Although my soft boiled egg wasn’t as soft as I had hoped to have good dipping with my toast soldiers, they were all very tasty. I am still loving my egg cups! The top came off easily and the egg came slipping out of the shell when I got down to it.
I enjoyed fresh pineapple and watermelon chunks with some Scottish Breakfast Tea from Taylors of Harrogate.
The special part was the wee antique porcelain teapot and plate from Dave’s family. The maker’s mark on the bottom says Hand Paint Nippon. The use of this particular “nippon” stamp began in 1891 in response to the U.S. McKinley Tariff Act, which forbade the import of items that weren’t “plainly marked, stamped, branded, or labeled in legible English words.” Nippon is an English word approximating a pronunciation of the Japanese word for Japan, but in 1921, the word was ruled Japanese in origin, so Nippon was no longer accepted by U.S. Customs Agents. From then on, imported Noritake china was simply stamped Japan.
As a result of the short time period where Nippon was used on the stamp, some of the items marked as Nippon can sell for much higher prices. Which also means there are a LOT of repoductions out there. This is very heavy porcelain and has aged paint, but it’s in great shape.
Looking online, it appears the stamp on this is legit, but after investigating the pattern all afternoon I was unable to locate this exact one. There are two similar ones, but the tree is on the wrong side and it’s different. So, out little treasure is either a reproduction, or a rare pattern that could potentially be worth a little bit of money.
I truly don’t even think it’s a teapot, but I used it as one today. It will continue to hold a spot in the china cabinet.
Tea, Travel & Brain Aneurysm Awareness 