Dog won’t fetch much value today
Q: I have a pottery dog I am curious about. It is one of a pair, and I think they are Labrador retrievers. One is black, and the other is yellow. They have been stored away for years. Each is about 5 inches long and 3 inches tall, including the base.
Marked on the bottom are the words: “Markay England — True Scale Dog Collection.”
We are not sure if they have any value. We have been thinking we should just take them to a pawnshop and get whatever we can for them.
A: The mark you described was used by Markay Art Studio in Staffordshire,
England, in the mid-20th century. Markay Art Pottery animal figurines can be seen for sale online within the range of $15 to $25. If you sell your pair of retrievers, you can expect to receive approximately 30% to 50% of their value.
Q: I have a teapot that is about 7 inches tall and is decorated with a classical scene of people in relief. The spout appears to be a duck, and the lid is pink, topped with a yellow flower with a green leaf. It is in excellent condition. Marked on the bottom is a fivepoint crown above the letter “N” and the words “Capodimonte — Italy.”
A: You have a Capodimonte-style porcelain teapot. The original mark of a crown over the letter “N” represents the city, Naples, Italy, and was first used in the late 1700s.
It has been copied and used by a plethora of factories from the late 1800s to the present. Your teapot was made in the early 1900s and would probably be worth $125 to $225.