Blue + White Porcelain teacup and saucer, phoenix pattern - Nippon?

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Posted by Elle_P
17 years ago
AI Appraisal
💬 2 Comments 🗣️ Discuss with Community
Description

I bought this cup and saucer because I'm an avid tea drinker and I like a lot of Asian design motifs.  The white porcelain is very thin and shows translucency when held up to light.  The pattern is very slightly embossed into the surface and is almost certianly transfer stamped.  The handle of the cup is shaped to resemble a curved piece of bamboo.

Flaws: The blue pattern on both the cup and saucer show some noticible wear.  The glaze in the cup has a number of little pockmarks as if there were bubbles in either the glaze or the porcelain.  The bottom base of the cup has a small chip missing.

 For reference I've included a picture of a plate that is apparently a reproduction of the pattern on the cup and saucer (came from the same yardsale) - the ceramic is heavier and it's marked "Made in Japan" on the bottom.

 

I became curious about the true nature of the cup when I Googled and found out about what the "Nippon" mark means.  I wasn't able to find the mark represented in any of the online guides.   I know too that there are a lot of reproductions; regardless I'll probably keep on using this cup for drinking. 
Category Ceramics and Porcelains
Medium Porcelain
Distinguishing marks On the bottom of the saucer, the word "Nippon" with two caligraphy characters (see pic). I've identified the first character to be "Sen", meaning 1000, though Japanese kanji may have multiple meanings. Cup is unmarked.
Condition Fair
Size and dimensions of this item Standard size
Date Period If genuine, probably between 190x and 1921
History Found at a yardsale the other day, from somone who's known to have a lot of nice glassware and collectables
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known) $10
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Collector Discussion

Do you recognize this item or have experience selling something similar? Your insight could help improve the appraisal.

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Lovejoy 🎯 Collector 17 years ago

<p>As you have already found out &quot; Nippon&quot; ( Japanese for Japan)is a generic mark used on most Japanese Export China from 1891-1921, at which time &quot;Japan&quot; and &quot;made in Japan&quot; began to be used.  Currently comparable tea cups sell in the $20.00-$30.00 range.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Lovejoy </p>
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Anonymous (not verified) 🌱 Newbie 17 years ago

I just bought a tea set from an auction. It is identical to the flying turkey porcelain above. The cup handles are porcelain. The teapot has a bamboo handle. The back has the word PHOENIX on it with an emblem of the mountain and two other japanese. Would this be worth the same as if it had 'Nippon' on it?
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