Real or fake: What's your call? (Plus check out my loot!)

Yesterday I hit a small jackpot of glassware at an antique mall in one of the very messy booths where piles of boxes have to moved and sorted through. (I love those kinds of spots...) I picked up quite a few really nice pieces and sets, but one has me second guessing myself after looking at it more closely.

A set of four Japanese plates caught my eye at $1 each. They're definitely handpainted and show signs of aging (particularly the gold gilting), but the Nippon stamp was added on top of the glaze after the firing process. It even overlapped on one of the four plates. Is this simply a case in which they may have been designated for export after being made, or are they not really from the Nippon era?

 

In addition to the plates, I picked up lots of other items. One was this beautiful Finnish Arabia rice vase. Check out what it looks like when held up to the light! I also found two complete sets of etched Bockling glasses...unused!

 

Japanese items with Nippon mark and hand painted in English were clearly made for export to the US market. Looks like the "mark" was applied by decal rather than stamped or hand done. I suspect post WWII and likely into the 50's or later.

 

Thanks, @Bakersgma. To be clear, do you mean you think the plates were also made later (post-WWII), or that the mark was simply added at a later date?

 

Nippon is Japanese for Japan btw.

 

The plates were probably made in the later part of the range, IMHO.

 

That's a bit disappointing, but I suppose it's still a nice set for a dollar each!

 

I doubt they can be put in the dishwasher - gilding being a no-no. Just be aware.

 

Is it gilded or yellow?

 

The rim. May not be "gold" but it would still be a problem.

 

The rim definitely has gold gilding, and it has started to fade. That was one of the things that threw me off when I examined the stamp later and noticed that it wasn't under the glaze. That's what happens when you're in an antiquing frenzy because of all the goodies you're finding buried in boxes!

I have a few other genuine Nippon-stamped pieces, so I always avoid dishwashers!