Leslie Harradine’s collection of Dickens miniature figures still bring collectors much joy although they have been out of production since the early 1980’s.
Collectors tend to focus their collecting on either the early bone china models with their thinner bases or else those made in earthenware after 1949 with their deeper bases.
However there are a few tips to dating the early models that I thought I would share.
This is the earliest stamp with simply the word Doulton printed in an arc.
This is the second mark from the late 1920’s. A second version of this can be dated to after 1930 when the names of the figures were also included.
Finally a post 1949 example with standard Doulton mark.
To finish here are three examples of Micawber: an early 1920’s example on a marble tray, the unusual Woodall Duckham commemorative from 1930 and Harradine’s original model for the study. You can see the thickness of the base increasing steadily even between the early 1920 example and the 1930 example.