When attending sales or auctions, those with a hand in porcelain sales can rarely resist the lure to purchase available R.S. Prussia pieces, especially when the price seems right. Remarkable in its beauty and quality, R.S. Prussia porcelain has been a growing popular collectible since the 1960s. While its collectors and antique dealers were growing in strong numbers, it also came to pass that a market for reproductions should also arise. With a growing demand for R.S. Prussia porcelain wares, the realization that there was a large volume of unmarked R.S. Prussia pieces, and the fake and fraudulent R.S. Prussia pieces on the rise, Mary Gaston recognized the need and practicality of organizing a uniform system for identifying and validating authentic R.S. Prussia pieces. To understand this process, first a clear definition of R.S. Prussia needs to be established.

Although it is commonly termed “R.S. Prussia,” it is correct to identify the wares as Reinhold Schlegelmilch, who founded the business around 1869 in Tillowitz, Germany. Reinhold’s business registered and utilized many trademark stamps, while the most recognized among them is the infamous green wreath and red star with the initials R.S. and Prussia below the wreath.

Extensive research by R.H. Capers and Leland and Carol Marple shows this mark was registered on March 27, 1905 in Germany and was no longer showing on wares by 1910. Unfortunately, this is the mark most commonly copied for fraudulent use on reproduction pieces. Though most fraudulent stamps are quite easy to detect, the original R.S. Prussia pieces are now safeguarded by the recognized system established by Gaston.

Gaston found that the Reinhold Schelgelmilch pieces had very distinctive molds and decorations. Gaston states in her First Series book that mold shape ware lines were assigned arbitrary numbers, such as RSP Mold 25. Molds were classified by object shape: Round or Flat, Vertical or Tall, Accessory, and Vases or Ferners. RSP Mold 25 (the very distinctive Iris Mold) will, in several books, include all cups, saucers, bowls, plates, chocolate pots, trays, bisquit jars, etc. which have been made in this specific mold. However, Gaston may assign the Iris Mold of RSP 25 to the round and horizontal objects, such as bowls, plates, or trays and reissue another mold number as RSP Mold 628 to the vertical objects, such as chocolate pots, creamers, sugar bowls, etc., also in the Iris Mold. A wide variety of decorations were used on the Reinhold Schelgelmilch wares. Gaston divided these decorations into figurals, portraits, scenic, animals, and floral. Because floral decorations were the greatest number produced, Gaston attempted to assign floral decoration numbers to the most common floral patterns. They will appear as FD16, FD50, etc. (FD = Floral Decoration). Some decorations have no numbers but will have names. One should not become disconcerted if a decoration number or name is not found within the books or catalogs provided the mold is located and identified within the unified system.

In keeping with the excellent identification system begun by Gaston, the Marples continued with the mold numbering and pattern numbering system in their later research. In their books, one will find RS Steeple mold numbers, OM numbers (OM = Old Mold), and HI for the Hidden Image molds. In the early Prussia pieces, the Marples have numbered common floral decorations using the prefix OT for Outline Transfer.

Whether a piece is clearly marked with a Reinhold Schlegelmilch trademark or is completely unmarked, one can identify and validate an R.S. piece by matching its mold to one of the mold numbers researched and documented by Gaston or the Marples. When possible, decoration identifications further assist in the validation of the piece.

As a porcelain buyer and/or seller, you would expect that some molds and decorations will be the rarest, the most prized among the collectors, and the most valued in their worth. Bird and animal decorations are among the rarest to be found. Figural and portrait decorations can fetch a high price as well. Hidden Image molds are very scarce. As seen with Nippon porcelain, cobalt glazes increase the value of R.S. Prussia pieces. One such feature of R.S. pieces in determining their worth is their glaze finish. A satin finish (as opposed to a glossy finish) gives the piece a softer, muted look, which increases the value of the piece. The most valuable finish to a piece is the Tiffany finish, which is a metallic iridescent finish made popular by Louis Tiffany in his wares during the Art Nouveau era. The Tiffany look on R.S. Prussia pieces is most often produced in a satin finish.

Lastly, when I assist in identifying R.S. Prussia pieces for others, I advise them to always cite the references where the mold, decoration, and dating information has been found to validate the piece. Serious collectors are looking for Gaston’s and the Marples’ systems as their authentication. By citing the sources, it confirms the piece has been properly researched for its validation, especially when a piece has no markings.

Because these are such specific facts to know about your R.S. Prussia pieces, I encourage anyone without access to this information to post their items on the PGP and GPSA boards with “R.S. Prussia” in their title. It is always a pleasure to research, locate the history, identification, and the value of those pieces. With proper identification and validation, the value can sometimes be a pleasant surprise, as was the case for new eBay seller, Ann Marie, and her client when the auctions ended. Wishing you happy hunting!

"Murillo’s “Dice Throwers” on Jewelled RSP Mold 207
tray - Final High Bid -$1,580.55;
bowl - Final High Bid - $1,358.33