Definition:Backstamp

A backstamp is the manufacturer’s identification mark applied to the underside or base of a ceramic dog figurine. Backstamps typically include the maker’s name, country of origin, and sometimes a pattern name, model number, or date code. They may be impressed into the clay before firing, printed or transfer-printed and fired on, or hand-painted. For collectors, the backstamp is the primary tool for attribution and dating. Because the form, style, and content of backstamps changed throughout a manufacturer’s history — sometimes every decade — the specific backstamp on a piece can narrow its production date considerably. Key backstamp changes to know: ‘England’ (required from 1891 on British exports to the US), ‘Made in England’ (common post-1930s), ‘West Germany’ (1949–1990), and ‘Occupied Japan’ (1945–1952).