posted on February 11, 2001 12:09:49 PM new
I have some bisque mermaids and fairies that are stamped on bottom..."Made in Japan" and then each says "Pat." and has a 5 digit number. Does the fact that these have a patent # help to date them?
posted on February 11, 2001 12:31:30 PM new
It would be a Design Patent number if it was in fact a U.S. number, and 5 digit #'s haven't been used since 1936, so I think that's unlikely.
More likely I would think you could date it by the "Made In Japan" label. Probably circa 1952 or later since earlier items were supposed to be marked "Occupied Japan". But not all "Occupied Japan" was marked "Occupied".
So, probably post 1952, but not certainly. Does that help any?
posted on February 11, 2001 12:47:21 PM new
From 1921 to the second world war, items from japan would have been marked "made in Japan" or "Japan"...either printed on the item or with a label. During WWII all trade with Japan stopped (wonder why..LOL). After the end of the war to the end of the US occupation of Japan (April, 1952), items were supposed to be marked "Occupied Japan". After 1952 items were again marked "Made in Japan"...with a backmark or label.
Styling is very helpful in dating the items from Japan. In my opinion, items of the 20s and 30s have a different styling and coloration than the 50s-60s pieces.
It is possible you can approximate the date with the patent number if it is a US one.
posted on February 11, 2001 01:06:30 PM new
Would a U.S. patent # be on stuff from Japan?
The numbers on the fairies are 16977. Is there a way to tell if that is a US patent?
posted on February 11, 2001 01:14:30 PM new
I don't think those are U.S. numbers. 16977 would date to 1886 if it were a U.S. Design Patent # and 1857 if it were an Invention Patent #.
Not very likely. It's either pre-war as amy suggests it could be, or more likely post April 1952.
posted on February 11, 2001 01:17:29 PM new
OK, thanks for the info, loosecannon and Amy.
I knew someone on here could give me an idea of the age of these.
posted on February 11, 2001 04:51:27 PM new
The PAT #16977 printed on the bottom is "Pattern Number 16977" Sometimes the year of manufacture is coded into the number. If they have different numbers, check for common digits.
Example:
Fairies - Pattern # 16977
Mermaids - Pattern # 18577
This would most likely mean Patterns 169 & 185 made in 1977.
