Among the most charming of antique children’s china are ABC plates — bowls or plates with the alphabet around the rim. In Victorian times, children were often given food for thought along with their food to eat. Such china, decorated with playful scenes, wild animals, cuddly pets, or worded cautions for youngsters, often brings nostalgic sighs from prospective buyers.

A Collector’s Guide to ABC Plates, Mugs and Things by Mildred L. and Joseph F. Chalala, published in 1980, was the first book to focus on alphabet items. Millie and her husband Joe simply took black and white pictures of her 531 plates and included basic information such as diameter, color, and the pottery company that produced it, when known. Published by Pridemark Press, Lancaster, Pa., the Chalala book has been out of print for several years.

ABC plates were manufactured for the practical uses of serving a child’s food and teaching the child the alphabet. Often the picture in the center presented a third area of education, such as religious instruction or pearls of wisdom concerning how to act.

Aluminum and glass plates are the easiest to find, but Staffordshire plates are generally more desirable. Great detail about the development of the Staffordshire potteries is found in The ABCs of ABC Ware, by Davida and Irving Shipkowitz. Some items have very distinctive markings on the back; others have none. A chart of registry marks and numbers from 1842-1991 is found in ABC Plates and Mugs: Identification and Value Guide, by Irene and Ralph Lindsay.

Many Staffordshire plates, not a part of any series, are available and often are quite charming. Children at play, organ grinders, hunting scenes, and animals are favorite themes. They now range in price from $10-75. The alphabet on these is usually raised, not printed.

A good example of a Staffordshire series, “Nations of the World”, includes plates made by the Brownhills Pottery Company, 1872-1896. The Greek plate is relatively common. Other nationalities are Italian, Japanese, Venetian, Turk, Wallachian, Chinese, and Russian.

Brownhills evidently liked the asymmetrical look of the “Nations” set, and produced several sets with similar designs: Birds of the World, Bible Pictures, Wild Animals, Nursery Tales, and Aesop’s Fables, to name a few, producing four to eight in each set. Though some of these are rare and sought-after, Birds of the World: Goldfinch and Chaffinch seems to be quite common and easily acquired.

Many plate sets were designed around popular books of the time. Several potteries featured Robinson Crusoe scenes with his little family, or finding footprints, or on a raft. Poor Richard’s Almanac inspired a set of plates featuring Benjamin Franklin maxims, such as “Lost time is never found again. What we call time enough always proves little enough.” Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was widely lauded in England and plates featured drawings and quotations from the book. One picture shows Simon Legree beating Uncle Tom and underneath is the quotation, “There is another proprietor of souls.”

As books go, the Bible probably had the greatest number of depictions, most scripture-based and traditional. The “Sacred History of Joseph and His Brethren” and various depictions of “The Lord’s Prayer” and popular Bible stories such as David and Goliath are fairly easy to find. A recent plate on eBay showed a child kneeling before a prayer book surrounded by angels with the eye of God overlooking all. The verse says, “How glorious is our heavenly King Who reigns above the sky, How can a child presume to sing His dreadful majesty.”

Another interesting set intended to instruct is “Flowers That Never Fade.” Each in the series of virtues has not only a picture demonstrating that quality, but also a verse to prompt children toward the same characteristic. For example, the Politeness plate has this verse: “If little boys & girls were wise, They’d always be polite. For sweet behaviour in a child is a delightful sight.” Other characteristics featured are Loyalty, Innocence, Contemplation, Early Rising, Industry, Attachment, Punctuality, Meekness, Charity, Kindness, Affection, and Attention.

Tin and aluminum plates were also made with the ABCs around the rim. Some examples are painted tin by Ohio Art showing cats or children at play. Pressed tin with designs and words such as “Who killed Cock Robin?” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb” sold for as much as $75 in past years, but recently listed on eBay for $10 with no bids. One reason for this drop in price is the proliferation of pressed tin reproductions that are difficult to distinguish from genuine antique ones. Glass, aluminum, and tin plates cost from $10-100.

Plates made specifically for hotel use are often stamped on the back “Hotel” and also range in price from $10-100. They come in a variety of designs from nursery rhymes to baby animals to children’s activities. New ABC plates are quite common today; a melamine one was purchased in the labyrinths of a market in Cambodia in 2004, and Wilton Armetale, Wedgwood, and Tiffany produce new alphabet plates as well. Collectors have ample opportunities to buy recent plates for use by their children or grandchildren.

Irene and Ralph Lindsay’s book, ABC Plates and Mugs: Identification and Value Guide, published in 1998 by Collector Books, Paducah, Ky., is still available. Their prices were quite accurate in 1998, but times have changed. For example, they identify a good “Crusoe at Work” to sell for $140-250. One from London in 1991 sold for $75. Recently the same plate sold on eBay for $9.99 — in good condition except for one tiny chip, and one in excellent condition sold for $45. “Wild Animals: the Elephant” sold for $88 in 1998 and in August on eBay for $33.99.

Alphabet plate prices are not only affected by the economy, but they are also affected by crossover collectors — those who are looking for a specific subject that happens to be on ABC plates. Collectors of Civil War memorabilia heighten the competition for the Civil War Generals plates, and those plus presidential collectors and Lincoln collectors make Abraham Lincoln plates sell as high as $800. The Civil War generals are most elusive, and when they do appear they always sell at high prices. Some examples are Major General George Meade, General Halleck, Major General N. P. Banks, General Winfield Scott, and Major General Ulysses S. Grant. These are also very small — only about 5in in diameter.

Other themes whose prices are influenced by crossover collectors are fairy tales, tin lithography, doll china, sports, Majolica, and English monarchs. Book memorabilia collectors seek out literature-inspired articles, such as Robinson Crusoe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The ABCs of ABC Ware by Davida and Irving Shipkowitz is a treasure of information about ABC plates. Published in 2002, this book features the collection of Davida and Irving Shipkowitz and the information they’ve accumulated about alphabet plates in general. This is the most recent ABC plate publication and, as in the Lindsay book, the prices they give are a bit elevated due to the current economic climate, but their commentary and pictures are excellent.