Beswick Beatrix Potter Figurines
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Beatrix Potter Beswick Figures
Beswick Beatrix Potter figurines are perhaps the most sought after and most valuable in the Beatrix Potter collectible range.
Porcelain figurines like these are marked by the manufacturers, usually on the underside of the piece, with what are known as backstamps or simply stamps. At a minimum they will name the manufacturer but often contain more details.
The Beswick figurines mostly carry the Beswick stamp and they help us evaluate the worth of any individual piece.
Not all genuine pieces are stamped. And there are a number of reasons for this. For example the factory was infamous for the number of pieces left unfinished at clocking off time on a Friday.
Very early Beswick Figurines are marked with green lettering in an oval or circular shape spelling Beswick England. These early stamps were introduced just post World War I.
This was replaced a little later, around 1936, by Beswick Ware Made in England. The circle or oval had gone and the letters were formed in beautiful calligraphy in the centre of the base of the figurine.
By 1954 block capitals of Beswick England in a semi circle around the edge of the piece were introduced. An impressed mark was also used, but more importantly a serial number was also present.
When the Beswick Beatrix Potter Figurines were introduced in the 1960's much more information was included in the stamp. The copyright for F Warne and Co Ltd was there, as was the date but only on some pieces.
Below we have an example of the backstamp that Beswick used
Beatrix Potter Beswick Figures are great fun to own and simply collect. There are many varied designs and their appeal crosses all age groups.
Beswick Beatrix Potter Figurines
About Beswick Figurines
Beswick pottery figurines are some of the
world’s best known ceramics ornaments. The series is named after John Beswick, founder
of Beswick factory, an
Places to buy Beswick Beatrix Potter Figurines
If you aren’t one of the few lucky ones to have a Beswick collectible store in your area, addressing an online shop is probably the way to go. Internet stores have several advantages over traditional, brick and mortar ones:
- Price. Since Beswick figurines aren’t exactly a common good, there aren’t many brick and mortar collectible stores holding such items in stock. The ones that do keep them tend to have a monopoly over an area; hence they can pretty much set whatever price they want. Competition is much harsher in the online world, since stores are literally one mouse click apart. Also, online stores have lower overheads related to rent, sales personnel and utilities and can afford to offer lower prices while keeping a profitable margin.
- Ease of service. You can order your favorite Beswick collectible from the comfort of your home. No need to drive to the other side of town (or even further), spend hours in traffic only to find that you have arrive after their service hours or that your item is no longer in stock. You can order at any time of day or night, and the process doesn’t take more than a few minutes. And, with next day delivery, you can have your package at your doorstep in no time.
Spotting fakes
Collecting Beswick pottery can be an entertaining and rewarding experience. However, with the increasing number of con artists on today’s market, collectors have to be careful and do some research before spending their money on a piece that can turn out to be a fake.
Figurine collectors are familiar with the stamps placed by manufacturers on the back or underside of each piece. These marks show at least the factory seal and, generally, the lack of a clear print means that the figurine is a counterfeit. This may not necessarily be the case with Beswick figures: the factory is known to sometimes leave their pieces unfinished, and there are lots of such genuine Beswick collectibles on today’s market.
Since the stamp isn’t always a criterion, spotting a fake Beswick figurine can be tricky for the unadvised collector. The fact that not all Beswick figures come with certificates of authenticity makes everything even harder.
When buying collectibles online, experts recommend a few simple tips to clear doubts on the legitimacy of the seller and provide grounds for a smooth transaction.
- First and foremost, do your homework. The Internet provides you with lots of information on Beswick collectibles, so make sure you read as much as you can on the item you want to buy. Ask for advice in newsgroups, see what other people had to say about the figurine, look for pictures.
- When buying from eBay, always check the feedbacks. Be cautious when dealing with new sellers! A power seller with thousands of positive reviews usually puts you on the safe side, provided a fair share of the transactions is related to collectibles. If a whole lot of other people have been satisfied with those products, you will, most likely, be too. Make sure you read the negative ratings as well, but keep in mind that most, if not all power sellers have had their share of irrational customers, types of people that can never be satisfied with a product. On the other hand, a power seller dealing with, let’s say, used computers that has a Beswick collectible up for auction isn’t very comforting: the account could be hijacked, or it might be that the seller has no idea about the product.
- If you run across a deal on classified sites like Craigslist, ask for as many details as you can. Pictures of the collectible, information on the backstamp and the provenience of the item are the least you should clear out with the seller before even considering to close the deal.
- A website that looks like it has been designed by “a man in a white van”, yet boasts a huge stock of Beswick collectibles can be the sign of a scam. A company that features a working capital of, say, half a million dollars should afford to spend a thousand on a visually appealing website. It is a matter of respecting your customers: if they don’t care about you, how can you be sure you will get what you paid for? The least you can do, if in doubt, is to google the name of the site and read what others have to say about their service.
- An increasingly common scam is run by some “potteries” that take a common Beswick figure, wipe the original color and repaint it in a rare color scheme. The result is a figurine that looks very much like a rare and more expensive model. There are ways of spotting such “cosmetically enhanced” models so, as the first tip says, make sure you do your homework and read up information as you can find.
- Last, but not least, use common sense. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.