This is a rare and beautiful trio consisting of a teacup, coffee cup and saucer, made by Minton in about 1830. 
 
Minton was one of the pioneers of English china production alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport, Ridgway, Coalport and others. They were located in Staffordshire and were known specifically for their wonderfully fine white bone china and bright colours; there is a colour called "Minton Blue" which is a fresh azure blue that Minton excelled in. Minton supplied huge quantities of tablewares, tiles, and other items to the USA in the 19th Century; the White House was traditionally supplied with Minton crockery and many great buildings of this era were tiled with Minton tiles.
 
The items were potted in the "Bath Embossed C-shape", which was used in about 1830. This shape has very finely embossed scroll patterns on the surface and a "Bath" handle. The ground is bright white, and the decoration consists of simple and slightly naive green bat printed flowers which have been touched up slightly with lime enamel colour. The rims have been lined with a very simple gilt band.
 
The items are unmarked except for the pattern numbers, which are a bit of a mystery. The cups are marked with the number 680, which dates to a pattern from around 1800 (so much earlier than the model of the cup), but the saucer is marked with pattern number 38. However, it is obvious that the cups do belong to the saucer so it is not clear why the numbers are different. 
 
CONDITION REPORT All items are in excellent and undamaged condition, however they are a little worn; the gilt is rubbed in places, and the pattern is a little bit worn in places. The wear has been reflected in the price. Please study the pictures carefully as they form part of the description.
 
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.
 
There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!
 
DIMENSIONS (diameter): teacup 9cm (3.5"); coffee cup 7cm (2.75"); saucer 14.5cm (5.75").
 
SHIPPING I ship worldwide from the UK, mostly by Royal Mail 2nd Class for the UK and International Tracked and Signed for the rest of the world. I am happy to combine shipping charges on multiple items - please contact me to discuss. In principle I do not make a profit on shipping although for simplicity's sake I charge flat shipping fees. If the fee charged greatly exceeds the actual cost I will gladly refund you the difference - at the same time if it is slightly lower I will gladly make up the difference. In some countries shipping will end up significantly more than the expected fees and I will contact you to discuss our options. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SHIPPING COSTS AND OPTIONS.