Here is another of our dinner sets (actually my parents), ageless ALFRED MEAKIN ... Why ageless?
At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking this chinaware is contemporary, very modern appearance bright white with simple gold gilding only - no flowers, no artists work other than the gilder's craftsmanship.
The beauty of this chinaware is the minimalist style, it doesn't seek to grab your attention with a lot of pretty artwork and for that reason it suits a wide range of dining table decor's.
But don't be fooled by the appearance! This Alfred Meakin china is actually around 60 years old!
I have a massive tableware set and after much thought we decided that it was most likely people would want "bits and pieces" for replacements, rather than the whole dinner set - so each item of this ALFRED MEAKIN Glo-White Ironstone tableware is offered individually
Not looking for dinner plates? No problems, go HERE to take a look at the bread & butter plates
DLAT Rating 7/10 (Darling Look At This!)
Read on ....
ALFRED MEAKIN - Dinner Plate ONLY
Glo-White Ironstone Series (this is NOT the pattern name, but a series that Alfred Meakin began in the late 1940's and there are MANY patterns of this particular chinaware)
Alfred Meakin used the word Ironstone since the company was formed (see one of the photographs) but the Glo-White Ironstone series began in the late 1940's and continued until the 1960's
I know these were purchased back in the early 1960's and once my parents no longer needed them, I became their 'caretaker'
Opaque china, meaning that if held to the light you CANNOT see the shadow of your fingers through the china
Design: No idea is my answer to this one! I have tried to identify the pattern but to no avail
The gold gilded scroll work provides a nice 'touch of class' to the bright white china but there doesn't appear to be a specific name to the scroll work used
Hand crafted gold gilding - each piece has the gold gilder's 'mark' on the base
SPECIAL NOTE:
The skill required to undertake the gold gilding is amazing! If I look very closely you can see it has been hand applied, little bits here and there are not of the same size - there is NO WAY this was 'transfer applied'
NO other graphic design to these plates at all - bright white all over, inside and outside.
DIMENSIONS:
Outer rim: 255mm diameter
Weight: 450g
BACKSTAMP DETAILS:
The plates have this backstamp text
GLO-WHITE IRONSTONE
(Crown Graphic)
ALFRED MEAKIN
ENGLAND
Each plate has the gold gilder's mark also (these can be mistaken for a "slip of the hand" by the guilder but these marks were important for the worker to be paid for their work, per piece not per hour)
CONDITION:
I have six (6) dinner plates left now, in most respects they are ALMOST ALL identical but any exceptions are noted below - PLEASE READ!
NO cracks
NO chips
NO signs of glazing breakdown (Dry observation and Wet tested)
NO discolouration
ALL plates show very light ~ light signs of use....understandable when you think about it - these are NOT "show ponies" but actually put to everyday use!
Light knife cut marks (scratching) to the bottom of each plate
Light gold gilding wear. If I was to rate the gilding condition out of 10, I would rate all of these plates a 8/10. No gilding has been worn away completely but you can see wear due to washing and general handling. It is not terrible but it is noticeable particularly on the VERY fine line work where the gold looks just slightly "dullish" and a bit thin looking.
Fleabites: Of the six remaining dinner plates, all (6) have just one small fleabite underneath. These are small, very small fleas!
As I have just six of these dinner plates left (yes it was once a VERY LARGE dinner set) I have enabled a discount option, the more plates you purchase, the lower the price.
