How do you date china marked foreign?

1. Characters: Look for any Chinese characters within a double-ring circle with the English word "Foreign" above or below; that indicates an export piece dating no earlier than 1891 when the law was passed on April 13 for all export pieces to be marked that way. (If there are characters but no double-ring, it should date between about 1850-1890 or 1920s revival).

2. Style: Check the overall style/decoration/colors: If it looks Victorian (flowers, lots of bright colors but no gilding and maybe some embossing (raised images); it might date from roughly 1870-1900 or later during a revival period around the 1920s-1930s. If the piece exhibits Art Deco styling- it could be early 20th C. Art Deco (1920s); if more streamlined styling similar to 1950s, it likely is of that era instead.

3. Marks: Examine any letters after the word China or Foreign or elsewhere on the underside; they often indicate factories and can help narrow a date as you can then research the factory. Often it's useful to use the Gottheimer book on Chinese Export ceramics (which can easily be photocopied at a library if you don't want to buy it!)