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Shelley teacups are among some of the most collectable types of china. Beautiful, surprisingly thin and yet strong translucent bone china, Shelley tea cups come in a huge variety of shapes and patterns including chintz, floral, and art deco. The most famous shape is the “Dainty shape” shown below.
You can find Shelley teacups on eBay, as well as specialized china auction websites, and of course, in antique stores. To become a Shelley teacup collector, understanding the history of the Shelley potteries is the first step to becoming a savvy collector. It’s also helpful to understand the different markings on Shelley china and to be familiar with common mistakes, so that you don’t end up purchasing something that is worthless.
History of Shelley China
In the 1860’s, the Wileman family were the owners of a large pottery known as the Foley Works located in Staffordshire, England. James B Shelley joined the Wilemans, became the head of the earthenware works and eventually ended up running the china works. In 1881 James then took his son Percy into partnership and after James’ death, Percy took over the china works.
Percy employed the best artists and developed a world renowned bone china along with the well known Dainty shape (shown below). But in 1910, there was concern about using the name Foley, as Foley was actually a pottery region. By 1925, Percy had officially renamed his bone china Shelley. In the 1930′s Shelley also became well known for their Art Deco creations. They were even allowed to continue producing china throughout World War 2, unlike many other British potteries.
Understanding the Shelley Teacup Backstamps
Back-stamps identify a piece of china. Shelley’s back-stamps changed throughout the years. Some of the earliest Wileman/Shelley china has the Wileman stamp which may look like one of these. Notice that both of the Wileman stamps use the word “Foley”. The W in the middle of the second one identifies it as a Wileman.
For a time, Shelley included the term “Late Foley” because they still wanted recognition of being related to the famous Wileman china.
However, be careful to remember that Foley was a pottery region and many pieces, especially tea cups, are sold as a Shelley because they say “Foley” on the back, but they are not. Here is an example of a Foley back=stamp that was mistakenly listed on eBay as a Shelley teacup. These teacups are pretty, but they are not the fine, thin, translucent bone china we expect in a Shelley and they are not nearly as valuable. The EBV (between the “Foley” and “China”) is the identifying fact that it is not Shelley, along with the lack of any Shelley or Wileman stamp.
It is also important to remember that a Shelley teacup back-stamp is always green. Back-stamps from 1910- 1966 could look like any of these:
You may, on a rare occasion, find a piece of china with both a Shelley stamp and another pottery stamp. During the war years and later, Shelley occasionally cooperated with a few other potteries, allowing them to add their own decoration to their famous bone china.
There is at least one stamp that has been identified as an un-cooperated connection. Little is known about this potter – Peacock China Pottery, but it is clear that they attempted to cover the green Shelley mark with their peacock mark.
I own one of these rare teacups! Here is a picture of the back and if you look carefully, you can see the green Shelley stamp! Most likely, this teacup was produced as a white teacup and then was pirated and redecorated. I enjoy owning this particular teacup because of it’s unusual history.
Many back-stamps include a pattern number, either stamped or handwritten. One important thing to note is that any pattern number that begins with a 2 identifies the teacup as a second. Many sellers do not realize this. Seconds started in 1919 and represent china that did not meet normal quality standards. However, several patterns arose that are only found on seconds which can be fun to collect. And often, it’s very difficult to impossible to find the reason it was considered a second.
Famous Shelley Teacup Shapes and Patterns:
Shelley teacups come in a wide variety of styles and patterns. Dainty is the most coveted Shelley shape (and probably the most fun to drink tea from!)
Here are some samples of the most popular shapes:
 Dainty |
 Gainsborough |
 Oleander |
Some of the most popular patterns include:
 Dainty Blue |
 Scenery |
 Chintz |
Prices are most often determined by how popular the style is. If you find a Shelley in an antique store and it’s priced less than $20 you are getting a good deal. But they can venture up to $100 or more, especially if it is a Wileman/Shelley.
As soon as you own your first piece of Shelley china, you will be hooked! I occasionally drink from my Shelley teacups and I feel like a queen! (Many collectors would never drink from their Shelley teacups – but what is the use of a lovely teacup collection if you can’t enjoy your favorite tea in them?) Owning Shelley china is an affordable luxury and every tea enthusiast should own at least one Shelley teacup.
A nice cup of afternoon tea can always use a good biscuit to go with it. No… I do not mean an American dinner biscuit that is soft and chewy, or one that you pour gravy over. I mean a real English biscuit (translation: cookie!)
But an English biscuit is better than just a “cookie”. It is usually made with real butter – often with whole wheat or rolled oats. Sometimes they are adorned with a bit of chocolate, other times, with a bit of ginger.
The best brand of tea biscuit to look for is McVities. They are well known for their “Digestives” a lovely, flaky, whole wheat biscuit that comes plain, or topped with milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
But McVities offers more than just “Digestives”. They have a “Rich Tea Biscuit” made with real butter, “Custard Cremes” which come the closest to cookies from the US (two biscuits layered with a creamy center), and even a lovely crunchy biscuit called “Garibaldi” that has small currents baked into the biscuit.
Other varieties of biscuits include Borders Biscuits , Bolands and one of my other favorites, Foxes (“Ginger Crunch Creams”)
Now, if you’d rather go a bit Australian, look for Arnotts Biscuits or “Tim Tams”. But I must warn you, there is a particular technique for eating a Tim-Tam with tea (or, so I am told from an Australian friend)
Tim-Tams are very airy, layered with creamy filling and covered completely in chocolate. The “proper” way to eat one with your cup of tea is to gently bite off each end of the biscuit. Then in one skilled move, you put one end in you tea and sip – like through a straw until you get a nice taste of tea. Then you quickly and cleanly pull the whole biscuit into your mouth before it melts and turns into mush. Have a napkin ready! This takes a lot of skill and practice.
Is there a difference between Clotted and Double Devon Cream? Well, yes. Actually, there is.
You will often find that the two names are used interchangeably, but there is quite a difference between Devonshire Clotted Cream and Double Devon Cream. This was quite confusing to me until I visited Devonshire, England several years ago.
Devonshire is in the south of England, on the coast, and well known for it’s very rich and creamy dairy products. The family I stayed with in Devonshire knew that I was a tea fanatic and that I was greatly looking forward to having Devonshire Clotted Cream in Devonshire. So my hostess ordered some fresh Clotted Cream to be delivered with her dairy products while I was visiting. She told me about the history of Clotted Cream as I ate spoonfuls on homemade scones.
Fresh Clotted Cream is impossible to find in the US. That’s because it’s a very specialized art, and requires a Jersey cow that produces a rich, fatty milk. The only Devonshire Clotted Cream you will find is imported in jars. But in England it is delivered fresh.
The process of making Clotted Cream is very extensive. It begins with fresh cow’s milk. It is set into a pan where it is only a few inches thick and is left out overnight to settle. In the days gone past, it was then set next to the wood stove – or now, in warming areas, for another 6-12 hours. During this time, it sours a bit, and the cream forms a bit of a skin and turns yellowy and clotted. Then, it is carefully scooped from the top of pan and stored for a time in a cool place (preferably in a refrigerator)
Because of this unique process, many recipes in the US have been developed, trying to emulate Clotted Cream. Some US tea rooms serve whipped cream. Others mix sour cream with cream or mascarpone with whipped cream. These are good, but don’t come close to fresh Clotted Cream or even the processed, sealed clotted cream we can occasionally find in the US.
When you buy Clotted Cream in a jar, you must stir it a bit, but do not worry if it looks a bit yellow. After the first few servings, if you haven’t used it all up, it can be stored for awhile in the fridge.
Double Devon cream is just as it sounds. It is the creamiest of the cream from the Devonshire Jersey cow! It’s really not whipped – it’s just so thick that a knife can stand up in it! It comes close to butter, but has a unique creamy flavor that differs from butter.
When you buy this in a jar, you may find a bit of separation. Do not worry, just open, stir and mix and it will turn back into an easily spreadable consistency. Unused portions can also be stored in the fridge, but will be almost too thick to spread on a soft scone, so you may need to let it sit out a bit.
Choosing between Clotted Cream and Devonshire Cream
I’m quite partial to Clotted Cream myself. The slight souring mixed with the sweet cream and the soft texture is my favorite topping on a scone. Actually, I’ll top it on a crumpet or even a croissant or English Muffin!
However, the Devonshire cream is such a unique delight that I’m afraid you will have to try both to decide which you personally prefer. Try it on anything you would tend to spread butter on and see for yourself what a treat it is!
