Q: I inherited this little pitcher from my grandmother. It has this mark on the bottom. Can you tell me something about it and what it might be worth? It has a hairline crack inside.

A: The mark is a little hard to read, but we can see it includes the initials "G" and "S" and the words "Zell" and "Baden." The mark was used by Georg Schmider United Zell Ceramic Factories between 1907 and 1928, with or without the word "Baden." Schmider began working at a ceramics factory in Zell on Harmersbach (now Badenia, Germany) in 1890. He was the owner of that factory by 1898. In 1907 Schmider bought another Zell ceramics factory and combined the two factories to form Georg Schmider United Zell Ceramic Factories. The company continued operating under various owners after Schmider's death in 1934. It was reorganized in 2008 and is now Zeller Keramik Manufaktur GmbH & Co. KG. Your pitcher would be worth $60 if undamaged.