What it does
The app searches the same catalogue as the identify page: pottery and porcelain marks, silver hallmarks, jewelry and gold stamps, glass and other maker marks. It lists the best matches with the details that matched, opens a mark or a maker, and steps through all the marks of a maker. Results link to the matching pages on this site. It is a reference for comparison, not a valuation or a certificate of authenticity.
Connect it
Add a custom connector in ChatGPT or Claude with the address below. The app is public and needs no authentication: there is no account, sign-in or key. It is read-only.
https://marksandsignatures.com/api/mcp
Tools
The app has five tools, all read-only.
identify_mark – Identify a mark
Ranks catalogue marks that match a description of a mark: visible wording or letters, symbols, outline shape, colour, how it was made, category, country and years of use. Returns pages of marks with maker, image, period and the details that matched, plus a link to the same search on Marks & Signatures.
- Inputs
query(string): Text visible on the mark and details you can see, such as letters, words, numbers, a symbol, a colour or a shape. Empty browses marks of the most searched makers.symbols(list of string): Symbol names to match, such as crown, anchor, lion-passant, beehive or crossed-swords.border(string): Outline shape around the mark, such as circle, oval, shield, square or diamond.colour(string): Colour of the mark, such as blue, red, green, gold or black.type(string): How the mark was made, such as impressed, incised, printed or painted.category(pottery, silver, jewelry, glass, other): Catalogue category: pottery (pottery and porcelain), silver (silver hallmarks), jewelry (jewelry and gold stamps), glass, or other (other maker marks such as cast iron and tools).country(string): Country name as shown in the catalogue, such as Germany, United Kingdom or United States.from(integer): Earliest year the mark may have been used.to(integer): Latest year the mark may have been used.cursor(string): Opaque nextCursor from a previous page with identical arguments and pageSize; absent on the first page.pageSize(integer): Results per page; default 8.
- Returns
- A page of catalogue marks, best match first. Each has the maker, a picture, the period and country, its symbols, the details that matched your description and a link to its page. The result also says whether the match is strong, weak or none, notes any detail that matched nothing, and links to the same search on the identify page. Searches page through up to 100 results.
find_makers – Find a maker
Searches makers and their aliases by name across pottery, silver, jewelry, glass and other maker marks, optionally within one category or country. Returns pages of makers with place, active years, number of marks and an example mark image.
- Inputs
query(string): Maker name or alias. Empty browses the most searched makers.category(pottery, silver, jewelry, glass, other): Catalogue category: pottery (pottery and porcelain), silver (silver hallmarks), jewelry (jewelry and gold stamps), glass, or other (other maker marks such as cast iron and tools).country(string): Country name as shown in the catalogue, such as Germany, United Kingdom or United States.cursor(string): Opaque nextCursor from a previous page with identical arguments and pageSize; absent on the first page.pageSize(integer): Results per page; default 8.
- Returns
- A page of makers, best match first, with place, active years, the number of marks in the catalogue, an example picture and a link to the maker page.
get_details – Read a mark or maker
Returns the full public record for one mark or one maker: wording, type, period and dating notes for a mark; history, aliases, what to look for and look-alike makers for a maker. Includes links to the matching pages on Marks & Signatures.
- Inputs
id(string, required): Exact id of a mark (mark:...) or a maker (maker:category/slug) from earlier results.
- Returns
- For a mark: its wording, type, colour, material, place, period, dating note and its maker. For a maker: place, active years, aliases, products, history, what to look for and look-alike makers, with links to the pages.
get_maker_marks – See a maker's marks
Returns the marks of one maker with images, wording, type and period, in date order. Accepts a maker id or a mark id; with a mark id that mark comes first.
- Inputs
id(string, required): Exact id of a mark (mark:...) or a maker (maker:category/slug) from earlier results.
- Returns
- Up to 40 of the maker's marks in date order, each with its picture, wording, type, period and a link. A mark id puts that mark first.
list_categories – Browse categories
Lists the five mark categories with the number of marks and makers in each and a link to each category page.
- Inputs
- None.
- Returns
- The five categories with the number of marks and makers in each and a link to the category page.
What you see in the chat
Results appear as a card view with the picture of each mark. Open a mark for its facts and dating note, or a maker for its history, what to look for and look-alike makers, then step through the maker’s marks one by one. Every card links to its page on this site, and the view follows the light or dark setting of ChatGPT or Claude and can open full screen.
Try asking
- I have a plate with a blue crown above the word BAVARIA on the base. Which marks match?
- A silver spoon is stamped with a walking lion and the letters EW. Who might have made it?
- Show me the marks of Meissen and tell me what to look for.
- Which gold stamps from the 1950s have a crown?
The data
The app searches the catalogue’s marks that have a picture, more than 32,000 of them, and more than 15,000 makers, and uses the same ranking as this site’s identify and search pages. Periods and dating notes are as published and can be approximate. Nothing you describe is stored: read the privacy page and the terms.
Support
Questions, corrections or problems with the app: abishop1933@gmail.com. See also about this site.