Curlew coffee ware

SUSIE COOPER

frequently asked questions - susie cooper information site

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Common Questions

We receive a large number of e-mails each month asking for information about Susie Cooper and her work. Here is a list of some of the more commonly asked questions.

Q: When was Susie Cooper born and is she still alive ?
Q: How Much is my Susie Cooper worth ?
Q: I have a piece of Grays Pottery which I have been told is a Susie Cooper design, can you confirm this for me?
Q: Is Susie Cooper always signed or marked?
Q: I have a complete Susie Cooper tea-set in Dresden Spray, but I have been told that because all the marks are different on the pieces that it is probably a made up set?
Q: Can you tell me about my Susie Cooper Dolls tea set.
Q: I am looking for any information you can send me on my Susie Cooper vase which was hand made by her in her own Studio.

Q: When was Susie Cooper born and is she still alive ?

Susie Cooper was born on 29th October 1902 near Burslem in Staffordshire. Sadly Susie is no longer with us, She died on July 28th 1995 on the Isle of Man aged 92.

Q: How Much is my Susie Cooper worth ?

A: It is almost impossible to provide individual valuations for items of Susie Cooper as prices realised for her ware vary on which pattern you have, it's exact age and the current popularity of the design you own. Prices also tend to be very fluid in comparison to other collectables with particular items fetching higher than average prices one month only to drop back the next for no particular reason. A good idea of current market price trends can be gleamed from the completed auctions section of eBay.co.uk try a search for Susie Cooper and browse through the results. There is also a list of auction results on this site which we occassionally update.

Q: I have a piece of Grays Pottery which I have been told is a Susie Cooper design, can you confirm this for me?

A: Establishing whether a design produced at A.E.Gray is a Susie Cooper design is difficult. The original pattern books for this factory appear not to have survived, it is also known that other designers worked for Grays. The general guide lines applied at present are based on the sequence of pattern numbers at Grays. The earliest pattern number currently attributed to Susie is 2866 a simple floral pattern. It is then widely accepted that any item with a pattern number after 8625* would not have been a Susie Cooper design as she had left the company by the time the pattern numbers reached this point. Susie Joined Grays in 1922. Early Gloria Lustre range pieces decorated by her carry a SVC monogram. Around 1923 a new factory mark was introduced which included the words Designed By Susie Cooper. Pieces carrying this mark are usually attributable to Susie.
The Following pointers can eliminate a design as definitely not by Susie Cooper:
-Any pattern with a painted code prefixed by the letter A
-A factory mark which says Grays, Stoke on Trent would not be attributable to her, Grays moved from Hanley to Stoke in 1931 long after Susie had left the company.
*ref: Susie Cooper Productions by Ann Eatwell

Q: Is Susie Cooper always signed or marked?

A: The work produced at A.E.Gray does not always carry a mark declaring 'Designed By Susie Cooper' and is a particularly difficult area of her career to establish exactly what designs were by her. There have been many books in recent years which have incorrectly attributed Grays patterns as Susie. (See question above for more details on identifying Grays patterns.)
Moving into her first independent years, her early designs carried a triangle mark which was applied by rubber stamp. The mark of the original factory of manufacture is usually obliterated in black enamel. This rubber stamped mark is sometimes very faint or has worn away completely, however there is often still a pattern number of two or three digits, prefixed by the letter E which can help attribute the item as a Susie Cooper piece.
By 1932 the famous leaping deer mark had appeared. This along with facsimile copies of her signature used on smaller items were applied to all pieces from her factory almost without exception. So any item from this era should have a Susie Cooper mark in one form or another, the common factor being the inclusion of her name. The exceptions are patterns produced for John Lewis, Peter Jones and other special order lines. Some smaller items like egg cups can often be found unmarked. Also around 1932 we see the introduction of the 'Studio' range. These pieces normally have an incised facsimile signature to the base. This does not indicate that the piece was personally made by Susie!
As we enter the fifties, Susie starts using bone china. The items produced at this time usually have a mark which includes Susie's name and often the pattern code and / or the pattern name. Some pieces of Quail shape china have been seen unmarked and often have very simple patterns. Where these fit in we are not yet sure. In 1966 Wedgwood and Susie Cooper merged. The Wedgwood designs all carry a standard Wedgwood mark with the words designed by Susie Cooper added, however later productions of the Glen Mist pattern do not carry her name.
More details of the factory marks Susie used during her career can be found under factory marks

Q: I have a complete Susie Cooper tea-set in Dresden Spray, but I have been told that because all the marks are different on the pieces that it is probably a made up set?

A:The mix of factory marks within a complete set is perfectly normal. The mark used usually depends on the size of the item it is being applied to. For example the cups will probably only have a small signature mark, while the side plates may have the full leaping deer mark with text, pattern box or name etc. More details of the factory marks Susie used during this period can be found under factory marks - Susie Cooper Productions

Q: Can you tell me about my Susie Cooper Dolls tea set.

A: It is generally accepted that Susie Cooper did not produce any miniatures or dolls tea sets. The only know examples are a Grays set which recently appeared on Ebay. This set had hand painted floral decoration, was fully boxed and fully marked with the Liner back stamp incorporating the words Designed By Susie Cooper. Pieces to another Grays set decorated in a stylised angel or candle design have also been recorded. In 1997 a range of miniature items made in the Kestrel style and decorated in a Tigerlily type pattern were made without authority by a factory in the Stoke on Trent area. These set are classified as modern fakes. More details on these can be found under fakes

Q: I am looking for any information you can send me on my carved Susie Cooper vase which was hand made by her in her own Studio.

A: In 1932 Susie Cooper introduced her 'Studio' range. These jugs, vases and fancies were decorated with a carved, or more correctly incised pattern, often depicting animals or flowers. Some plainer items were also made with ribbing or simple border motifs. Also usually grouped with this range are pots decorated with airbrushed or painted decoration on heavy bodies.
The early pieces have an incised Susie Cooper signature and the date 1932 on the base. This is not an indication that the piece was made by Susie herself. There is no conclusive evidence to establish if any of these pots were made by her personally.
Although the earliest pieces were handmade, it was not long before items were slip cast and then re-worked to emphasize the incised decoration before final glazing. Incised pieces usually have an incised facsimile signature mark and sometimes the date 1932. The painted pieces usually carry a printed mark with the Words Susie Cooper, Crown Works, Burslem, England and sometimes 1932. The painted pieces may also have a painted pattern code. Some examples of Studio pots can be found in our gallery


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