Phnoe Number Search


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Phnoe Number Search

Phnoe Number Search

While a few West German pottery companies marked most of their items, the majority of the pottery has no permanent company mark. Instead, items usually have a set of numbers and some variation of the words West Germany, which is how that term came to describe all the work by so many companies. Without a company mark, attributions are difficult for beginners, but there are some things that can, and can’t, be determined with the numbers and country markings.

Form Numbers

The numbers can be helpful, but they are not a perfect guide. The typical set of numbers is in two parts, usually separated by a hyphen or slash. The first set of numbers is the shape number. Perhaps the best known is shape 313 by Ruscha. Once you know the shape number, it can make it easier to collect an item in its various decorations.

Still, there are two problems with that approach. Most of the companies used similar number patterns. At least four other companies used the number 313. While none of them can be mistaken for the Ruscha form, it does complicate searches. Also, companies sometimes recycled shape numbers. Scheurich used many of their numbers twice or even three times, so when looking for shape 275, there is the early 1960s version and there’s the circa 1970 version.