Don’t be serving steaks on these valuable and rare plates

Q. This plate, one of a set of eight, came down through several family generations on my paternal grandfather’s side. These are treasured family pieces, but we know very little about them. Can you help?

Monica, Toronto

A. This set is an incredible piece of Canadian history. This 27 cm diameter (10.5 inches) pottery dinner plate is what’s known as Arctic Scenery because of the history it depicts. These were made by Robert Cochran & Co. in England in the 1840s for the Canadian market to commemorate the explorer Sir Edward William Parry’s Arctic explorations. There are about a dozen different scenes in the series. They depict ships, icebergs and Inuit people in various configurations. African or Canadian animals are also featured on the outer edge of the plates. You can see your plate depicts African animals, but those featuring Canadian moose, lynx and fox are even rarer. Colours other than blue were also used. The decoration is transferware. You may not want to be serving your steak dinner on these plates. They’re extremely rare and each one, if in perfect condition, is worth at least $1,000.

Q. These were a gift to my husband and me from my late mother to celebrate our wedding almost 40 years ago. I’ve always loved them but know very little about their origin or their value. Can you help?

Lenore, Kingston

A. This cute little pair of English Staffordshire pottery Dalmatians is lovely. Standing about 10 cm high (four inches), they were made in England, likely during the first half of the 19th century. These are particularly well decorated and well modelled, with two free-standing legs, which means they’re better quality than the dogs moulded as one solid piece — the easier process. It’s difficult to date Staffordshire since pieces are still being made today. Dogs with printed marks on the bottom are usually newer from the 20th century. Have a person with a trained eye look at them. One thing I can tell you, though, is that a pair of anything is always worth more than a single. I suspect these were made circa 1840 which will carry a price tag of $250 today. Staffordshire was more avidly collected prior to 2008, and they would have then sold readily for about $800.

Q. I bought this single shaker for $12 at an antique show about four years ago. I loved the colour and design. What can you tell me about it?

Ruth, Mississauga

A. This salt shaker will have a fairly large number ‘11’ embossed on the bottom (sometimes they are quite faint). Based on an advertisement around the turn of the century, a dozen numbered shakers were manufactured and sold by the Diamond Glass Co. in Montreal. They were made in either blue opal or white opal (milk) glass and each was a different shape and pattern. Yours, with an aquatic life motif, is the rarest in this series — except for the number 5 shaker, which has not yet been discovered. You got a very good buy! This one has sold as high as $300 U.S. and another one would likely bring that again. On average, when they do show up in Canada they would be $175. It’s a nice example and of great interest to salt and pepper collectors in both Canada and the U.S.