Undated
C.P. Co.
Small crown above abbreviated initials; no full company name or USA line.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
Pottery & porcelain
Crown Potteries co marks
Crown Potteries co marks include printed “CROWN POTTERIES CO.; MADE IN U.S.A.; 9 42” on white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware.
- Active years
- c. 1891–1955
- Country
- United States
- Products
- white granite tableware, semi-porcelain dinnerware, toilet sets, hotel ware, decorated dinnerware
- Marks
- 7
Crown Pottery began 1 October 1891; Crown Potteries merger 1902. Dinnerware operation ended circa 1955. The earlier works date to 1882, and later sanitary activity is not treated as continuation of this dinnerware range.
What to look for
- CROWN PORCELAIN and CROWN HOTEL WARE identify different product lines. Rex, Regina, Royal and Jewel can appear with C.P. Co.; Alma, Helen, Hobson and Rena are toilet-ware names.
- Read the whole crown design. A crown by itself is used by many potteries; the accompanying wording and initials distinguish these Evansville marks.
- The later full-name stamp includes country wording and numerical codes. Do not count different month-and-year numerals as separate maker’s marks.
- Evansville is in Indiana. The Illinois association comes from the Peoria pottery merger.
Dated marks & timeline
7 marks
Undated
Crown Porcelain
Two-line script wordmark, without a pictorial crown.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
Undated
CROWN POTTERIES CO.; MADE IN U.S.A.; 9 42
Full company name with crown, country wording and date numerals.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
Undated
CROWN HOTEL WARE
Plain block wordmark on two lines.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
Undated
IRONSTONE CHINA; WARRANTED
Lion and unicorn flank a shield; no crown-company wording.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
Undated
REX
Large closed crown above REX, distinct from the bare-crown device.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
Undated
CROWN SEMI-PORCELAIN; WARRANTED
Crown over a curved ribbon, with curved product wording.
printed · white granite or semi-porcelain earthenware
About Crown Potteries Company
Crown Pottery Company began operating at Evansville, Indiana, on 1 October 1891, with six kilns and four enamel kilns. The works had earlier belonged to A. M. Beck, who established a majolica pottery in 1882. After Beck’s death in 1884, Bennighof, Uhl & Co. took over and introduced white wares. Crown’s products included white granite tableware, toilet sets and hotel dishes.
The factory used several names and devices for different classes of ware. Crown Porcelain appeared on dinnerware, while Rex, Regina, Royal and Jewel identified other dinnerware ranges. Alma, Helen, Hobson and Rena were toilet-ware pattern names. Its illustrated early marks included a heraldic ironstone device, crowns, lettered wordmarks and a separate hotel-ware stamp.
In 1902 Crown combined with Peoria Pottery Company in Illinois as Crown Potteries Company. It continued making household ceramics through the first half of the twentieth century, including decorated dinner plates and serving dishes. Later stamps can spell out Crown Potteries Co., add Made in U.S.A. and include a numerical date. Dinnerware production ended in the 1950s; later sanitary-pottery activity belongs to a separate part of the site’s history.
Also known as: Crown Pottery Co. · Crown Potteries Co. · C.P. Co. · Crown Porcelain · Crown Hotel Ware · Crown Potteries Company, formerly Crown Pottery Company
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Robinson-Ransbottom / Crown Brand stoneware →
Its crown appears on stoneware crocks and can contain capacity numerals or RRP. Evansville Crown made white tableware and used devices such as the REX crown and C.P. Co. wordmarks.
Royal Crown Pottery, Staffordshire →
The English concern is separate. Check country wording and the complete factory name instead of assigning every crown to the Evansville company.