Stein Collectors International, Inc. |
~ The Essential Mettlach Marks ~ by Walt Vogdes |
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This short article describes the most common
marks found on stoneware items manufactured by the Mettlach factory of Villeroy
and Boch, including trademarks,
![]() The two most commonly found trademarks are the incised abbey mark and the painted or stamped Mercury mark. The abbey mark, frequently referred to incorrectly as a "castle", is a representation of an 11th century abbey which still stands today in the village of Mettlach. This trademark, among other marks, was pressed by hand into the bottom of the piece. The mark consists of the abbey above a banner, or placard, which includes the word "METTLACH" and the joined letters V and B (for Villeroy and Boch). These two elements of a single mark were actually applied separately, and as a result, it is common to find examples where they are not aligned exactly as in our example. The incised abbey mark was normally used on relief, etched and cameo wares, and on some later print-under-glaze or PUG items.
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![]() PUG items are frequently referred to by the combination of decoration and form number, as 1028(2339). This is particularly useful in the case of PUG steins, where many different designs were applied to the same body. The most common forms for PUG designs are 1526 (ranging in size from quarter-liter to three-liter), and 1909 (quarter-liter to half-liter in size). While the majority of PUG decorations appear on only one form and in only one size, some were applied to more than one form, and a few to the same form but in more than one size. |
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