Items from Japan marked Nippon, especially ceramics, have long been prized by collectors and decorators.

This Nippon vase has it all: moriage beading, a labor-intensive French enameling technique (ala Longvy ceramic) and an Art Nouveau style painting. ($350)

Over the years, the value of these items has been commensurate with that demand, but we shouldn’t make the mistake of assuming that everything marked Nippon is going to be very valuable.

In 1891 a protectionist U.S. Congress, in an effort to get Americans to buy American, passed a law requiring that all items imported in to this country be marked with their country of origin.

The Japanese marked their items with their word for their country, “Nippon,” a word meaning “land of the rising sun.”
Congress would pass another law in 1921, requiring imports to be marked by the country or origin in English.

Collectors have long been fascinated by the Japanese items made in those 30 years (1891-1921), but not just because of the short time span or the Nippon mark. Nor do they want just any piece of Nippon; it has to be special. Here are some of the special things collectors and decorators are looking for:
Gilding: Those 30 years span the Gilded Age in Europe and America, so the more gold and the thicker the gold decoration, the better.

Moriage work: The word is pronounced with a soft “g” as in mirage, and it means “piled up.” It’s a raised decoration produced my piping wet clay on a piece like icing on a cake. It is a very labor-intensive technique.
Blow-out painting: Mostly portraits and often of animals, a blow-out painting covers the entire surface of a piece from edge to edge with no border design to frame it.

Art Nouveau decoration: It’s remarkable how well Japanese artists mastered European style decoration. The graceful French Art Nouveau style was the fad of the day, but collectors also look for other European style and techniques.
There is no basis in fact for the rumors that the color of the Nippon mark was a clue to the value of a piece. The Noritake Company researched this rumor and concluded it was unfounded.

Appraisals: Satsuma pottery vase, 9", spectacular moriage work depicting birds and flowers, $2,000; Fish set, 7-pcs., different hand painted fish on each piece, heavy, raised gold border, $1,400; Porcelain plaque, rectangular, blow-out portrait of a reclining dog, $1,200; Humidor, 2 handles, hand painted deer hear decorated with moriage, $900; Chocolate pot, heavy gold with moriage beading, $295; Teapot, lobed melon shape, hand painted roses, $200.
—Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is author of “The Antique Story Book,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments or questions (with photos) to him at aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.