Portmeirion "Summer Strawberries" Lidded Casserole Dish, 3 Pint — Red Backstamp, Made in England

Age of an Item

Antique: An item that is at least 100 years old.

Vintage: An item that is at least 20 years old but less than 100 years old and is representative of its era.

Retro: A newer item designed in the style of a past era. It is not from that era but is a modern homage to it.

Condition of an Item

Mint: As new, with no signs of wear.

Excellent Vintage Condition (EVC): Shows minimal signs of wear through use but is not perfect.

Very Good Vintage Condition (VGVC): Shows some signs of age and use but is still in good overall shape.

Good Vintage Condition (GVC): Shows clear signs of wear, use, and age.

Perfectly Imperfect: This is not an official term. We've adopted it for the purposes of The Timeless Edit because we believe damaged items still have value. Our definition of Perfectly Imperfect is an item that has visible damage but remains beautiful as a decorative piece or suitable for use in a different capacity from that for which it was originally designed.

Common Flaws Found in Antique and Vintage Items

Air Bubbles: Air bubbles in hand-blown glass are a natural result of the traditional glassmaking process, where air becomes trapped in the molten glass during its creation. They are often seen as a sign of authenticity, indicating the item is handmade and unique, rather than a defect. While a small number of bubbles is generally acceptable, a high concentration of bubbles may indicate fragility. In some cases, air bubbles are an intentional decorative feature. Air bubbles are also found in Depression Glass due to its mass production method, where glass was quickly moulded with little concern for perfection — these bubbles are a common characteristic that signifies authentic pieces.

Bottom Wear: Common in older items, especially glass, and often an indication of age. Wear to the base of an item is caused by everyday use over time and includes scratches, scuffs, shallow chips, flakes, and flea bites.

Chip: Chips are considered either shallow or deep. A shallow chip is typically inconspicuous. A deep chip is large enough to be immediately apparent.

Crazing: Crazing is a web of fine cracks that occurs only in the glaze layer of fine bone china and porcelain. It is a normal occurrence, particularly in older items.

• Clean Crazing: The cracks are clear, without any staining from food, moisture, or other contaminants. Clean crazing can be used as an intentional decorative design element.
• Stained Crazing: This occurs when food particles, bacteria, or other contaminants get into the cracks over time, causing them to darken and become visually conspicuous. Items with stained crazing are not recommended for use with food but are still suitable as decorative pieces.

Firing Flaw: An original flaw caused during the firing process. Examples include pinholes or blisters in the glaze, grit stuck to the glaze, stains caused by an impurity in the porcelain, and shrinkage cracks that have opened during the drying or firing process. This is not considered damage.

Flake: A small and shallow chip which breaks the surface of an item.

Flea Bite: A tiny, pin-sized chip or nick in the surface of an item. It is a common form of imperfection in older items, especially glass.

Hairline Crack: A narrow and tight break going through the glaze and porcelain body, visible from both sides of the item. It is not always immediately obvious and can be missed on first inspection. Generally, a hairline crack does not affect the integrity of the item.

Maker's Miss: An unintentional inclusion or air bubble in the item caused or overlooked by the glassblower or maker during the manufacturing process.

Scratch: A mark which compromises the surface of an item and which feels raised, rough, or sharp to the touch. Not to be confused with Straw Marks and marks which can occur during the manufacturing process.

Straw Marks: Marks on the external surface of glass that look like fine lines or even scratches. They occur when molten glass is cut with shears and the resulting mark doesn't fully smooth out before the glass cools and sets. They are not considered damage but are instead a common characteristic of old, handmade, or machine-pressed glass. Unlike a scratch, straw marks feel smooth to the touch. Straw marks are commonly found in Depression and Carnival Glass.

Water Mark / Stain: Patches, ridges, deposits, and clouding on glass caused by water left standing in the vessel for a lengthy period. Such stains cannot be removed.

Materials and Techniques

Backstamp: The maker's mark printed or impressed on the base of a ceramic or glass item. Backstamps typically include the manufacturer's name, country of origin, pattern name, and sometimes a date code. They are the primary tool for authenticating and dating vintage pieces, and their design often evolved over a maker's history, allowing collectors to pinpoint when a piece was produced.

Bone China: A type of porcelain developed in England in the late eighteenth century, distinguished by the inclusion of bone ash (calcined animal bone) in the clay body. Bone ash gives bone china its characteristic creamy translucency, warmth, and exceptional strength relative to its delicacy. When held to the light, genuine bone china glows. It is the material of choice for the great English china makers — Royal Albert, Royal Doulton, Shelley, Coalport, and many others.

Gilding / Gold Trim: The application of gold to the surface of ceramic or glass as a decorative finish. On vintage pieces, gilding was typically applied using real gold — most commonly 22-carat gold — either by hand or by transfer, then fired to fuse it permanently to the surface. The quality and condition of gilding is an important factor in assessing a piece; worn or rubbed gilding is a common sign of heavy use.

Hand-painted vs Transfer Print: Hand-painted decoration is applied directly to the ceramic surface by an artist, making each piece subtly unique. Transfer printing involves applying a pre-printed design to the surface, allowing for consistent, repeatable patterns at scale. Many pieces combine both techniques — a transfer-printed ground with hand-painted highlights or gilding added over the top. Both methods are found across the great ceramics houses and each has its own collectible appeal.

Iridescence / Carnival Glass: An iridescent surface effect on glass, achieved by spraying metallic salts onto the surface of hot glass before it cools. The result is a lustrous, rainbow-like sheen that shifts colour in different lights. Carnival Glass — so named because it was commonly given as prizes at fairgrounds in the early twentieth century — is the most widely collected form of iridescent glass, produced in the United States, England, and Australia from around 1908 onwards.

Opalescent Glass: Glass that appears milky or translucent white in direct light but takes on a blue or lavender glow when backlit. The effect is achieved by adding bone ash or other opacifying agents to the glass batch. Opalescent glass is closely associated with the Art Nouveau movement and is a signature technique of René Lalique, whose pieces are among the most sought-after examples of the form.

Porcelain: A ceramic material fired at very high temperatures, resulting in a hard, dense, non-porous body. Unlike bone china, traditional porcelain does not contain bone ash. Hard-paste porcelain — the original European formula, developed in the early eighteenth century — is the material of Meissen, Sèvres, and Royal Copenhagen. Soft-paste porcelain, an earlier European approximation, has a slightly different texture and translucency. Both are distinct from bone china, though all three are commonly referred to as "china" in everyday use.

Portmeirion has always made pottery with a life beyond the cupboard. From exuberant botanical tableware to sculptural mid-century forms, its pieces were designed to be handled, shared and brought into the rhythm of a home, which is exactly why they remain so satisfying to collect today.

A British Design Original

Founded in 1960 by designer Susan Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion emerged from Stoke-on-Trent, England, the historic heartland of British pottery. Williams-Ellis brought a distinctly imaginative eye to an industry often bound by convention, producing ceramics that felt at once practical, expressive and unmistakably modern.

Her designs moved comfortably between bold, architectural mid-century pieces and richly detailed nature studies. That breadth is central to Portmeirion’s appeal. A collection can hold a striking 1960s vase, an everyday dinner plate and a floral serving dish without ever feeling like it has lost the plot.

More Than Oven-to-Table Ware

Portmeirion is often remembered for durable oven-to-table ceramics, and rightly so. The idea that a baking dish could be both hardworking and handsome changed the way many people set their tables. But the story is much broader.

Across the decades, Portmeirion produced dinnerware, serving pieces, storage jars, vases, jugs, planters and decorative objects alongside its practical kitchenware. Some patterns are pared-back and graphic; others are full of fruit, flowers and foliage. This variety makes the brand especially enjoyable to collect, whether you are looking for one useful piece or building a layered table with personality.

The Power of Pattern

Portmeirion’s best-known collections show how a pattern can become part of domestic life. Botanic Garden, with its individual botanical illustrations, has remained a favourite for generations, while ranges such as Summer Strawberries, Pomona and other seasonal or botanical variations bring their own colour and character to the table.

For collectors, retired patterns are particularly appealing. They offer the pleasure of the hunt, whether that means completing a family set, finding a serving piece no longer made or deliberately mixing complementary designs. The charm is in the accumulated table, not sterile perfection.

Designed to Be Used

One of the reasons Portmeirion endures is that it never asks you to choose between beauty and usefulness. A lidded casserole can be the centrepiece of supper; a platter can carry a roast one weekend and sit on a wall the next. In an age of disposable kitchenware, well-made vintage ceramics offer a quieter, more lasting alternative.

Many Portmeirion pieces were made for everyday use, but care should always be guided by the individual item, its age and its condition. Avoid sudden temperature changes, and inspect vintage ceramics carefully before using them in the oven, microwave or dishwasher.

Collecting Portmeirion Today

There is no single right way to collect Portmeirion. Some people focus on a favourite pattern or a particular era; others choose pieces simply because they make a meal, shelf or sideboard feel more personal. Backstamps, shapes and decoration can help tell a piece’s story, but the best collections are built with both knowledge and instinct.

At Jacqui Fink, I look for Portmeirion with strong design, useful form and honest condition. These are objects made to be part of a home, and giving them a well-loved next chapter is far more interesting than buying another anonymous white dish.