Some of the numbers on the bottom of pottery teapots can be referenced as serial numbers if they were produced in limited-edition quantities. In more collectible runs, a series limited to 1,000 fired pieces, may contain a number and/or letter code. This will clue you into the year, number or production run.

What does number mean on pottery?

A companys hallmark or makers mark usually includes its name and country of origin and often the date it was established, the pottery or porcelain manufacturer may also have applied a series of numbers which may signify the run, color code, production plant number, or year produced.

When was David Drake born?

1801 David Drake/Date of birth Drake — also known as “Dave the Slave” or “Dave the Potter” — was born into slavery around 1801 and lived until the 1870s. He spent 30 years working in pottery facilities in Edgefield, South Carolina, under at least five different slave owners.