New Japan

Q: I inherited this bone china plate. It’s been in the family since the early 1900s. It has this pretzel-shaped mark with wings and crown on the bottom. I can’t find it on the internet anywhere. Can you tell me the maker?

 

A: Collectors call this pretzel-shaped mark a knot. Similar marks were used by several potteries in Staffordshire, England. Your mark includes the initials “R.H. & S.L.” inside the knot and the letter “P” beneath the knot. It was used by R.H. & S.L. Plant (Ltd.) at the company’s Tuscan Works in Longton, Staffordshire, England, from about 1898 to 1902. New Japan is the pattern name. The company became part of the Wedgwood Group in 1966 and was renamed Royal Tuscan.