How to Find the Age of Your Royal Doulton

The history of the Royal Doulton brand is a long and complex one. That consists of subsidiaries, mergers, collaborations and limited releases. This can make finding the age of a Royal Doulton piece difficult to determine. In this article we will be providing you with some helpful tips for working out the age of your Royal Doulton piece, by comparing the Royal Doulton marks, trademarks, base marks, and pattern codes.

Company Name Chances

The Royal Doulton brand, is the most well known name of the original Doulton family business. When John Doulton first started the business back in 1815 they did not use the family name in the trademark. However it wasn’t until 1820 that the Doulton family name first started to appear on their products. The appearance of the company name  and how it is used on a piece, can be a helpful indicator to identify the decade the piece could be from. The names that you can look out for are:

• Vauxhall Pottery – 1815
• Doulton & Watts – 1820
• Doulton & Watts Lambeth – 1826
• Henry Doulton & Co. – 1846
• Doulton & Co. – 1854
• Doulton Ware – 1871
• Doulton & Co. Burslem – 1882
• Doulton & Co. Ltd – 1899
• Royal Doulton – 1901
• Royal Doulton Fine China – 1955
• Royal Doulton Tableware – 1973
• Royal Doulton Lambeth Stoneware – 1974
• Royal Doulton plc -1993

For the complete guide on the history and humble beginnings of the Doulton family business, please read our article The History of Royal Doulton. Today the Royal Doulton brand is part of the Waterford Wedgwood Group, and is operating as part of Doulton mome.

The Doulton Home has three major brands under its control:

• Royal Doulton
• Minton
• Royal Albert

Trademarks

The Doulton based trademarks have gone through several iterations, just like the Goebel’s, M.I. Hummel trademarks. Whether this was due to the evolutionary status of the company, with name changes or expansions in the form of subsidiaries. Different Doulton trademarks can be found on their works, allowing us to further narrow down the time period a piece may be from.

	1882–1902 Pattern names such as Rouen, Kew and various other pattern names can be found incorporated into the mark. The coronet was added to the marks design in 1886
	Four interlocking Ds at the center of the mark was introduced in 1882 After 1891 the word ENGLAND was added underneath The Mark was used until 1902
	The coronet was added to the marl’s design in 1886 The Prince of Wales’ (King Edward VI), ENGLAND was added underneath in 1892 Was used mainly on bone china until 1902 A simplified design using the coronet and the word DOULTON was also in use
	Occasionally used on pieces from 1903–1915 Some marks had the word HOLBEIN impressed A simplified design can be found using just the coronet and the word DOULTON impresses
	1885-1939 Many variations can be found on Chiné and Chiné-gilt Wares The words CHINE WARE may or may not be present
	1902–1922 Introduced in late 1901 following the business receiving the Royal Approval Products designated Royal Doulton were produced in Burslem Smaller products omitted the lion, only containing the bottom half of the mark
	1901–1924 The special mark that can be found on Morrisian Wares
	1923–1927 The reason for the slight variation to the mark is unknown The presence of the bottom half of the mark only, is not a useful date indicator
	Examples of this mark can be found on many products from between 1928–1931 and 1923–1927 The exact date of when this mark was first used in unknown MADE IN ENGLAND can be found on products made after 1932 Can still be found on character jugs and other fine earthenware products
	1928-1959 Found on Fine Bone China products May also have the addition of the words BONE CHINA Can still be found on some figurines, animal models and other non-tableware products
	1959-Today Is used on Fine Bone China Tableware
	1960-1974 First used on the newly launched English Translucent China Tableware (ETC) Changed the name to Fine English China in 1974
	1974-Today Became the main mark for chinaware after the re-branding of their ETC to Fine English China Special marks can be found alongside the mark on various products
	1916-1933 The special mark found on smaller Titanian Wares Larger items used the standard marks with the word TITANIAN printed underneath
	1930–1942 The special mark found on Brangwyn Wares My be found on its own or with the standard mark
	The special mark that can be found on small pieces of Flamb Wares The standard marks can be found on larger pieces with the word FLAMB printed underneath
	1920–1940 The Sung script mark used in conjunction with the Flamb mark
	1925-1940 Chang script mark used in conjunction with the standard mark
	1920 – 1940 Chinese Jade script mark used in conjunction with the standard mark
	The special mark that can be found on the Greenwood Tree range of products
	The Special mark that can be found on the Gallant Fishers range of products
	The special mark that can be found on the McVitie and Price biscuit Barrels
	1953 The special mark that can be found on the cups made for the Courage & Co. These cups were produced in celebrating of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation
	The special mark for the Bunnykins and nursery ware range of products

Doulton Pattern & Code Numbers

The following letters and corresponding numbers, indicate the approximate time period a piece may have been made. This does not definitively prove when a piece was released or sold however. The trademark that’s present on a piece will always overrule the pattern or code numbers when dating said piece. This is due to some products having been fired in bulk and placed in storage prior to being decorated.

Royal Doulton’s range of products and patterns were so diverse, that there were at least seven alphabetical prefixes used to identify the series. A pattern is identified by a Series of alphabetical identifier, followed by 3-4 numbers. Some basic patterns such as the well known Tango pattern, can be found with multiple pattern numbers. The Tango pattern in fact has no less then six different pattern numbers, each one either having a slight variation, or was used on a different series.

Tango pattern number examples:

• V1481 – Chinaware
• D5505 – Earthenware
• V2353 – A different shaped chinaware

Doulton Product Series Range

The table below identifies which series used the following letters:

Series	Detail	Year
X	Lambeth Stoneware	1886-1930
A	Fine Earthenware	1882-1898
C	Porcelains	1884-1901
D	Earthenware	1899-1964
E	Bone china	1901-1915
H	Bone china	1916-1963
V	Bone china	1928-1951

Use the following tables to work out the earliest dates that a pattern was used. Remember that the trademark still needs to be used to narrow the date of production down even further.

Lambeth Stoneware – X Series

Year	‘X’ Pattern No.
1886-1896	1-4000
1897-1903	4001-5950
1904-1905	5951-6300
1906-1907	6301-6950
1908-1910	6951-7400
1911	7401-7450
1912-1920	7451-8240
1921-1923	8241-8450
1924-1927	8451-8700
1928-1930	8701-8800

Fine Earthenware – A Series

Year	‘A’ Pattern No.
1881-1892	1-6882
1893	6883-7467
1894	7468-8084
1895	8085-8592
1896	8593-9144
1897	9145-9617
1898	9618-9999

Porcelains – C Series

Year	‘C’ Pattern No.
1884-1888	1
1889-1891	1706-4240
1892	4241-4945
1893	4946-5930
1894-1895	5931-7070
1896-1897	7071-8085
1898-1899	8086-9065
1900-1901	9066-9999

Earthenware – D Series

Year	‘D’ Pattern No.
1899	1-339
1900	340-769
1901	770-1137
1902	1138-1495
1903	1496-1869
1904	1870-2161
1905	2162-2442
1906	2443-2723
1907	2724-2914
1908	2915-3079
1909	3080-3229
1910	3230-3374
1911	3375-3519
1912	3520-3635
1913	3636-3714
1914	3715-3821
1915	3822-3939
1918	3940-4074
1920	4075-4143
1922	4144-4230
1923	4231-4360
1924	4361-4470
1925	4471-4559
1926	4560-4659
1927	4660-4737
1928	4738-4822
1929	4738-4822
1930	4970-5069
1931	5070-5169
1932	5170-5230
1933	5231-5429
1934	5430-5520
1935	5521-5612
1936	5613-5749
1937	5750-5875
1938	5876-6009
1939	6010-6110
1948	6111-6285
1952	6286-6390
1953	6391-6408
1954	6409-6438
1955	6439-6454
1956	6455-6464
1957	6465-6492
1958	6493-6507
1959	6508-6547
1960	6548-6558
1961	6559-6567
1962	6568-6587
1963	6588-6596
1964	6597-6006

Bone China – E Series

Year	‘E’ Pattern No.
1901	1-940
1903	941-1950
1904	1951-3040
1905-1906	3041-4054
1907-1910	4055-6015
1911	6016-7683
1912	7684-8277
1913	8278-8933
1914	8934-9527
1915	9528-10000

Bone China – H Series

Year	‘H’ Pattern No.
1916	1-359
1917	360-709
1918	710-759
1919	760-906
1920	907-1049
1921	1050-1179
1922	1180-1443
1923	1444-1812
1924	1813-2268
1925	2269-3649
1926	2650-3180
1927	3181-3599
1928	3600-3770
1929	3771-3909
1930	3910-4010
1931	4011-4099
1932	4100-4189
1933	4190-4240
1934	4241-4329
1935	4300-4425
1936	4426-4519
1937	4520-4609
1938	4610-4710
1939-1942	4711-4821
1943-1946	4822-4849
1947	4850-4906
1953	4907-4930
1954	4931-4935
1955	4936-4941
1956-1957	4942-4950
1958	4951-4956
1959	4957-4959
1960	4960-4961
1961	4962-4964
1962	4965-4968
1963	4969-4975

Bone China – V Series

Year	‘V’ Pattern No.
1928	1-376
1929	377-820
1930	821-1000
1931	1001-1190
1932	1191-1320
1933	1321-1490
1934	1491-1619
1935	1620-1710
1936	1711-1800
1937	1801
1938	1910-2069
1939	2070-2170
1940	2171-2250
1941-42	2251-2295
1943-48	2296-2365
1949-50	2366-2384

Secondary Pattern Numbers

To insure that production demands were met, the Doulton brand outsourced production to other artists and studios. Some of these artists and studios simply signed their works, others such as Robert Allen Design Studio added their own pattern codes alongside the Doulton Pattern codes.

Year	‘RA’ number
1882 – 1889	1-3500
1900 -1904	3500 – 6000
1904 -1909	6000 – 7400
1910 -1914	7400 – 8600
1915 – 1919	8600 – 9600
1920 – 1923	9600 – 9999
Note: the numbers were re-based to 1 in January 1924
1924 – 1929	1 – 480
1930 – 1934	480 – 1450
1935 – 1939	1450 – 1740

Royal Doulton Collaborations

Aside from their special/limited releases and short lived product ranges. The Doulton family business was so well known for their quality of work, that external interests commissioned the company to make their products for them. Even today, many celebrated chef’s, designers and stylist, including the likes of:

• Donna Hay
• Gordon Ramsey
• Ellen DeGeneres
• Charlene Mullen

They have all released exclusive ranges through Royal Doulton.

Many of these products that were made for other companies still carry the Doulton trademark of the time period of the piece. The trademark was either placed beside the other company’s trademark, or more often then not, a new trademark was designed around the Royal Doulton’s trademark.