How do I love Denby? Let me count the ways. I love the curious mix of down-to-earth practicality with the odd range which is ‘what on earth were they thinking?’ wacky. I adore how on trend and modern it looks even though each and every one of their recent pieces is a clear and clever throwback to traditional Denby tableware. I even have a pash’ for that chunky dun-coloured brown stuff which looks as though a child has splodged paint on it (see Arabesque below).
But most of all, speaking as someone who could shatter a Meissen shepherdess just by looking at her, I love how Denby* is almost impossible to break.
Thanks to properties of good, strong Derbyshire clay – still mined within five miles of the factory – I’ve been able to manhandle, mistreat and even drop my Denby and can happily confirm it’s nigh on indestructible. I half suspect that, after the apocalypse, all that will remain are the cockroaches and a dozen Denby casserole dishes.
According to Cliff Waddingham, the expert guide who shows me (along with sisters Lin and June, fellow pottery-enthusiasts) around the Denby Pottery Museum, the strength of the pots is legendary.
“It’s said that four of our mugs can bear the weight of a double decker bus,” he beams proudly when I ask if Denby pottery deserves its super-strong reputation.
Another staff members tells me about a lady wrote to Denby to describe how her house had been completely flattened by Hurricane Katrina. When she was going through the rubble she found some of her Denby set – the only thing that had survived the storm.
Writer Richard McKenna says, while his parent’s generation (60s, 70s) were in reverential thrall to their Denby tableware, he recalls how it was ‘absurdly heavy’ and almost ‘impossible to get rid of or destroy’.
His delightfully tongue-in-cheek critique of the ‘millstone heavy’ Denby features an old 60s advertisement (Denby’s Ode range; 1960s-70s) showing cups, sauces and plates artfully arranged around a massive metal anvil with the words ‘immensely strong’ repeated twice for good measure in the brief 34-word ad’ copy
‘Denby’s stoneware contrived somehow to be far, far heavier than actual stone.’ Richard jokes on the blog We Are the Mutants
‘It was actually an issue when moving house as the stuff tended to hurtle through the bottoms of cardboard packing boxes like incoming meteorites breaking through cloud cover….if you dropped a Denby plate, the risk was not to the plate – it was to you and to your home and loved ones.”
On a Mumsnet thread about the virtues of a Denby, the words ‘robust’ ‘hard-wearing’ and ‘bomb-proof’ appear in rapid succession. One correspondent recalls taking a set of Potter’s Wheel through Gatwick and it was so heavy ‘Our fingers were almost severed!’. Another says ‘My parents got a Denby set in Imperial Blue when they got married almost 35 years ago. They are pretty much good as new after 35 years of everyday use and never look dated.’
The fact that Denby can survive a life-time of ill-treatment from butterfingered folk like me goes some way to explain why it’s ridiculously easy to find in charity shops. As a seasoned secondhand shopper, I can put Denby pottery on my charity shop bingo card and can count on one hand the times I’ve been on a shopping trip and not seen bits and pieces of Imperial blue and Daybreak
To put this claim to the test, I recorded a video on my phone to see how long it would take to find a Denby piece in the first charity shop I visited (British Red Cross on King Street, Belper, Derbyshire).
Result = 32 seconds.
I didn’t even have to go into the shop – a very nice Imperial blue egg cup in the shop was in the window display, priced at £1.
To be completely transparent, it did take two trips out and six charity shops in total to find a vintage set I actually adored. The five piece ‘Gypsy’ part-tea service may only have one cup and saucer but it’s my kind of Denby (even stalwart collectors have ranges they absolutely hate; Mat – the super friendly expert who was helped me identify all Denby pieces I found in the shops – says he personally finds the Gypsy ‘garish’).
Out of all the shops I visited looking for Denby pottery to flip on eBay (see my challenge below); only two failed to have any Denby at all. This was enormously cheering as Denby Pottery itself has spent the last year trying to encourage people – via their campaign Denby Reloved – to donate any unloved or unneeded pieces to charity, in particular to shops run by Shelter.
To sweeten this deal, if people donate their unwanted Denby to Shelter, they will be able to claim a reward of up to £50 off new Denby purchases (visit the website for full T&Cs).
“We all have items we’ve bought which we perhaps don’t need or want anymore, but our first port of call for these shouldn’t be the bin,” states Miquita Oliver, TV presenter and Denby enthusiast who is backing the campaign.
“There are so many ways to make sure we’re extending the life of our homeware, from repurposing pieces you love to finding new creative uses for broken items. And of course, there’s donating good quality items to a charity like Shelter.”
*Denby – throughout this article I talk about ‘Denby’ but there many back-stamps (a stamp usually found on the bottom of a pot) associated with this iconic pottery brand – see below.
Jolly Volley’s Denby pottery challenge
On moving to Denby village, I set myself the challenge to learn more about the history of the nearby Denby Pottery factory – a pleasant 20 minute cross country walk from my home; mud levels permitting.
As a vintage-lover and secondhand shopper, I decided that buying some bits and pieces of Denby from local charity shops would further enhance my research. If my husband should view this as a feeble excuse to fill the house unnecessary clutter, so be it.
I also wanted to see if – using all my new-found knowledge of Denby – I could buy pieces for a few pounds in the charity shops and flip them on eBay for a little profit.
In this task, I was greatly aided by Denby enthusiast Mat* from Cambridgeshire. Mat offered to identify and value (looking at recent sold prices on re-sale sites) every item of Denby I found during my visits to a dozen or so charity shops in Derbyshire.
Before I started, Mat warned me that I’d be lucky to make more than ‘beer money’. From its founding in 1809, the pottery at Denby was a global enterprise and, over the course of 200+ years, millions of pieces have not only made but – as it is ‘immensely strong’ (see above) – a lot of it survives.
However, there are valuable Denby pieces out there. According to Mat, prices escalate if your piece is by a notable and desirable designer – in August (2024) a plate by designer Tibor Reich was valued at £500-700 on Antiques Roadshow. Moreover, there is a huge collector’s market for the seriously cute Denby animals – lambs, dogs, rabbits – produced by Denby in the 1930s. ‘Marmaduke’ rabbits have been attracting what Mat calls ‘crazy prices’ on eBay recently (the last sold price of a large rabbit was £165) with collectors wanting to own one in every colour and every size (see a small selection of Mat’s rabbit collection below).
Obviously age, rarity and beauty will push up the value of Denby tableware and ornaments. Mat guided me to an online catalogue featuring a fabulous collection of Danesby Ware arts and crafts pieces for sale at auction (September 2024). The ‘Antiques, Collectables and Jewellery and a One Owner Collection of Decorative Arts’ sale, hosted by Eastbourne Antiques , featured a collection of stylish pieces made by the factory in the 1930s.
A selection of the final hammer prices below;-
Sadly, I didn’t find any Denby treasure in the charity shops worthy of being sent to a fancy auction but, while I may not be able to retire on my proceeds of my finds, I did acquire a Denby tea service which I will treasure forever.
*As a collector of Denby and other pottery, Mat asked for me not to print his full name.
Six of the best – Jolly Volley’s buys
Denby charity shop purchase – 1
What; Two Bourne/Denby stone bottles
Where; eBay
Amanda says: ‘Since moving to Denby I’ve become obsessed with Bourne stoneware bottles after being told that our dining room was once an early wage’s office for the nearby pottery. I don’t know how true the story is – but it’s a good excuse to fill the dining room with old ink bottles.’
Mat says; ‘Bourne started out making bottles and jars for things like condiments, drinks and ink in the Victorian and Edwardian period. I have seen them for sale in traditional brown tones and in cream. It’s not my area of expertise but I’d say Amanda paid a fair price considering one is chipped.”
Cost; £4
Estimated worth; The average eBay sale price for a small ink bottle was £5 in September 2024.
Denby charity shop purchase – 2
What; Imperial Blue teacup and saucer
Where; Found in Help the Aged charity shop in Belper, Derbyshire
Amanda says: ‘I just had to get this – it brings back such happy memories. When I think of my late mum, I have an a image of her in the early morning with her hands wrapped round a fat-bottomed Imperial Blue mug sipping tea strong enough to arm-wrestle a builder. Also, if I think ‘Denby’, this is the range which pops into my head.’
Mat says; ‘I like the colour as it resembles Cottage Blue, the first set of Denby I bought 45 years ago and it’s still in use today. Imperial Blue is a timeless design. It’s been in production since 1989 and remains popular and commercial. It has no age to it – the dishwasher stamp is a giveaway – but I’d say this is my favourite of Amanda’s buys.”
Cost; £3.90
Estimated worth; The average eBay sale for the cup and saucer set is £3 (September 2024),
Denby charity shop purchase – 3
What; Daybreak gravy jug/boat
Where; Found in British Heart Foundation, in Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Amanda says: ”While I love gravy and daisies (not together you understand), the primary reason for buying this was because I felt sorry for it – the amount of dusty Daybreak I see in the charity shops always makes me want to rescue it.’
Mat says; ‘The gravy boat is a good buy as it’s unusual and can put itself to a number of uses – custard, cream or other sauces. Amanda gravy boat (made from 1983 until 1999) had a rust-coloured border around the edges so I’d say this is a later piece. I think Amanda paid a reasonable price as I’ve seen them sell for £10-£18 on eBay. Daybreak was one of the most popular of Denby’s designs.”
Cost; £10
Estimated worth; The last gravy boat to sell on eBay achieved £9.95
Denby charity shop purchase – 4
What; Manor Green
Where; Found in a the Age UK, in Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Amanda says: ‘Well here’s the panic buy, bought on a day when there was nothing I really liked in the charity shops (tip – always go home if this is the case). I thought these were such a beautiful sage green colour and I loved the cute tear-drop shaped handles but I committed the cardinal sin of not inspecting before purchase. Some of the cups have a few dinks and nicks. But hey, if they don’t sell, they will look pretty on my shelf.’
Mat says; “Manor Green was first made in the 1930s. You can tell an early piece as later ones (like these) are paler inside the cup; in earlier ones the colour is more of a primrose yellow. Production of this range resumed after the war – in 1953 – and was discontinued in the late 1970s. It’s a classic design.”
Cost; £9.99
Estimated worth; The average eBay price for a good quality cup and saucer is £5 (August/September 2024)
Denby charity shop purchase – 5
What; Gypsy
Where; Found in the British Red Cross, in Ripley, Derbyshire
Amanda says: ‘Just when you think you’re going to strike out after finding no Denby after trawling around two shops – you go into one and your eyes light upon these little beauties. Problem. I’d parked the car miles away and the shop didn’t have a bag robust enough to cope with Denby. I thought I’d pop home (not far away) and get a strong bag and some bubble wrap….only to find the shop closed on my return. There followed an agonising wait for three days (bank holiday weekend) until the shop opened again. It was worth it. I bought this set and a beautiful contemporary glazed brown vase for £7.50 (H&M Homeware, £27). To say I was chuffed was an understatement – that’s why I love charity shops.’
Mat says; ‘Before Amanda bought this I told her it was not to my taste – not keen on the pink flowers. But I have seen a lot of it about in good condition so I can say its a hard-wearing range. Gypsy was first produced in the early 70s and was discontinued in 1984.”
Cost; £5.50
Estimated worth; A similar set without the cup and saucer sold for £30 on eBay back in June 2024. The tea pot alone sells for an average of £15 (averaged across similar items sold in September 2024).
Denby charity shop purchase – 6
What; Potter’s Wheel
Where; Found in the Age UK shop, in Duffield, Derbyshire
Amanda says: ‘I didn’t think much of this range (designed by David Yorath) – until I put it in my home in Denby and it just matched everything. Now I think it might just be my favourite Denby range and I’m kicking myself for not buying the rest of the set which amounted to around 20-ish pieces.’
Mat says; “Looking at the stamp on the two mugs, they both have marks over their original stamp which means they are seconds. I wouldn’t say this makes them less saleable; it might put off collectors but Amanda says the mugs are not cracked so your tea won’t pour out – that’s all that really matters. As long as you list any faults with the pottery you’re selling, then it’s up to the buyer.”
Cost; £2 each for the cups, £3 for the jug
Estimated worth; The last Potter’s Wheel mug sold for £6.99 on eBay in September 2024. However, I must temper this good news with some bad – mine are seconds and the last cream jug to sell on eBay went for just £2.95.
UP-DATE
Item 1; Potter’s Wheels mugs have been sold to a ‘delighted’ customer – don’t you just love positive eBay feedback?
Cost; £4
Sold for; £10.01, a profit of £6.01
Item 6; Denby Imperial Blue mug and saucer
Cost; £3.90
Sold; £3.50 – a loss of 40p
So far (November 3) I’ve made £5.61.
Conclusions
I think most of my friends would agree I have become a Denby bore who is able to name a Denby range at ten paces even though no one will ever want me to do this.
But I have learned a valuable lesson – always do your homework before hitting the charity shops. If I was to do the challenge again; I’d be looking for very different things (see below).
If you want to buy and sell Denby for profit – don’t fall in love with it. From my haul, I fell for the Gypsy part-tea service aka the only set capable of returning me a decent profit. I’ll also be keeping the Potter’s Wheel jug (it suits my interior decor) and the two ink bottles (ditto).
So far, I’ve sold the Imperial Blue mug and saucer (for a loss) and the two Potter’s Wheel mugs for a profit – they were so popular I have a mental note look out for more with that yellow banding.
What can I take from this? If you are going to buy Denby to flip it – try to buy for the right pieces for the right price – the Imperial Blue mug and saucer and the gravy boat were just too expensive to re-sell. To find out accurate re-sale prices, have a look at the recent ‘sold’ prices on eBay. Also, check the active listings – if there’s a lot of something for sale and hardly any sold; it doesn’t bode well for flipping.
And always check condition – even in a charity shop. Tap a ceramic with your fingernail; a dull sound means it’s probably cracked. If you are searching for ‘Denby’ on sites like eBay be sure to check under the mistaken but common autocorrect of ‘Denny’ as it could just mean you’ll nab a bargain (fewer people will have seen it – thanks again to Mat for this tip). And if you are looking in the charity shops, try to avoid ones in fancy places…these shops are great if you’re truffling for designer clothes etc but not so good for everyday items like Denby teapots which may also be listed at a fancier price point.
If you are shopping from a charity shop for ceramics and other fragile items – take your own robust bag for life and a bit of bubble wrap (the bio-degradable variety of course).
Finally, if you plan to flip your Denby on a re-sale site – avoid buying something you don’t like….you know it’s the one piece you’ll get stuck with (I’m looking at you Denby gravy boat).
- I will keep popping back if I have any eBay sales to report.
Useful sources;-
A concise history of Denby can be found on the Denby Pottery website
For Denby back stamps visit Potteries Histories
For pictures and descriptions of many discontinued Denby ranges visit Tableware for Life
