for collecting things needs no explanation. I collect mostly vintage items such as quilts, English advertising pots, crocks, scales, flower frogs, and transferware. Today I am sharing my transferware collection.

Spring Table

My theme for the month of May is collecting. 

My love for collecting things needs no explanation. I collect mostly vintage items such as quilts, English advertising pots, crocks, scales, flower frogs, and transferware.

Today I am sharing my transferware collection. I have vintage and new pieces and even though some of my collection is rare, I use it all the time.

brown transferware

Look at this brown transferware! Isn’t it just fabulous? This photo shows two of my transferware platters and three bowls I recently acquired. I love the designs, the color, and basically everything about them.

What is transferware?

Transferware is the term given to pottery that has had a pattern applied by transferring the print from a copper plate to paper and then to the pottery. While produced primarily on earthenware, transfer prints are also found on ironstone, porcelain, and bone china. 

You. can find vintage. transferware in blue, red (pink), green, brown, black, purple  (mulberry), and multicolor. Pieces with “limited” or LTD were likely made after 1860. “Made in England” indicates the piece was made throughout the 20th century.
 
There are a lot of new transferware pieces currently sold. Companies such as Spode, Royal Copenhagen, and Johnson Brothers currently sell some of their most popular transferware patterns. The patterns red, blue, and brown patterns below are both from Spode.

How to Set a Table

Most transferware patterns sought by collectors today are two-tone in color. Blue and white, red and white, and brown and white are the most common colors.

I think what I love most about transferware is that the patterns are truly timeless, making transferware a classic that is loved today just as much as it was in the 18th century.

I love mixing and matching dinner plates, especially when we entertain. The engagement party we hosted for my son Andrew and his bride Charlotte was for 60 people. The large number of guests required me to use every plate I had in this color there.

Entertaining with Transferware

 

Where can you buy Transferware?

The first thing you need to know is that my transferware collection primarily consists of dinner (and some salad) plates. I also own a few platters and bowls. I don’t collect teacups, saucers, and most serving pieces because they are too hard to store and I don’t think I would use them that often.

Vintage and new transferware can be purchased in stores and online. As much as I love the vintage pieces, it’s often hard to find a full vintage set of the same pattern. The prices can also be high but occasionally I will find a great deal on Etsy or at a vintage flea market. 

I found these vintage transferware items to buy online that I love. If you want one you will need to move fast because they are all one of a kind items for sale.

 

I also found more transferware plates and platters. My favorites are the plates in black and brown.

I also own a lot of newer transferware. Here are some of my favorites.

This pattern seen below from Spode is called Delamere. I just added this pattern to my collection last year and Delamere is one of my favorites. I also think they are very reasonably priced.

Transferware

My favorite pattern of all time is called Asiatic Pheasant. I can’t explain why I have seen this exact plate with three different manufacturers listed on the bottom: Royal Stafford, Wedgewood, and Johnson Brothers.

I am slightly embarrassed to say that I own these plates in five different colors: black, blue, red,  pink, turquoise, and green. A few months ago I found the dinner plates at Home Goods (for $5 each).

I think I like the black plates the best.

Transferware Plates

The red plates are perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and more.

Valentine's Day Transferware

When I saw these plates at TJMaxx I about died! I had no idea they were available in pink!

Spring Table with Pink Transferware
My love for collecting things needs no explanation. I collect mostly vintage items such as quilts, English advertising pots, crocks, scales, flower frogs, and transferware. Today I am sharing my transferware collection.

I worked with Spode last year and acquired quite a few new plates for my collection.

My Collection of Transferware

I absolutely loved combining brown and blue transferware together.

Collecting Transferware

One of the first blog posts I ever wrote was jokingly titled “My Life as a dish-Whore-der“. I took the photo below for that blog post. It was my collection three years ago. Since then I have added five more sets of transferware dinner plates. I know I am obsessed with these plates. So I have imposed a self-moratorium on buying any more plates! 

Collecting China

If you would like to see the names of each of these patterns, just click on any of the numbered links below.

Sharing How to Collect Transferware

1-Spode Celebration* // 2-Noritake Richmond*  // 3-Portmeirion Pomona // 4-Royal Stafford Asiatic Pheasant-Black // 5-Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz // 6-Minton Bridal Veil* // 7-Wedgwood Edme // 8-Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles-Pink Christmas * // 9-Spode Festival* // 10-Royal Staffordshire Avondale* // 11-Wedgwood Osborne* // 12-Enoch Wedgewood Kent* Plus we will have more!

*Many of these are discontinued, but I love the website Replacements Limited which I linked to almost all of the discontinued pieces. You can still purchase them here.

Pin the image below to your Entertaining, Collecting, or tablescape boards on Pinterest (just click the Pin button in the top left corner). You can also follow along with me on Pinterest!

My Favorite Brown Transferware

For more real-time updates, follow me on Instagram @My100YearOldHome

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49 Comments

      1. Love your post! So inspiring. I’m of a younger generation and I just started collecting bone china and other pretty things. Looking forward to hosting friends!

  1. I am a plate collector also. After I joined Beautiful Table Settings I knew I had found my group. If you do not belong I am inviting you to join now. Some of these people buy china daily. They are real enablers sadly! Your transfer ware is beautiful. I have a red plate or platter over everyone of the 16 windows in my sunroom. I also have the turkey in blue for Thanksgiving and then others that I have found here and there. Love you blog!

  2. A feast for the eye! Love your collection! What a treat it must be to be a guest at one of your parties.

  3. I love the ‘hunt” for my collecting habits. I also have collected flower frogs for years. I really have too many now but still enjoy looking for them. I would love to see your pictures of your collection. I thought I was the only person with this odd collection! My collections also include Blue Willow, salt glazed blue pitchers, a few quilts, and of course the flower frogs. I love wooden hat forms and many other antique items. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy reading your blog.

    1. I love that you collect flower frogs as well!! So fun to find new ways to repurpose. Thank you for following along with me!

  4. I thought I was the only person who LOVED plates. Transferware is one of my collection of plates. I like the thought of not Getting the cups and saucers. Great idea.
    My favorite out of yours is the Rose Chintz.
    Keep collecting. Enjoy you blog.

  5. Pretty collection Leslie! I especially love brown and blue transferware. I have a soft spot for dishes, sterling serving pieces, Christmas ornaments and French antiques. It’s always fun to discover a new piece.

  6. Be still my heart! I live your collection! I love transferware, too, and have brown and white and red and white. I love them!

  7. I collect blue and white transfer ware. I love it. I never tire of it either. It’s beautiful and I display all of my transfer ware during the fall and winter months. It gets me through our long Michigan winters! 🤣

  8. I have the same plates and absolutely love 💕 them! I love the glasses you use with your table setting!!

  9. I too have the Royal Stafford asiatic pheasant -black salad plates. I found them at HomeGoods as well. I hope I get lucky enough to find the dinner plates. Thank you for showing so many beautiful ways for me to create tables capes with them. 😍

  10. My mom started my love affair with dishes (especially transferware) when I turned 16…she let me select my own pattern then every birthday, Christmas gift etc for years she bought me a piece or two. I have a set for twelve of Rose Chintz and will always cherish it!

  11. I started picking up brown transferware at estate sales and garage sales…. I really like my browns…. but I LOVE your black patterns…. they really pop, don’t they????

  12. Wow u have quite a collection of beautiful Transferware !! My favorite is the brown 🤎

  13. Are you familiar with the Crown Ducal Bristol pattern? It is one of my favorite
    transferware patterns. And can be found often on Ebay.

  14. Such a surprise to see my grandmother’s transferware dishes featured in your opening picture (it’s the brown transferware platter with the most showing and a basket of flowers center)! Since it isn’t identified with a marking on the bottom, it may have been one of the more common sets back in its hay day. I rarely ever see this pattern, but I watch for it everywhere I go. I have many treasured memories of dinners with my grandparents and I feel extremely blessed to have my grandmother’s set. Thanks for sharing!

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