How to buy real Polish Pottery

Finding Polish Pottery is easy, it is all over the internet.  You may even find pieces at large retailers such as Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx - but how do you know these are actual Polish Pottery Pieces direct from Boleslawiec?  How do you know if they are quality 1 pieces?  Ask the retailer if everything they carry is quality 1.  Here is a quick lesson on what to look for.....

There are many factories in Boleslawiec, Poland.  Over the years I have purchased pottery from many of them includinngCeramika Artystysczna, Zaklady Boleslawiec, Wiza, Andy, Manufaktura, WR Unikat, Cergo & Millena.  These are all wonderful factories each with their own patterns & products, some of the original patterns will be seen in multiple factories such as Old Poland & Peacock.  Some factories differ on thickness & weight of products - in my opinion the Zaklady Boleslawiec factory makes the thickest and heaviest pottery.  The W.R. Unikat factory only produces Unikat (unique) patterns - most pieces are signed by the artist that created and painted it.  In my opinion - I prefer the items from the Ceramika Artystyczna factory - I believe they are the "Cadillac" of all the factories - there products are the best of the best!

How to tell the differences.  Each piece is stamped with their logo and a made in Poland.  If it is sold as a Unikat piece, most of the time it will be signed by the artist.  If the logo is missing or not clear, the piece could be 2nd quality or a fake.  When looking at Polish Pottery, always look on the bottom for the stamps.  Most of the time, the pottery will also have a label attached with either Gat 1 or 1 Qtty - these both mean quality - always look for quality 1 pieces. 

Most pieces you will find at discount stores will be Gat 2 or quality 2.  This is usually a mistake in the painting etc. 

Below are pictures of the logos for a few factories -

If you have any questions, please contact me with any questions or to learn more about what to look for in Polish Pottery!   At Peacock Pottery we only carry Quality 1 products! 

Ceramkia Artystyczna



Zaklady Boleslawiec



Millena





W.R Unikat




Wiza















 

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Comments

  • 5/26/2011 8:12 AM Polish Pottery wrote:
    good source of information, in addition to this I would like to say that Gat 2 products always have some glaze problems, differences in painting are normal, so it's not a reason to mark something as Quality 2
    Reply to this
    1. 5/28/2011 8:22 AM Leah - Peacock Pottery wrote:
      That is true about the glazing, usually there is crackling in the glazing.  As far as the patterns, small differences in painting is what makes the Pottery special (among so many other things), it is one way for customers to know that each item is handpainted by individuals and not machines.  I was talking about big mistakes in patterns etc.  Thank you for mentioning the glazing, I had forgotten to add that to my article. 
      Reply to this
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