At this point, all we know about the set is that it may be fifty years old and comes from Japan. Yes, please post pictures and any other identifying comments, like was anyone in your family in the military in that time frame. Did she travel? Back stamps or marks would be useful as well as some size reference. It may not pluck any signs of recognition but it would give us all a place to start.

"doesn't necessarily indicate earlier"....but I think because it just says "Japan" as opposed to "made in Japan"...I think adds maybe a 55% probability of earlier rather than 45% not! LOL! No definitive answer until someone id's the mark.... But aren't they pretty? If I saw them on a table at a sale and had to guess what they were without turning them over....I would say British, maybe Aisnley,,,Copeland?...Oh Wait....could they be French? Haviland? Then I would turn them over and be blown away!!

There are a few other examples of this same rose chintz pattern marked with the MM on the internet. Replacements has a small category of dinnerware listed simply as MM Japan. No pictures are shown of the undersides on that site to see their marks. I'm thinking Linda is right in the ballpark on the time frame of manufacture. Maybe a little earlier but not 'old' china by any stretch. I'm thinking as well it may be vinegar and oil cruets made for export. I am smiling, however, because I think the black O over the spout might was to identify the OIL cruet. And the other should have the black V but is also marked O. IOW you have two OIL cruets. Mistakes like these were not so uncommon in cheaper exported items in the post war years when the markets were flooded with pottery items from Japan and aside from the very established makers like Moriyama and Noritake were not always quality controlled. What also makes me wonder about this being a more mundane item is the MM mark. Moriyama used an M over M mark with a wreath. Their pottery was located in Mori-Machi Japan and that area is still associated with a high end potting business. It makes you wonder if the MM mark is not an effort to make people associate the ware with more prestigious companies and play off their names. I hope you make a discovery and find out it's a valuable piece, but I also suspect the possibility is great it was produced by one of the many little potteries who represented economical Asian exports before China stepped in to be the major suppliers. If you do find out any information on it's manufacturer, I love to see you share it with us so we'll know the next time we see it on an item. Good luck.

I told my girlfriend I'd try to figure out what this vase is worth. It is being donated to us for a fundraiser we are holding for her 4 year old brother who is having a kidney transplant. So in any event I know pretty much nothing about the item. I'd say it's post WWII due to the english writing on the bottom. Any idea what it's worth? We want to put it in a silent auction but also would like to have an idea what the "retail" value could be...