Coffee set was made in Japan
Q: I have enclosed a photo of a porcelain tea set I own. It is a service for four that includes a teapot, dessert plates, cups and saucers. It is decorated with roses against a tan background and gold embellishment. Marked on the back of each
piece are the words “Lefton China — Hand Painted — Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.” Also, on the teapot is the number “1866.” The letters “NE” and the number “1882” is on the plates, and “703” is on the cups.
I would appreciate any information you can give me on my set. A : Hungarian emigrant George Zoltan Lefton founded Lefton China Co. in Chicago in 1941. After World War II, he seized the opportunity to export porcelain made in Japan to the United States. By the 1970s, factories in China, Taiwan and Malaysia were added to the list of suppliers.
Lefton was one of the largest importers of giftware and became referred to as “The China King.” Some pieces were also marked with a paper label. You have a coffee pot, not a teapot. A teapot is much more round and squat.
The pattern is Lefton’s “Brown Heritage — Floral.” The numbers are model numbers. “NE” shows the set was made in Endo Toki, Japan.
Your coffee set was made between 1946 and 1955. It would probably be worth $125 to $175.
Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P. O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.