Reliance Teapot

Q: I’d like some information about the maker, age and value of this teapot. It’s decorated with raised dots and flowers and is marked “Reliance” above a rectangle with “Rd No 416505” and “Made in England.”

A: The Rd number is the English design registry number, which shows the design was registered in 1903. The words “Made in England” were usually used after 1915. This design number was used on teapots made by Gibson & Sons Ltd. The company was in business in Burslem, England, from 1885 to 1965, when it moved to Shelton, England. It closed in the mid 1970s. Gibson & Sons was known for its teapots. The pottery made “The Largest Teapot in the World” for an exhibition in the early 1900s. The teapot held 1024 cups of tea and had a normal-size teapot as the handle on the lid. Value, $50 to $100.