Your Online Antiques University       One of the most valuable pieces of pottery that tends to lay about, value unknown, is Victorian Majolica. To most this brightly coloured earthenware often appears too gaudy to possibly be antique or even worth anything, and since a great deal of it has no makers mark it is often overlooked. Majolica's history begins in 1851 when it was exhibited at London's Crystal Palace by Herbert Minton of Minton & Co. The demand was so great other European makers soon began production of their own lines of majolica.  For the next 45 years no home's decor was complete without a variety of majolica centre pieces, fish servers, platters or umbrella stands. The market for majolica lasted until the end of the Victorian age and died out in the early years of the 20th Century.   Majolica became popular again in the 1970s with the revival of public interest in the Victorian floral designs and chintz patterns.  Pieces that had gathered dust for the better part of a Century were brought out of attic trunks and dusted off and a whole new group of collectors were born. By the late 1980's values for this gaudy tin glazed earthenware began to appreciate at a great rate. At first just the pieces by Minton's and other early makers were the collector's darlings, but by the 1990's these pieces were well beyond the reach of the average collector and even the unmarked pieces began to sell for several hundred dollars.  Just how valuable can majolica be? well the piece pictured at the top of today's column is a not a record maker, but this George Jones majolica pedestal & jardinière, circa 1870  sold earlier this year for $20,000.00.  The record is held by one rare Minton Majolica Peacock which sold for over $230,000 at a Sotheby's auction last year.   Mike Wilcox Wilcox & Hall Appraisers              Copyright Wilcox & Hall Online- 1997-2006 All Rights Reserved

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