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How to Collect Teapots
Why Collect Teapots?
Although collecting teapots is fun, it can be more than just that. Thanks to the seemingly infinite variety of teapots produced throughout the ages, teapot collecting provides surprising latitude for self expression. Additionally, a teapot collection makes for an unusual and lovely display in a home. Teapots symbolize both hospitality and solitude, so no matter your mood their presence is always a comfort. Because of this, you'll notice that your collection puts your guests at ease immediately and is a reliable conversation starter. It's hard to stay uptight when your admiring teapots.
Tips and Guidelines for Collecting Teapots
Some basic considerations for a teapot collection are:
- Personal Preferences
- Theme
- Knowledge
- Budget
Personal Preferences:
What kind of teapots should you collect? The answer is: Collect what you like, what you find attractive or interesting. You collection should express you or something about you. For example, an industrial clays engineer may collect teapots made from a wide variety of clays, a history buff may collect commemorative teapots, and an artist may fall in love with figural teapots and collect accordingly. A person taken by a the beauty Vienna porcelain while vacationing in Italy may start a Vienna porcelain teapot collection and later decide teapots make cherished souvenirs, so on subsequent vacations will broaden the scope of their collection to European teapots.
Theme:
Your teapot collection should have a theme. You will probably start by buying a teapot you like, then you'll find that type of teapot in general catches your eye so you'll acquire a few more like it and your collection will then have a theme. Herein lies the element of self-expression: base your teapot collection on what you find attractive and/or interesting. From this point you may decide to narrow or broaden the scope of your collection.
Themes may be based on many things. Here are just a few examples:
- material used e.g. porcelain, glass, clay, cast-iron, copper, brass
- date range or era
- region e.g. African, English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese
- handmade
- novelty
- commemorative
- Something that has personal meaning to you such as teapots you've
inherited or teapots you took home a souvenirs from foreign lands
- style with regard to an age or era e.g. rococo, baroque, art nouveau
- style with regard to application of decoration e.g. hand painted, transfer ware, chintz
A teapot collection theme is usually a combination of themes. For example:
- 18th century English red ware (date range, region, material)
- 17th century Yixing armorial (date range, region, style of decoration)
- Wedgwood transfer-printed creamware (producer, decoration, material)
Often the combination of region and date range imply (and often dictate) another attribute. For example, a 17th century European teapot will be made of earthenware, it will not be porcelain. Therefore, if three criteria define the boundaries of your teapot collection, then other criteria are often inherent in your collection.
Knowledge:
Educating yourself about teapots can add to the enjoyment of collecting them. It is likely to make your collection (and you) more interesting and will reduce the chances you'll pay too much for a teapot. You'll pick up new words so you can engage in "teapot talk" with other enthusiasts and you'll develop an eye for things that affect a teapot's price such as crazing and chop marks. You'll also develop a real appreciation for professional teapot appraisers. Decide what you want to collect (you collection's theme) before you research the subject or you will be overwhelmed with the amount of information available on the general subject. After you do some up front homework relax and take a learn-as-you-go approach weaving the threads of knowledge into the fabric of your life. Some good sources of information are:
- books
- magazines
- newsletters
- auction houses
- antique dealers
- museums and museum curators
- collector's clubs
- appraisers
- Internet
- Manufacturers
Budget:
Fortunately you can acquire a beautiful collection of teapots for a comparatively small amount of money. However, the option is always open for you to spend a fortune on a collection. Collections are usually put together over a long period of time, in many cases over a person's retirement years or whole adult life. Thus, they didn't have a budget for their collection, but a price range for each teapot as each buying occasion arose. This is the most natural and common approach; the key is to make sure you don't get taken in by a fake and end up paying a lot for something you thought justified the price. Aside from knowing what the price range should be for a certain type of teapot, know if you'd be just as happy (or happier) with a legitimate reproduction of that teapot if one exists. That said, do have in mind what you are willing to pay for a teapot that fits the criteria of your collection so when you spot a potential candidate you can see it in perspective.
Teapots as an Investment (or Your Teapot Portfolio)
To buy teapots for the sake of investment requires a great deal of knowledge on the subject. It also requires some upfront money unless you are able to luck into finds at garage sales operated by people who don't know the teapot they're selling is worth anything. You'll need time to research what you're looking for, you'll need a place to store your teapots, and time to catalog your purchases. You'll need insurance to protect your collection and finally you'll need a time horizon in which your teapots will hopefully appreciate. Success is measured by the monetary gain upon sale if the teapot's value does indeed go up enough to cover the expenses of researching, locating, purchasing, cataloging, storing, insuring and selling it. Buying teapots for investment purposes may be a natural activity for those that work with teapots professionally such as restoration experts, antique dealers, auctioneers, museum curators and appraisers. However, those outside of these fields who choose to configure a teapot portfolio should start by educating themselves and then proceed with caution.
One more caveat: before you collect for the sake of investment, you must decide whether you would be able to part with your teapot(s) if a prospective buyer made an offer.
What to Call a Teapot Collector
A stamp collector is called a "philatelist," so it is fair to ask what title is given a person who collects teapots. Surprisingly this very special group of people has not been bestowed a title…yet...but there is always hope. In the meantime teapot collectors are generally referred to as "teapot enthusiasts," and although this term does not specifically mean they collect teapots, it does imply that they probably collect them.
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