How a 135-Year-Old Trade Law Helps You Date Antiques in Seconds
I grew up at estate sales and auctions.
My parents loved them. Saturdays meant waking up early, piling into the car, and spending the day somewhere new — an old farmhouse with boxes stacked in the barn, a church basement with folding tables full of someone's life, an auction house where my dad would hold up his paddle and my mom would squeeze his arm when he bid too high or when she really wanted an item and he wasn't bidding!
I was too young to bid, but I wasn't too young to look. I learned to flip things over before I learned to drive. I learned that the bottom of something often tells you more than the top. I watched the regulars — the dealers who showed up every weekend, the collectors who only came for certain things, the pickers who moved fast and talked faster. You couldn't help but learn a thing or two.
I guess I can thank my parents for my eye. For the instinct to stop when something feels right. For the patience to turn things over and look closer.
That instinct is what stopped me in a secondhand shop in California a few weeks ago.
He was sitting on a shelf between things that didn't matter — a small clay figure, glazed in green and blue, carrying a coin and a gourd across his shoulders. His face was unglazed, the color of riverbank mud. He looked old. But how old?
I turned him over. One word was stamped into the clay: CHINA.
Not "Made in China." Just CHINA.
That one word told me everything I needed to know. This figurine was made before 1921 — over a hundred years ago. And I learned this not from an antiques course or an expensive appraisal, but from a trade law passed in 1890 and a lifetime of paying attention.
The McKinley Tariff Act of 1890
In 1890, Congressman William McKinley — who would later become the 25th President of the United States — championed a new tariff act designed to protect American manufacturing. Among its many provisions was a requirement that changed the antiques world forever: all imported goods had to be marked with their country of origin in "legible English words."
The law went into effect on March 1, 1891. Suddenly, every piece of porcelain, pottery, and ceramic entering the United States had to declare where it came from.
Here's the key: the law did not require the phrase "Made in." It only required the country name.
So Chinese exports were stamped simply "CHINA." Japanese exports were stamped "NIPPON" (the Japanese word for Japan, written in English letters). And this continued for three decades.
The Dating Cheat Sheet
Over the following decades, import marking requirements evolved. Each change creates a new dating window for collectors. Here's the timeline:
Before 1891: No country-of-origin marking required. If there's no mark at all, the piece could be very old — or it could be a reproduction. Other factors must be considered.
1891–1921: Country name only. "CHINA," "NIPPON," "ENGLAND," "FRANCE." No "Made in." This is the sweet spot for antique hunters.
1914–1921: A 1914 law began requiring "Made in" for some imports, but enforcement was inconsistent. "NIPPON" continued on Japanese wares until 1921.
1921 onward: U.S. Customs required the full phrase "Made in [Country]." Japanese goods switched from "NIPPON" to "Made in Japan." Chinese goods became "Made in China."
1945–1952: Japanese goods marked "Made in Occupied Japan" or "Occupied Japan" during the Allied occupation.
1970s onward: Most Chinese imports marked "Made in China." This is what you'll find on the vast majority of items today.
The One-Word Trick in Practice
So here's the trick, distilled:
Flip it over. Look at the mark.
If it says "Made in China" — it's likely from the 1970s or later.
If it just says "CHINA" — no "Made in" — you're holding something from 1891 to 1921.
One word. That's the difference between "old" and "antique." Between a $15 thrift store find and a piece of history.
A Few Caveats
No dating method is foolproof. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Reproductions exist. Some later pieces have been stamped with "CHINA" to appear older. Look for other authentication markers: glaze quality, construction methods, wear patterns.
Red stamps are suspicious. According to appraisers, a rubber-stamped "China" in red ink — especially with a red "chop" (character) mark — often indicates a later copy. Blue stamps are generally older.
The mark is just one clue. Combine it with other factors: the style of the piece, the materials, the craftsmanship, the provenance. The mark gets you in the door; the rest confirms what you've found.
No mark at all? It could be pre-1891 — or it could be unmarked for other reasons. Pieces made for domestic use (not export) often have no country marking.
The Fortune Bearer
Back to my figurine — the one I found in that California secondhand shop.
The "CHINA" stamp was my first clue: 1891–1921. But I looked further. The vent hole in the base was large and irregular — a sign of hand-molding, typical of pieces made before the 1950s. The face and hands were left unglazed, a signature technique of the Shiwan kilns in China's Guangdong Province. The glazes were vibrant majolica colors — green, blue, brown — consistent with export pieces from that era.
Everything pointed to the same window: the late Qing Dynasty to early Chinese Republic. Roughly 1891 to 1919. Over a hundred years old.
He was made when my great-grandparents were young. Stamped and sent across an ocean in the dying years of an empire. He traveled for a century — ship holds, strangers' shelves, always moving west — until he stopped in California and waited.
I named him The Fortune Bearer, for the coin of prosperity and gourd of long life he carries across his shoulders. He's been carrying them for over a hundred years. Waiting to deliver them.
Try It Yourself
Next time you're at an estate sale, an auction, or a thrift store — slow down. Flip things over. Look for the mark.
You don't need to be an expert. You just need to know one thing: "CHINA" alone means 1891–1921. "Made in China" means much later.
One word. That's the trick.
My parents would be proud.