G.V. Segovia Mark

Q: We’ve had this plate for several years. I believe we got it in Germany or Spain. We’re just wondering if it has any value. I don’t think I spent over $25 for it. The mark is a crown above a shield with “GV” above a picture of some kind of architectural structure and “Segovia” below that. Beneath the shield is a banner that says “Fundado en 1861.” Next is “Decorado bajo el barniz, Inalterable a los Detergentes.” Last is the number “7811.”

A: No one seems to be able to identify the maker that used this mark, but we’ve seen plates with this picture, as well as with other scenes. The picture in the mark represents the two-tier section of the aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. The aqueduct was built in the first century A.D., during the Roman Empire, and it supplied water to the city into the twentieth century. Even though the pottery that made your dish was founded in 1861, your platter isn’t very old. The words written below the mark are Spanish for “Decorated under varnish, intolerable to detergents.” In other words, the design is detergent proof. Dishes began to be marked “detergent proof” about 1944. Value of your platter, probably $35 to $50.