Pattern 1233 Spode bone china indented shape Dinner Plate introduced c1808 for a very important customer, the Prince of Wales, later to become King George IV. It has a special backstamp on its base known as the 'Spode Prince of Wales mark' which incorporates the Prince's three feathers motif & the name SPODE. This mark was always printed in iron red enamel & denotes Spode patterns for the sole use of the Prince of Wales.
When Leonard Whiter republished his book 'Spode' in 1978 (2nd edition) he states on page 85 that he knew of only two pattern numbers to hold this special mark which were 1168 & 1185 (both illustrated).
Robert Copeland wrote in 1986 that these special Prince of Wales backstamps had been seen on Spode patterns 500, 981, 1122, 1168, 1185, 1224 & 1406. He also noted that pattern 1112 features the Prince of Wales three feathers motif in the actual design decoration.
John Democratis produced an article in the Spode Review (a publication by the Spode Society) in May 2009 which highlights another three patterns known to carry this special mark - they are patterns 1182 & 1221 & one other which is not numbered in the Spode Pattern Books.
So this Spode pattern 1233 with its special Prince of Wales backstamp is a more recent discovery; here is Tennants Auction House of Leyburn, North Yorkshire's lot 131 from their Summer Catalogue Sale 22 July 2010 which had an estimate of £10,000-£15,000 but didn't sell: https://bid.tennants.co.uk/m/lot-details/index/catalog/76/lot/45507?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F76%3Fpage%3D1%26view%3Dlist%26items%3D200%26sale%3Dundefined%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26lotnum%3D131
I wonder where this historic Spode Dinner Service made for the Prince of Wales is now?
The Prince obviously ordered/or was presented with, quite a few services following his 1806 visit to Josiah Spode's factory premises in Stoke-on-Trent & the subsequent conferring of the title, 'Potter & English Porcelain manufacturer to His Royal Highness' on Josiah Spode II.
Did the Prince of Wales pay for any of them, some of them, all of them, - that is another interesting question but I'm afraid I don't know the answer.
A very similar Spode part Dinner & Dessert Service in Pattern 1182 which has polychrome floral centres, came up for sale on 10th May 2018. It was previously owned by Peggy & David Rockefeller and was sold through Christie's New York auction house (Lot 684) for $52,500! You can see the details here:
Interestingly the Saltram House Dinner Service, (Saltram House, Plympton, Devon) which was a Spode pattern 1182 Dinner Service comprising of 175 pieces was sold in 1963 by Bearnes Auction House under the terms of the will of the late Lord Morley & on the instructions of The National Trust. At the time it created Bearnes' first record price at auction with a sale price of £3,400. Rolling on (almost 30 years) to April 1992 and Bearnes, Hampton & Littlewood Auction House sold this same Spode Dinner Service in their auction rooms for £20,000. I wonder if this is the same Dinner Service which Peggy & David Rockefeller owned? Also if Spode's pattern 1182 was a Royal Service made for the Prince Regent how did it come into the hands of the Lords Morley of Saltram House? All interesting questions.
The centres on this particular royal service illustrated here (Spode's pattern 1233) were composed of pink rose sprays & were surrounded by a moulded & indented shaped blue & gold basket-weave border. This moulded border was known as 'Wicker Weave Embossed'.
In the Spode Pattern Books the unnumbered pattern which is also known to carry this special royal mark is much the same as this plate of mine. The only difference being, the central flowers are blue convolvulus instead of pink roses so perhaps it was unnumbered because it was essentially a pattern 1233 with just a change of flower & colour as a one-off special & additional order for the Prince of Wales?
Still the odd speck of kiln dust showing
This iron-red printed backstamp which incorporates the Prince of Wales feathers was created especially to mark products created by Josiah Spode II's factory for the Prince of Wales c1806-08.