Myth 2- If it’s not stamped Polish Pottery, then it must not be polish pottery. Technically speaking, everything coming into this country is supposed to be clearly marked with the country of origin. Pottery that comes out of the Boleslawiec region is no exception to this. Almost every piece is stamped with the manufacturers name and of course it says made in Poland. Notice I said “almost” because not every piece is going to say that. I once had a customer get very upset because the piece they purchased was not marked “made in Poland” and before I knew it, they were accusing me of selling a knockoff made in china. This makes me chuckle now but at the time it was not so funny. I knew it came from Poland but if it didn’t say so, how do you prove it? Well in the case of that customer the answer is simply to have them return the piece and let them move on. It is better you don’t try and convince a customer why THEY are wrong, that is not really the best approach to something like this. So for all you collectors out there who might be wondering why some pieces are stamped and others are not, let me offer some answers. First, a word about how the pottery is made. This is not a mass produced product. While it is not limited either, it is still something that takes a while to produce and each piece is hand painted. This technique varies (and will be covered later) but what remains the same is the application is done by hand. This includes the stamping of the bottom. So when humans are involved, mistakes happen. So occasionally you get a piece where someone forgot to stamp it. If the store you purchase it from sells only polish pottery, you can be pretty sure you are getting an authentic piece and you can worry no more. This is a rare occurrence but it does not make the pottery any less (or more) valuable. They are only stamped for customs purposes anyway. The other most common reason you wont see an identifying stamp is the piece is either too small or the shape offers no room for this. Rolling pins are a great example. There is no bottom to the piece. So even unikat pieces are not identified and you have to buy through someone you trust or just know what you are getting. Small pieces are also rarely identified because there simply is no room. Spoons are an example of this. So if you get a piece that is not marked properly, just accept it as part of the creative process.
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