Cloverleaf Mark

Q: I have a set of dishes my grandmother received as a wedding gift in 1900. The dishes are decorated with roses and marked on the bottom with a four-leaf clover above the word “Austria” inside a circle. Who made them?

A: Family history about antiques doesn’t always match what’s known about the company. This mark was used by the Merkelsgrun Porcelain Factory in Bohemia, Austria (now Merklin, Czech Republic) from 1912 to 1918. A porcelain factory was located in Merkelsgrun beginning in 1871. It merged with another porcelain factory in 1912 and remained in business until 1945. Household porcelain was made until 1926 and electrotechnical porcelain after that. Dishes made by Merkelsgrun sell online.