Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles Tea Set

A couple of prominent bloggers are partial to transferware, and after visiting their blogs and seeing their beautiful tablescapes featuring it, I became interested in red/pink transferware for myself. It started out just a piece here and there - an Alfred Meakin teapot was the first piece I purchased, and over time my collection has grown.  I have written six different posts about my transferware from November 2012 to December 2013.  If you haven't read the posts and would like to, simply type 'red transferware' in the search box in the upper left corner of my blog and it will bring up the posts.

Recently I saw a 13-piece Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles tea set up for bid on E-bay. I was the first bidder then another person jumped in, and the price began to climb.  My initial reaction was to drop out, until I priced the pieces individually and found they would total about $200.  I won the auction for $88 plus shipping, and the tea set arrived in last Friday's mail.  It was still in it's original box.


I plan to incorporate red toile fabric in the tablescape somewhere - maybe napkins?



I am now the happy owner of service for six in this pattern.  I wish you could join me for tea!


I know there's brown, green, purple, and blue transferware, but my favorite is the red/pink. Do you have a transferware collection?

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Today I'm linking to Artful Affirmations for "Teacup Tuesday"
Antiques and Teacups for "Tuesday Cuppa Tea"
Rose Chintz Cottage for "Tea Time Tuesday"

15 comments:

  1. Very nice, and what an amazing price! I have a couple of teacups in red and one purple plate, but that's it.
    Judith

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  2. Your set is lovely. I really enjoy seeing it on blogs too. I only have 1 set - Johnson Brothers Devonshire which is really old. I do have 4 other sets of china - 1 white and 3 English Decals. I recently considered getting rid of my English Hunt set but I will find it hard to actually do that.

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  3. Oh, I love it! What a good bargain you got, and I would love to come have tea with you. (I wish...) I have a couple of pieces of green transferware that I found at a thrift shop, and a few pieces of red. Plus the 6 Johnson Brothers red/green Christmas plates that I bought in 2012. I keep my eyes out for all of it now!

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  4. That sounds like a very good price for all of that transferware, and I've never seen a set in the box like that before. Wonderful! I don't collect transferware but am often tempted. I think the pink, blue and lavender would be pretty together too.

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  5. Your pink and red transferware will make for a lovely Valentine tea. I do not have transferware, however, I do have lots of tea cups.

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  6. Dear Phyllis,
    I was so glad to see what you just bought on Ebay! The teaset is so lovely and I know will look so beautiful with your other red/pink transferware. Did I tell you on top of everything else going on in my life, I fell and broke a bone in my foot? Six weeks of taking it easy when I have so much to do! Seeing I have been on the sofa most of the time I'm enjoying Ebay and internet, too. I bought a brown transferware teapot in the Johnson Bro. pattern Olde English Countryside and am now looking for teacups to match. I had five dessert plates in that pattern I had picked up cheap at a resale store awhile ago. I am starting to enjoy all the tea time blogs again as I have plenty of time to enjoy them now!
    Your friend, Nancy

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  7. Funny you should post this today; I just found a cup and saucer, a Homer Laughlin Currier and Ives Prints pattern, as well as a dinner plate from Alfred Meakin, "Home Pastures" pattern, in pink/red transferware today! I'm thinking I need to find more; your set is wonderful!

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  8. Beautiful. Great price. It will make a beautiful table.

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  9. You really did get a bargain! I have the very same set, but I had to buy each piece individually. It is such a gorgeous tea pot! I love it too : )
    Yay for you and only $88!
    Hugs,
    Terri

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  10. Well you did really well...especially with the teapot! One of my favorite patterns! Congratulations! Thanks for linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
    Ruth

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  11. Oh, how lovely to have so many pieces! I have a few teapots in the red but I am lacking teacups and saucers. In fact I have none with saucers. I love the Old Britain Castles pattern. I have two sets in the blue but none in my coveted red. I will have to go to eBay one of these days and see what I can find. You did very well indeed to get the china for 88 dollars! Good for you. Thank you for sharing and joining me for my Anniversary Tea Party.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  12. I love the beautiful transfer ware. Red is my favorite. Thanks for sharing with us. Blessings, Martha

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  13. I mainly collect individual teacups in transferware.
    I really want to find the purple or green in a couple
    teacups. I always say part of the fun of collecting
    is in the search.

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  14. It is not easy finding sets of red/white transferware! Congrats. My daughter collects English Abbey which is very hard to find, and I have 12 placesettings of Mason's Vista pattern and some serving pieces that I found at an Estate Sale. I currently have some for sale at KrisTea's, hint hint. LOL I would like collecting black/white toile, and found a set of brown/white at another sale. I took months of soaking in peroxide to clean out all the crackles. I guess a hundred years of use tends to look a bit worn!
    Don't we love retirement?

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  15. I had about twenty pieces (10 dinner plates and 10 cup saucers) that belonged to my great-grandmother. Over the years I built around that and now have almost 200 pieces, including 5-piece place settings for 24 people. It is in the lavender, which they stopped producing in the early 1930s, so it has taken a long time. I even have a website dedicated to the pattern at http://www.oldbritaincastles.com

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