The Sophisticated Picker

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A little departure from all the Spode I’ve been sharing lately. 🌿🦋This vintage Portmeirion Botanic Garden platter dates ...
09/22/2026

A little departure from all the Spode I’ve been sharing lately. 🌿🦋

This vintage Portmeirion Botanic Garden platter dates to the original release in 1972, featuring Arctotis grandiflora — the African Daisy — surrounded by a wonderfully colorful moth and butterflies.

At more than 15 inches across, it’s a substantial piece, and I love the combination of botanical illustration, insects and that simple green leaf border. There’s some age-appropriate crazing, but otherwise it’s in beautiful condition with no chips, cracks, staining or color loss.

Botanic Garden has been around for more than half a century now, and early pieces like this remind me why the pattern became such an enduring classic.

Available now in The Sophisticated Picker Etsy shop. 🌼

More from the Spode Woodland collection is making its way to the Etsy shop. 🦊🫎🐻These vintage Made in England Woodland di...
09/22/2026

More from the Spode Woodland collection is making its way to the Etsy shop. 🦊🫎🐻

These vintage Made in England Woodland dinner plates date to the earlier production of the pattern and feature some of my favorite wildlife scenes, each framed by that wonderfully detailed brown floral transferware border.

Bighorn Sheep, Red Fox, Majestic Moose, Black Bear, Mule Deer and Bison are available now, each sold individually. And there’s an early version of the popular Rabbit plate too. All are in outstanding condition with no chips, cracks, crazing or color loss.

And there’s more Woodland still to come. After years of collecting these harder-to-find English-made pieces, it’s been fun going through them again—even if I’m finding it a little harder to part with some than I expected. 😊

Available now in The Sophisticated Picker Etsy shop.

A few more favorites from the Spode Woodland collection are heading off to new homes. 🦆🫎🐕Three Woodland mugs are availab...
09/19/2026

A few more favorites from the Spode Woodland collection are heading off to new homes. 🦆🫎🐕

Three Woodland mugs are available now in the Etsy shop:

• Game Birds — the earlier Made in England version, with Quail on one side and Pintail on the other
• Majestic Moose
• Hunting Dogs – Yellow Labrador

The Moose and Labrador are more recent Woodland issues, while the Game Birds mug is an earlier English-made piece. All three are in outstanding condition with no chips, cracks, crazing or color loss.

I’ve collected Woodland for years, and these mugs are a great example of what I’ve always loved about the series—the detailed wildlife scenes paired with that unmistakable brown floral transferware.

And yes, despite selling the collection, I’m still keeping a few of the dog pieces. Some rules are made to be broken. 😊

Available now at The Sophisticated Picker on Etsy.

After years of collecting a wide range of harder-to-find vintage Spode Woodland pieces, I’ve decided it’s time to part w...
09/15/2026

After years of collecting a wide range of harder-to-find vintage Spode Woodland pieces, I’ve decided it’s time to part with my collection as I move on to other collecting pursuits.

Originally made in England primarily in the 1990s, Woodland will always be one of my favorite Spode transferware series. I’ve especially enjoyed seeking out the less commonly seen pieces and subjects — from wildlife and birds of prey to horses, sporting dogs and more.

But collections evolve, and it’s time for these wonderful pieces to find new homes.

These are just a few favorites from the collection. All of these — along with many, many more — are available now in The Sophisticated Picker Etsy shop.

The Golden Retrievers, however, are staying with me. Of course. 😊🐾

From My Collection… 🏺I’ve always been drawn to English ceramics — and antique Copeland Spode in particular is something ...
09/13/2026

From My Collection… 🏺

I’ve always been drawn to English ceramics — and antique Copeland Spode in particular is something I’m constantly hunting for. Add a longtime appreciation for w**e and the fact that I live in one of California’s great w**e-growing regions, and I suppose collecting antique porcelain w**e-cellar labels was inevitable. 🍷

These labels and numbered bin markers once helped keep well-stocked cellars organized — identifying Sherry, Port, Claret and even B**r, along with the individual bins where bottles were stored.

What I love about them is how much character was packed into something so utilitarian. The bold lettering, wonderfully varied typography, different shapes and signs of age and use make each one a little piece of ceramic history.

My collection includes examples from the Spode and Copeland eras, along with pieces by Wedgwood, Minton and others. One favorite is the little No. 2, still retaining its old metal hook. Its impressed SPODE mark dates it to c. 1815–1833 — nearly 200 years ago.

They bring together so many things I enjoy — English ceramics, history, beautiful period lettering and numbering, and, of course, w**e.

And I love imagining the cellars these once hung in and the bottles they helped identify.

At least one has gone back to work. The old CLARET label now hangs from my own w**e rack.

Some things really don’t need improving.

Cheers to that. 🍷

🍂 Spode Woodland at its very best.Some pieces are meant to do more than set the table. This Spode Woodland covered veget...
09/09/2026

🍂 Spode Woodland at its very best.

Some pieces are meant to do more than set the table. This Spode Woodland covered vegetable tureen is one of them.

At an impressive 12 inches across and 6 1/2 inches high, it combines Spode’s classic brown floral transferware with beautifully detailed wildlife scenes—rabbits around the tureen and game birds, including a mallard, on the lid.

And the form is just as wonderful as the decoration: a raised pedestal base, sweeping handles and that distinctive arched handle on the domed lid. There’s something to discover from virtually every angle.

Even better, this one is in outstanding condition with no chips, cracks, crazing, color loss or signs of use.

A spectacular serving piece for a fall or Thanksgiving table—and honestly, far too beautiful to put away when dinner is over.

Available now in The Sophisticated Picker Etsy shop. 🍁

This vintage Spode Reynolds cake plate is a whopping 12 3/8 inches across, with an exuberant arrangement of fruit, flowe...
09/09/2026

This vintage Spode Reynolds cake plate is a whopping 12 3/8 inches across, with an exuberant arrangement of fruit, flowers and foliage that practically fills the plate.

Grapes, richly colored fruit, berries and blossoms spill from a classical bowl in shades of purple, crimson, yellow and green. I especially love that Spode left the rest of the plate completely unadorned—the simple cream ground lets that spectacular botanical design do all the work.

Made in England and marked Reynolds, S2188, this is vintage Spode at its colorful best. And the condition? Outstanding—no chips, cracks, crazing or color loss.

Beautiful enough to hang on the wall, but at this size it would also make one heck of a cake plate. 🎂

Available now from The Sophisticated Picker Etsy shop.

This gorgeous midcentury Mason’s Patent Ironstone “Bow Bells” pattern is a wonderful continuation of the English transfe...
09/08/2026

This gorgeous midcentury Mason’s Patent Ironstone “Bow Bells” pattern is a wonderful continuation of the English transferware tradition—an intricate all-over design of stylized flowers, leaves and scrolling vines rendered in rich brown against creamy white ironstone.

And that wonderfully molded, gently scalloped edge? It’s the perfect finishing touch.

Bow Bells is remarkably crisp and graphic. Nearly monochromatic, incredibly detailed, and somehow both elegant and a little earthy—exactly why brown transferware works so beautifully in both traditional and more contemporary settings.

The backstamp carries the familiar Mason’s crown and “Patent Ironstone – England” mark, connecting these midcentury pieces to one of England’s great ceramic traditions.

These six small bowls and two large dinner plates in Bow Bells are among the pieces available now in The Sophisticated Picker Etsy shop. 🤎

🍂 Labor Day has arrived — the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of a new season.And for The Sophisticated Picke...
09/07/2026

🍂 Labor Day has arrived — the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of a new season.

And for The Sophisticated Picker, that means it’s time to start bringing out the fall décor and Thanksgiving tableware.

The shelves are beginning to fill with pieces made for autumn entertaining — Spode and Johnson Brothers, vintage game bird designs, rich brown transferware and plenty more that feels right at home on a fall or Thanksgiving table.

These pieces — and many more — are available now in the Etsy shop, with more being added in the days ahead.

And by this weekend, the Amador City shop will be well stocked for the season, with dishes, serving pieces, artwork and other vintage finds ready for fall.

Summer may be winding down, but one of my favorite seasons for decorating and collecting is just getting started. 🍁🦃

From My Collection…🏺Some collections begin intentionally. Others start with one little dish.These small Copeland Spode b...
09/07/2026

From My Collection…🏺

Some collections begin intentionally. Others start with one little dish.

These small Copeland Spode butter pats, dating primarily from the 1930s–1950s, were specially ordered as Christmas gifts by Grace Lloyd-Collins, who operated the Green Lantern Studio in Wilmington, Delaware. Each carries some variation of the inscription “To Wish You Merry Christmas — Grace Lloyd-Collins” on the back.

What makes them especially fun to collect is the remarkable variety. Spode produced them using an assortment of existing patterns and colors — including Camilla, Italian, Tower, Beverly, Old Salem, and historic Wilmington building renderings such as Old Town Hall and Old Swedes.

Over the years, I’ve managed to bring together an assortment of them, sometimes finding another color of a pattern I already have and sometimes discovering one I didn’t even know existed. The brown Greek example remains one of the most intriguing, not yet documented anywhere I’ve found except in my collection.

There’s still more to learn about these little dishes — and undoubtedly more variations out there waiting to be found, which of course is part of the fun of collecting.

The hunt continues… 🧐

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