Find out more about Gaudy Welsh: Colourful and distinctive

But what is at the heart of it I hear you ask?

At the centre of my collection is lots and lots of Gaudy Welsh.

You may not have heard of it or even seen it.

But I hope when you have read this article then you might want to buy yourself some.

This type and style of china first appeared in Staffordshire in the 1820s.

It is distinctive for its main colours used in its decoration which are orange,(dark and light) greens and cobalt blue, in addition turquoise, yellow and pink were also used along with gold and pink lustre.

The earliest pattern was Tulip, although the Oyster pattern appeared around the same period.

It was produced in different areas of South Wales such as Swansea and Llanelli. In South Wales, Gaudy Welsh is known as Swansea Cottage.

There are various designs such as Tulip which is known as Welsh Daffodil or the Oyster pattern which is also called the Smoking Indian.

I knew very little about Gaudy Welsh when I first started buying it in 2010 and even know I cannot name all the patterns but I can spot a true piece of true piece of Gaudy Welsh made in Wales as opposed to ones made by Allerton’s in Staffordshire.

How did I learn? I read one or two books from the library and looked at pictures online.

It is amazing how quickly your knowledge builds up to the point I am confident in my knowledge of the subject.

I am not an expert but I dedicated collector who knows what he knows.

I bought my first piece of Gaudy Welsh by accident.

It was a very small milk jug. I just liked it and thought it was charming. It was only on further investigation I discovered it was Gaudy Welsh and from that moment on I started to collect it.

At the moment I have lots of pieces including jugs (large and miniature), one handle mugs, double handled mugs and triple handled mugs up to large jugs plus two complete tea services, one incomplete (by one item) and a few tea pots.

I now buy a piece once in a while but it has to be special and something I really want as opposed to buying it for the sake of having it.

I have walked away leaving a number of pieces behind and that is I think the right thing to do.

I do not want to own every piece of Gaudy Welsh in the world.

I have to draw a line and even a collector knows when to stop.

I now hone in on items I have not got or ones which I think are really nice and worth getting.

Over the time I have been collecting Gaudy Welsh, I have never paid a lot for each piece or for a tea set.

The most I paid was around £80 for a large jug which was of the Oyster pattern. The smoking Indian is normally blue but this one was green.

The jug was made by Charles Allerton in Staffordshire.

It is clearly stamped underneath the jug.

Ifyou see any out on your travels, check condition.

Always look hard and spend time making sure there are no cracks or chip.

It is pointless having defects in any piece of china as you cannot really sell on damaged goods as they are worth less than something which is perfect.