Let’s start with the most valuable and most difficult area of collectible porcelain. The Chinese and Japanese have made porcelain for centuries. Many people have collected and are collecting antique porcelain. It requires considerable self-education, and once you get into collecting these porcelains, you will need to find other collectors who will allow you to see and perhaps even touch items in their collections. You will have to touch and hold these porcelains before you will be able to tell the good from the bad.

BE SURE TO ASK PERMISSION OF THE OWNER BEFORE TOUCHING ANY PART OF THEIR COLLECTION.

You will also need to cultivate one or more dealers who can help you learn about antique porcelain and may be willing to let you touch items for sale. Dealers can also help you identify items you are interested in buying and help build your collection. Be sure to use reputable dealers.

The best place to start a collection of antique porcelain is by buying some of the many books, magazines and auction catalogs available. Even older books can be educational, although some of the identifications may have changed since publication. Older books may only have black and white illustrations, but there are times when you can see more in them than in color pictures. As you read, make lists of items or styles you are interested in. You might even want to begin a notebook to record what you learn and what you want to look into further. If you take notes from books or magazines, identify the book or magazine with the notes in case you have to find the reference again later. I propose this instead of marking up your books because as your taste matures, your interests may change. If the books and magazines are relatively unmarked, reading for other interests will be easier. (I know this from experience.)

It is unlikely that enough information can be conveyed on the Internet to help you with this type of porcelain collection. There is no substitute for holding the items and developing your touch in order to understand the differences among items that available for purchase. Do your homework and develop your eye and touch, then take the plunge. Let me know how you do.

More information about collecting other kinds of porcelain is available

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