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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The red plates are perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and more.
When I saw these plates at TJMaxx I about died! I had no idea they were available in pink!
I worked with Spode last year and acquired quite a few new plates for my collection.
I absolutely loved combining brown and blue transferware together.
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!
If you would like to see the names of each of these patterns, just click on any of the numbered links below.
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!
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Right there with you sister! Your collection is beautiful, and you know I love that Rose Chintz! Always so fun to see your lovely tables! Happy Monday! 💗
Thank you so much, hope you have a great start to your week!
LOVE LOVE LOVE all of this!!! Collecting china is a lost art on the younger generations.
It really is a lost art, Thank you!
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!
I have the same obsession – I need more storage room LOL!
Isn’t that the truth!
Your collection is so pretty and love seeing your place settings and table presentations
Thank you very much, Laurie!
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!
Thank you! Love hearing that we have similar taste.
Love it! My family shares the same love for transfer ware.
A feast for the eye! Love your collection! What a treat it must be to be a guest at one of your parties.
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.
I love that you collect flower frogs as well!! So fun to find new ways to repurpose. Thank you for following along with me!
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.
You are definitely not alone, Rosie!! Thank you for following along with me.
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.
It is really is! I love hearing that you have similar passions 🙂
Be still my heart! I live your collection! I love transferware, too, and have brown and white and red and white. I love them!
That is so great, Connie. I am sure they are so beautiful!
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! 🤣
Blue and white is beautiful!
I have the same plates and absolutely love 💕 them! I love the glasses you use with your table setting!!
Love it!! Thank you so much.
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. 😍
Of course! I hope you are able to find many more 🙂
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!
I love that! So special that there is a story behind them.
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????
They do! That is awesome that you have been finding some of your own 🙂
Wow u have quite a collection of beautiful Transferware !! My favorite is the brown 🤎
I love the brown as well, thank you!
Are you familiar with the Crown Ducal Bristol pattern? It is one of my favorite
transferware patterns. And can be found often on Ebay.
I have the Asiatic Pheasant in a gorgeous Cornflower blue & black! Now, after seeing yours, I need to hunt down some black and white to go with it.
That would be gorgeous!
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!
O wow, I love hearing that! So incredibly special.