To get a better view on the Dutch pottery prices during the last century, different amounts from different years are placed next to each other. The Dutch Central Office of  Statistics uses a white bread as starting point for her calculation. According to this office's CBS-figures in 1900 a loaf of (milk white) bread was priced 4,5 Eurocent and in 1925 10 Eurocent. In the last 105 years this bread became 30 times more expensive.

All comparisons are based on the price of a loaf of bread in 1900, which can give some distorsion of reality. Next to inflation, is ofcourse the amount of working hours, rarity & fashion of influence at today's prices. Exchange rates: 1 euro = 1,21 US Dollars and 0,57 British Pounds, which can fluctuate every day.

Around the turn of the 19th century Pottery Factory Rozenburg produced dutch ceramics & eggshell porcelain only for the rich and famous & museums. A gigantic pottery vase of 112 cm/45 inches high had a cost-price of 33,21 Euro, a monthly salary of a master painter then. Multiply with 30 and you are talking about a cost-price of 996,30 Euro nowadays. A big pottery plate had a cost-price of 7,63 Euro and an eggshell porcelain Rozenburg vase (modelnr. 126)  ± 67,33 Euro, which today would be 2019 Euro.

Liqueur crocks/jugs produced for Hulstkamp costed about 0,79 Euro a piece. A ceramic cup-shaped vase of 16 cm/6.4 inches high (nr. 1), with white background and green/brown freakish decorations had a production-cost of 0,56 Euro 100 years ago. A ceramic wall plate (nr. 45, 23 cm diameter) with continuous decoration had a cost-price in those days of 1,22 Euro. A two layer/floor ceramic Rozenburg dish with fantasy flowers on the rim (nr. 5177, 34,5 cm/13.8 inches diameter) had a price of 8,08 Euro, today this cost-price would be 242,40 Euro.

A pair of cylindrical pottery vases with vaultings measuring 43 cm/17.2 inches on a dark green background with coloured ornaments (nr. 1382) costed 22,44 Euro around the 1900s. The cost-price nowadays would be around the 672 Euro. In 1979 a collection of 6 octagonal Rozenburg eggshell porcelain mocha cups and saucers, decorated by Sam Schellink, was valued at a sales-price by auction house Christies at 3200 euro. If you want it to buy this extraordinary collection today you must count on a +/- 14.000 euro.

The Dutch Royal Family appreciates Rozenburg Pottery since 1901, they ordered 100 years ago an eggshell porcelain (large extended) coffee set of 275,81 Euro. Indexed today, the amount would be 8274,30 Euro. Bargain ofcourse, in a todays auction the price will be 6 times higher, 45/50.000 euro. A single eggshell cup and saucer is auctioned in 2001 between 673,25 and 1122,09 Euro. The prices raise considerable when the decorations are much more complicate, like insects painted by Sam Schellink..

At auction in 2001, a pottery Rozenburg wall plate with ducks on the waterside of 59 cm/23.6 inches by J.W. van Rossum from 1895 sold for 4488,35 Euro and a landscape plate by W.P. Hartgring from 1896, 45 cm/18 inches 2019,76 Euro.

An eggshell porcelain Rozenburg vase from 1908, Sam Schellink, baluster shape on a white background with polychrome orchids, 22 cm/8.8 inches high had an auction price of  2693 Euro in 2001. But the most beautiful eggshell porcelain Schellink' vases with big ears/handles and wonderful bird decors can reach a price of  20.000 euro. Converted it means 600 months of salary in those day's, 50 years.

Pottery Factory / Plateelbakkerij Zuid Holland

Some original selling-prices of Pottery Factory Zuid-Holland are known like the Art Deco figures/sculptures of  Jan Schonk from 1925. A little pottery icebird 1,23 Euro is worth nowadays +/-375 euro. A pelican costed 3,14 Euro and a pair of monkey book-ends 7,85 Euro, indexed today would be 113 Euro, not todays shop-price ofcourse. A Jan Schonk' cockatoo (23 cm/9.2 inches) is auctioned lately for 1032,32 Euro. In 1918 Colenbrander offered the City Museum of The Hague a Zuid Holland cabinet set ‘Dahlia’, 2 cup-shaped vases and 3 jugs for 123,43 Euro (lowered price). His offer would be today 1851 Euro, 15 times the 1918 price.

Sixteen pieces pottery tea set, mat glaze decor De Zonnebloem/The Sunflower, design Cornelis de Lorm for the Decorative Art department of  Zuid Holland had in 1925 a sale-price of 11,67 Euro, 11,4  times today is 133 Euro. The complete Zuid Holland dinnerware/breakfast/tea set Finlandia, 49 pieces, had a selling-price in 1958 in 4 decors between 88,87 Euro and 109,96 Euro.Today the price would be 6,2 times more. A polychrome jardiniere with decor Breetvelt is estimated in auction about a 150 euro in 1979, nowadays the price should be 4 times higher.

Tile-scenery, by Daniël Harkink produced in 1901, was mentioned at the inventory list of Zuid Holland in 1904 for an amount of 67,33 Euro, which today would be 1638,20 Euro. Auction prices today for example a ceramic two ear-vase (38 cm/15.2 inches) brown background with in bright colours Amsterdam School Art Deco pattern, decorated by artist C.A. Prins in 1930, amount 1166 Euro.

A ‘Breetvelt’vase with a cylindrical shaped neck with white background and floral decor, 60 cm/24 inches from 1920 costs today around 800 Euro and a 49 cm/19.6 inches Zuid Holland vase with Rhodian decor, floral coloured decor, fetched an auction price of 426 Euro. A 42 cm/16.8 inches ceramic vase with 2 ears/handles and floral linear coloured decor from ± 1900 had reached a price of 1683 Euro and a pair of Zuid Holland vases from ± 1900 with long cylindrical necks, butterflies and rose pattern of  28 cm/11.2 inches fetched 2245 Euro.

Arnhemse Fayencefabriek / Arnhem Faience Factory

The 1928 sales-catalogue of the Arnhem Faience Factory (first page)  mentions a couple of pottery selling prices: Original price of a vase ranging from 0,58 Euro to 3,46 Euro (now 16 * 0,58 = 9,28 Euro to 55,33 Euro), ceramic flowerpot from 31 Eurocent to 3,37 Euro (biggest diameter of 20 cm/8 inches) today would be between 4,24 Euro- 45,44 Euro. An Arnhem' ink set had a price of 0,61 Euro (now 9,76 Euro), a pair of Dutch pottery clogs/wooden shoes ranged from 0,70 Euro to 0,92 Euro. The most expensive Arnhem pottery item was a 33 cm/13.2 inches high flower-bowl/pot of  3,93 Euro, indexed today 62,88 euro.

An Arnhem pottery vase with 2 ears/handles (modelnr. 13), coloured cornflowers decoration on a creamy background (32 cm/12.8 inches), designed by Klaas Vet is auctioned not long ago for 1795 Euro. The same kind of vase with thistles decor reached the price of 1615 Euro and decor ‘Lindus’ceramic vase (nr.254), green/blue/brown flowers on a creamy background, 27 cm/10.8 inches high fetched 300 Euro.

Pottery Factory / Plateelbakkerij Eskaf

A 22,3 cm/8.9 inches high Eskaf ceramic cover-vase with ibex ornament, designed by Hildo Krop reaches todays price of 2500 Euro, in perfect state ofcourse. A pottery wall plate of  26,5 cm/10.6 inches, by Fokke Hamming for Eskaf with a nude flute-player on a creamy background decoration, is auctioned lately for 675 Euro.

Pottery Factory / Kennemer Pottenbakkerij Velsen

In the 1920s Kennemer Velsen pottery was decorated in De Stijl/The Style pattern, geometrical ornaments in the colours orange, green, yellow and blue on a creamy background. The prices today varies between 900 and 2000 Euro. Like the 29cm/11.6 inches floral decorated wall plate in yellow, orange, blue and green, from 1930 designed by A.C. van Ee fetched a price 1500 euro in mai 2001 and a J.G. van Vliet abstract geometrical ceramic Velsen vase in green, orange, blue and yellow from 1929, 16cm/6.4 inches had a price of 1700 euro.

Pottery Factory / Plateelbakkerij Amstelhoek

A list of shipments of hollow-ware and decorative art pottery of Pottery Factory Amstelhoek reveals some selling-prices in 1900. Milkjugs ranging from 20 to 40 Eurocent the piece, indexed today 6 to 12 Euro. The most expensive Amstelhoek vases were “the Ibis-vase” priced 4,71 Euro (today 141 Euro) till the vases “mat  with black” of 6,96 Euro, this price would be nowadays 208 Euro. A ceramic “dragon-fly flowerpot" costed back then 4,49 Euro, multiply with 30 today.

Also some pottery cost-prices of Amstelhoek from 1902 become known, like the long vase plain decor 2,69 Euro. With extra green inlay 3,37 Euro and the tall yellow vase with white, black and a peacock's feather costed to produce 16,83 Euro, which today would reach the factory amount of 504 Euro. But if you want to buy this exquisite ceramic Amstelhoek vase you can count on 15.000 euro, exactely  890 times the cost-price 103 years ago!

Formerly / Voorheen Amstelhoek

The Pottery Factory Department of Amstelhoek was sold for 897,67 Euro and continued as Formerly/Voorheen Amstelhoek in 1904, nice price today 19.748 Euro.Voorheen Amstelhoek did an entry in 1904 in the Dutch Exhibition of Decorative Art in the Decorative Art Museum of Kopenhagen. The price of a pottery Jacoba-jug was 34 Eurocent, a milk jug 22 Eurocent, bird-pot with green inlay was 2,24 Euro and a yellow with white ceramic hang-flowerpot with copper parts 3,37 Euro, cost-price today would be 101 Euro, but the selling price today is about 7.500 euro, 2225 times more in 100 years!!

In 1905 Voorheen Amstelhoek auctioned 1000 pieces (263 lots) at auction house Roos en Co. with a gross proceeds of 184,02 Euro, today would that amount be 5500 Euro. This auction was quite a disappointment for Amstelhoek.

In 1898 Petrus Regout  produced 77.875 Wilhelmina-plates designed by Lion Cachet for 3,14 Eurocent the piece (indexed today 0,94 Euro). Lion Cachet designed for the wedding of  Princess Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik in 1900 a pottery flowerpot, 41.500 pieces were produced for the amount of 1.413,83 Euro (now 1,02 Euro the piece). Designer Lion Cachet earned with this deal a royal salary of 135 Euro, counts today for 4050 Euro.

Colenbrander asked for 2 vases from 1887 44,5 cm/17.8 inches high 22,44 Euro and a  (5 piece) ceramic cabinet set more than 135 Euro. A tower-vase with cover by Colenbrander, 59cm/23.6 inches decor grotto, should fetch in 1979 the amount of 800 euro, today at least 13.000 euro, 16 times more in 27 years. Then priceless, now still priceless!!

De Ram

At the Ram Colenbrander designed dozens of models and hundreds of decors with names like ‘Los/Loose’ & ’Barsten/Cracks’, a pottery plate (nr.27) coloured abstract design, 25 cm/10 inches from 1923, painter W. Elstrodt reached auction prizes between 1122 and 1571 Euro in 2001. At the end of 2003, a pair of abstract plates decor “Los/Loose” made the amount of 5688 euro. And a pair of  20,5 cm/8.2 inches high colourfull abstract Ram vases, model 29, painted by A. Kool had a price in auction of 7630 Euro.

An ‘Open pattern’, coloured flower decoration Ram beaker on a white background, 8 cm/3.2 inches high, model 11 has a price today of +/- 583 Euro and a Ram Dutch Royal pottery plate (diameter 41 cm/16.4 inches, 1923)  with polychrome flower decorations with the word ‘Orange', from the House of Orange fetched an amount of  4937 Euro. A 13 cm/5.2 inches high baluster vase (1893) with a floral polychrome decor painted by Sam Schellink was sold for 673,25 Euro.

Chris van der Hoef received a commission of 10/15% for his designs. At sales today, that would be very nice amount. His famous butter-dish with cover, Zuid Holland, in black and white geometrical motifs (16,9 cm/6/7 inches) from 1926 resultated in a figure of 3585 Euro. A Voorheen Amstelhoek vase designed by Van der Hoef of 16,5/22 cm, some flakes, with inlay geometrical decorations from 1900 had the same price. But the winner was a  55,5 cm/22.2 inches high green vase with 2 ears, inlaid with white geometrical ornaments (from 1905/07 at Pottery Factory Voorheen Amstelhoek) with 15.709 Euro.

W.C. Brouwer (Willem) asked exhibition prices around 18 Euro for his decorative art pottery in 1916, indexed today the hudge amount of 326 Euro. A 20 cm/8 inches high vase with 2 ears on a brown background with sgraffitto decor by Brouwer in 1913 raised the amount of  2.110 euro in a 2001 auction. A figure of  Brouwer' pottery, the camel driver from 1930, 30 cm/12 inches costed 251 Euro and the ceramic figure ‘Geknakt’, from 1907, a crying widow in mediaeval dress, 39 cm/15.6 inches high had a price-ticket of  2.693 Euro.

A pear-shaped St.Lukas Utrecht vase with yellow/green lustre glaze, with gurnards and sea plants decoration of  27cm/10.8 inches had a value of 700 euro in 1979, today the amount could be 6.000 euro, 11 times more. A polychrome plate with butterfly decoration, design Mijnlief for Faience Factory Holland Utrecht, 42,5cm/17 inches makes today a price of 6000 euro, in 1979 230 euro, a profit of  2600 procent in 26 jaar, a great  investment, every year 100% profit.

A Pop Art black and white Regina vase decor Pinguin had in 1960 a price tag of 5,50 euro. Surely you pay today more than a 100 euro, 18/20 times more. Meanwhile the prizes raised since 1960s  6 times.

Maastricht Pottery

Maastricht dinnerware pottery, like a plate of. Petrus Regout was priced in Holland in 1900 2,7 Eurocent, while in our colony 15,3 Eurocent the amount was, indexed today 3,87 Euro (12 times). A ceramic tea pot in Holland costed 10 Eurocent (now 3 Euro) and in  Dutch India (in those days) even 97 Eurocent, 30 times more expensive, today 29,10 Euro.

Maastricht pottery, like Societe Ceramique and Petrus Regout & Sphinx pottery, has more collectors, but the prices have dropped a little. Mass produced pottery is priced 10/20 Euro. 30 Euro and up are more the rare ceramic items, age is important, rarity and the interest of the group of collectors. Above 40 euro more the specialistic pottery parts, Decor Beatrix is very popular.The childern's dinner sets are priced around 225/275 Euro. The doll dinner sets were sold in the eighties for 75 Euro, raised 1500% in price today 1122 Euro. There are expensive decors (shortly produced), like Timor, Pompeia and Flora. A frog figure/sculpture by Charles Vos for de Sphinx from1900 was auctioned for 406 euro in 2003.

Fashion also dictates price. Wall plates are totally out of fashion, more for the elderly generation, prices dropped 25-33% in 15 years. Cabinet bowls can be found in the homes of the more upper class families and their prices are still rising. Especially dinnerware from the 1900s is popular, large dinner sets & services with lots of covers are collected and can fetch thousands of euros, because these pieces are out of production ofcourse.

The six cover pottery dinner set “Symfonie” of Studio Fris Edam, designed by Willem de Vries was priced in 1956 31,42 Euro and Edmond Bellefroid for Mosa designed dinner set “Norma” costed between 22,85 Euro (in white) and 32,54 Euro (in white-celadon).

Ceramic dinner set “Maestro” of Goedewaagen had a price-tag of 44 Euro. Today multiplied with 6,6, means: dinner set Symfonie reaches the 207 Euro and dinner set Norma about 190 Euro. Maestro's new price will be 290 Euro. Goedewaagen's dinnerware was 25% higher in price than the dinner sets from the other Dutch pottery factories.

Pottery Factory / Pottenbakkerij Zaalberg

The price development over 40 years of  Potterij Zaalberg pottery shows us that a tea pot in 1955 4,26 Euro costed, in 1975 19 Euro and in 1994 44,43 Euro, 10 times more in 40 years. A dish with cover travelled from 5,61 Euro to 49,37 Euro in 4 decades. Cup and saucer jumped from 1,35 Euro in 1955, to 5,61 Euro (1975) and in 1994 13 Euro. The price of a beaker with handle/ear raised from 1,03 Euro to 7,18 Euro, 7 times the starting-price. But the price indexnumbers show us a raising of 5 times in 40 years. Conclusion: the prices of ceramics from Potterij Zaalberg  have raised disproportional.

Two vases designed by  Klaas Mobach, 1 with 2 ears and geometrical decoration had in 1979 a estimated price of 100 euro together, today this amount would be 7 times higher.Two vases of pottery factory Flora,Gouda , decor: Rumba (nr. 1079 & 1042) had in 1979 an estimated value of 115 euro together, today a little higher in price. An elegant 1960s boxed astray of  Flora,Gouda was labelled original price 8,15 euro, maybe today about 30/40 euro.

Topper: Joseph Mendes da Costa's sick little monkey of only 20cm/8 inches high, dated 1900, reached a record price on 16 november 1998 at  auction house Van Glerum of  91.000 euro.

The wages.

Pottery Factory Rozenburg paid their painters per week between 1,80 Euro and 5,61 Euro around 1900, ofcourse the master painters earned the most. Indexed today it would be ranging from 54 Euro to 168,30 Euro per week. Fines for mixing their own colours varied from 11 Eurocent to 45 Eurocent. Master painter Sam Schellink earned at his peak 21,5 Eurocent per hour (later 15,7 Eurocent), today 6,45 Euro, while an eggshell porcelain cup and saucer decorated by the great man will fetch today a price of 1500/2000 euro.

In 1928 the management of Pottery Factory Zuid Holland introduced a pay-list (very optimistic for those days) between 2,2 Euro (the junior moulder of 14 years would earn today 16 times 2,20 Euro per week) and 15 Euro per week for the best pottery painter, which means today 960 Euro per month.

Designer Willem van Norden earned in the 1920s 11 Euro per week at Pottery Factory De Distel, a minimum salary in reality today. The wages as pottery painter or moulder were very low, that is way people were job-hopping from pottery factory to pottery factory to make some extra cash. Painters at De Ram received a (high) payment per hour, while painters at the Arnhem Faience Factory were paid per 'piece‘', which was less attractive ofcourse.

The prices of “today” are also based on the book What is Art Nouveau and Art Deco worth, Reference book Art & Antiques auction 2005, Sales at decorative art auctions of Christie’s, 22 mei 2001, the auction of Sotheby’s of 11 november 2003 & 13 juni 2001, exclusive agio & Christies auction cataloque of 23 & 24 oktober 1979.

What becomes clear in this little review is that most of this Dutch pottery should be seen as decorative art pottery with ditto prices, only the upper class had the money and the interest for these ceramic pieces of art. Resulted in a small quantity of Dutch pottery, next to two world war's, the big flood in Zeeland or just broken and throwed away. All makes this fragile pottery very rare. Daily use pottery is gloried into Art during time, these ceramics have lost (mostly) their original function. The disadvantage of very rare pottery items is that there is no comparison, which makes it difficult to fix a price.

Beauty, fashion and rarity determine the prices.

All the pottery is preferred to be in a perfect state and not damaged, only collectors who are looking for that special piece will be satisfied for the time being with cracks, flakes and missing parts, unless the piece of Dutch pottery is historical unique ofcourse.

A simple crack reduces the worth/price of a ceramic piece with 50% and with complete cracks this percentage will rise, restauration makes the pottery saleable but not for the original price of a perfect piece. Prices will rise much higher if two groups of collectors have the same interest, like with Royal Dutch Pottery. You have the group of Gouda pottery collectors, but also the Royal Dutch Pottery collectors.