Meissen porcelain is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was developed from 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his untimely death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought porcelain to the market, and he has often been credited with the invention. The production of porcelain at Meissen, near Dresden, started in 1710 and attracted artists and artisans to establish one of the most famous porcelain manufacturers.

Limoges had been the site of a minor industry producing plain faience earthenwares since the 1730s. The manufacturing of hard-paste porcelain at Limoges was established by Turgot in 1771 following the discovery of local supplies of kaolin and a material similar to petuntse in the economically distressed area at Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, near Limoges. The ingredients were used for the production of hard-paste porcelain similar to Chinese porcelain. The materials were quarried commencing in 1768.

Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder commonly consisting of copper, antimony and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C, depending on the exact mixture of metals. Pewter was first used around the beginning of the Bronze Age in the Near East. The earliest piece of pewter found is from an Egyptian tomb from 1450 BC.

Pewter Price/Value …

Lalique glassware was made by Rene Lalique in Paris, France, between the 1890s and 1945. René Jules Lalique was born in Ay, a small village in the Marne region of France on April 6 1860, and died May 5 1945. He was a glass designer, renowned for his stunning creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewelry, chandeliers, clocks and in the latter part of his life, automobile hood ornaments.
Lalique pieces that were made before 1945 were marked the signature R. Lalique. Lalique pieces made after 1945 are marked Lalique.

Lalique glass was made by Rene Lalique in Paris, France, between the 1890s and 1945. René Jules Lalique was born in Ay, a small village in the Marne region of France on April 6 1860, and died May 5 1945. He was a glass designer, renowned for his stunning creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewelry, chandeliers, clocks and in the latter part of his life, automobile hood ornaments.
Lalique pieces that were made before 1945 were marked the signature R. Lalique. Lalique pieces made after 1945 are marked Lalique.

The Fenton Art Glass Company was founded in 1905 by brothers Frank L. Fenton and John W. Fenton in an old glass factory in Martins Ferry, Ohio. Originally, they painted glass blanks from other glass makers, but started making their own glass when they were unable to buy the glass they needed. They moved across the Ohio river to Williamstown, West Virginia and built a factory in 1906. The first year for glass production was 1907.

Lladró is a Spanish company based in Tavernes Blanques, Valencia, that produces high quality porcelain figurines. Lladró company was founded in 1953 by three brothers, Juan, José and Vicente Lladró, in the village of Almácera near Valencia. Starting with items such as vases and jugs, it wasn’t until 1956 that they started producing the sculptures for which they are now most famous. Enthusiasm for the items produced by the Lladró brothers saw their small workshop expand several times until eventually they moved to Tavernes Blanques in 1958.

Toby Jugs have been around since the early 18th century. They were revived by Doulton in the 19th century, who developed the idea into a range of character jugs. Since 1815, Doulton had made Toby jugs in a conventional manner. Harry Simeon started to add colour in the 1920’s. This inspired Charles Noke, a Doulton artist and modeller to rethink the Toby jug tradition.

The Royal Doulton Company is one of the most renowned English companies producing tableware and collectables, with a history dating back to 1815. This page has a table of Royal Doulton Figurines price guide.

Royal Doulton Bunnykins has been in continuous production since 1934.  The range includes tableware, nursery ware, teapots, moneyboxes and figures. Following the war, production did not restart until Royal Doulton purchased the Beswick factory in 1969. After this, Bunnykins were numbered with the prefix DB and are still produced to this day.