The following summarizes the basic marks seen on Rookwood Pottery. his logo was used on virtually every piece of Rookwood produced from 1886 until the end of production in 1967. The use of Roman numerals to date Rookwood continued until the end of production in 1967.

How is Rookwood marked?

Marks. One advantage of collecting Rookwood is that its easy to date by examining the mark incised on the bottom of each piece. In 1886, the company began using a reverse RP logo. A flame was added around the logo each year to mark the date the piece was produced.

What is an artists cipher?

The artist decorated wares produced by Rookwood can range in value from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Artist decorated pieces often have the initials or name, known as an artists cipher, incised or printed on the bottom of the piece below or near the reverse RP mark.

What is the mark for Rookwood pottery?

Today, Rookwood uses a new mark: the flame mark with the year in Roman numerals. So 2014 would be marked MMXIV. Other letter marks represent the color and type of Clay, numbers 1 to 7301 tell the shape and initials tell the name of the artist. All of these codes can be found in books or websites about Rookwood.