Belleek and American Belleek China Marks

The picture shows a sample of the third green mark (or sixth Belleek mark), dating from 1965 to 1981.

Belleek porcelain has been crafted in a town of the same name for over 150 years. They make/made tea cups and saucers, teapots, piggy banks, plates, statues, statuettes, little pigs and scottie dogs, Christmas tree ornaments... the list goes on!

Older Belleek is very collectible and popular. Items are identified by a logo that typically contains a wolfhound, tower, and harp. The logo has changed over the years to include a stamp and registered trademark. The colors range from black to green to blue to gold. I recently saw an old Belleek mark that was red..

See a list of Belleek marks with pictures on my web site at
CuppaTea Collectibles

The picture shows an example of the Willets Belleek mark, dating from 1879 to 1912.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s many American pottery makers branded their wares using the word Belleek. Belleek enforced their trademark and American wares stopped including Belleek in their marks around 1930.

Lenox is the only one that is still in business, and their Belleek china is the most easily found. Many of their products were sold as white ware, and amateurs and professionals then painted them. Some are signed and dated.

Many examples of Willets Belleek china can be found, and I think their porcelain is generally more expertly painted. Some are signed.

Others were only in business for a few years or only used Belleek in their marks for a few years, and their American Belleek products are rarer.

Here is a list of American Belleek makers/marks I've found so far:
Lenox Belleek
CAC Belleek (Lenox)
Willets Belleek
Coxon Belleek
Gordan Belleek
Rittenhouse and Evans Belleek (American Art China Company)
Morgan Belleek
California Belleek (made by Strikow)
Coxon Belleek
Morris and Willmore Belleek (Columbian Art Pottery Company)
Ott and Brewer Belleek
Perlee Belleek

See my web site for pictures of American Belleek marks and examples from my collection.
CuppaTea Collectibles

You can't sell it if buyers can't find it!

BELLEEK
If you have room, put "Belleek Beleek" in the title, people often mispell when searching (or if you're looking yourself, search for "Beleek" too!)

Include the mark description in the title such as "Second Black Mark" or "Third Green Mark". Do your research!

AMERICAN BELLEEK
Include "American Belleek" and the maker's name in the title.

If selling Lenox or CAC Belleek also include "palatte mark" if appropriate and if you have room.

ALL
If selling a tea cup, include both "teacup" and "tea cup" in the title (same applies to "teapot" and "tea pot").

Include alternate names for the item, such as Stein Mug Tankard.

EXAMPLES
American Willets Belleek Stein Mug Tankard

Belleek Beleek Teacup Tea Cup and Saucer Third Green Mark

Wishing you sales early and often!

Price depends on where you sell it/buy it. You can see what Belleek and American Belleek items are selling for in different ways and compare for yourself.

Research--------------
Do a Google search for
belleek auction price -ebay
That will give you auction houses that have sold Belleek items, and you can see what they sold for. (If you don't include -ebay you will get tons of unrelated info.)

Search ebay for Belleek under Completed Listings.
ebay generally always has between 600 and 1000 Belleek items for sale, and bidding can be heavy.

Go to Google Shopping (click on Shopping in the top links) and search for your Belleek item to see asking prices on a variety of sites. Items from my store show up there, but I think more people find them in the regular Google search.

Kovel's is a terrific site for research, need to register to see all the details.
www.kovels.com

----------------
Over the last few years the market for antique and vintage Belleek has remained fairly constant. Over my few years of study, one item I have seen that commands a high price is a Belleek Marine Vase. Another high seller was a carved horn by Ott and Brewer (American Belleek).

Condition plays a huge factor - no chips, cracks, or crazing, no fleabites, no wear = higher prices.

BELLEEK----------
Over the last few years the market for antique and vintage Belleek has remained fairly constant.

Age. Belleek black mark items are older and rarer.

Pattern. For example, in tea cups the Neptune and Shamrock patterns seem to be more desireable.

AMERICAN BELLEEK---------
Lenox and Willets Belleek are most commonly found. Some of the rarer or more expertly painted items go for $800 to $2000 and sometimes higher.

Perlee, California, Gordan, Coxon, and Morgan Belleek can be found but aren't as common or popular.

Ott and Brewer, Rittenhouse and Evans, Morris and Willmore and CAC Belleek are more rare and sought after.

The following link takes you to an excerpt from the Antiques Roadshow. Someone found a beautiful Ott and Brewer vase, see the appraisal!
Antiques Roadshow Ott and Brewer

Belleek sells from on-line stores, you just have to get buyers to find you. Do your research to set your asking price. Promote your store!

Auction houses sell Belleek, can search to find one that suits you. Check their fees first.

Craigslist is a popular site for local selling, no shipping!

Belleek sells well on ebay but starting auctions at a higher price can result in no/few bids. Bidding can be heavy and some items seem to always do well. Do your research, post a starting price you can live with.

From what I have found, the on-line sites with the most Belleek are:
Ebay 600-1000 listings
Rubylane 300-400 listings
Bonanzle under 100 listings but growing
Others have very few listings. I hope that Bonanzle will keep growing and become one of the most popular sites to find Belleek and American Belleek. I'm doing my part! See Belleek and American Belleek china in my Bonanzle store at
CuppaTea China and Collectibles