After you log into your account after registration you will be presented with the following search screen. Do not be fooled by the simplicity of this search screen, we have incorporated a complex number of inclusive searches into one screen. The information that you add to any of the search boxes will be treated literally i.e. the more information that you add the quicker you may find you mark. The less information the broader the results. If you are too specific with your searches and you get no result then gradually cut down the information until you get the results you are looking for.

Below is a numbered description of each search box:

Quick jump to section:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8

1. Full or Part Makers Name

   This search box will find any makers name even if you type all or part of the name e.g. Wedgwood or wed will produce the same list of results. The search is designed to ignore case in all circumstances.

2. or Select Makers Name

   If you want to search alphabetically for a maker then you can choose one from the drop down menu. This is very accurate. However we have thousands of makers in this menu and the drop down list is rather long.

3. Select Shape

   We have categorized our marks into shapes so that if you know absolutely nothing about the mark you are looking at then you can guess what kind of shape you are looking at. There are grey areas with this kind of a mark but it is still quite effective.

4. Select Country

   This search is usually used in compliment with another search on the list to reduce the results and get you to your mark quicker. If you use the search on it's own by choosing just marks from England for example you will get results spanning hundreds of pages. This is why it is best to use this criteria with another section.

5. Maker Year (i.e.1895)

   We have a few date criteria against each mark. However this box refers to the dates we have of when the mark was brought into being and when it was disbanded. If you type a date in it will deem any mark that has a start and finish date that encapsulates your search date field and bring the results to you. Again similar to the country field it is best to use this field in conjunction with another field to reduce your results and get you to your mark quicker.

6. Text search

   This is a free text search. By free we mean that you can type in any reference word that you have to search our entire database structure for even the smallest fragment of information. For example I know that there is a famous factory near Manchester (UK) but I cannot remember the name. However, I remember that they were at a place called Clifton Junction. If I type in Clifton or Clifton Junction I get all of Pilkingtons Royal Lancastrian pottery marks which is exactly the maker and factory I am looking for.

7. Search

   After you have organized the search area to search for one or a multiple of areas you will need to press the 'search' button for your primary results.

8. Reset

   After you press the search button depending on the results you may need to go back to the search page to refine your search parameters. We have designed the system so that the search page keeps your last search data until you decide you want to change them or get rid of them altogether and start again on a fresh page. If you press reset the page will clear all your last search data away to present you with a clean empty search box.