Artist & Maker Mark Directory

Beyond the familiar AA monogram, Van Briggle pottery often carries small incised or painted marks that identify the individual artists, finishers, etchers, and glazers who worked on each piece. This directory catalogs over 200 known marks drawn from factory records, collector research, and decades of hands-on study.

Many marks were used by multiple workers across different eras, and some workers used different marks at different times. When a mark has multiple attributions, all known possibilities are listed. Cross-reference with era dating, clay color, and glaze type to narrow down your piece.

Search Marks

Filter all tables below by typing initials, a name, or a date range.

Annotated diagram of Van Briggle bottom markings showing the location of artist, finisher, glazer, etcher, and numeric marks — Reference diagram: typical Van Briggle bottom markings layout. Courtesy clemhull.com

Sections

Mark Photos by Era

High-resolution photographs of actual Van Briggle bottom marks from 1901 to the present day.

1902

1903 mark with die stamped shape number — 1903

1905 mark with visible shape number — 1905

1919

Late 1920s to mid 1930s mark — Late 1920s-30s

Anna Van Briggle mark, 1955-1968 — 1955-68 Anna

Mark photographs courtesy ArtusVanBriggle.com

Artist Marks (Throwers)

Artist marks identify the potter who threw the piece on the wheel. These are typically incised into the wet clay on the bottom before firing.

Show / Hide Artist Marks

Mark	Person	Period / Notes
AG	Andrea Gabriel	Threw pottery in 1995
AG	Alan Gillman	1980s; stylized AG combined into one character
AMS	Anthony Mark Sucharski	Current mark; also used MS
A. Schlegel	Ambrose Schlegel	Master Potter, 1903–1930
a.s.	Ambrose Schlegel	Alt mark; also see a.s. under finishers (Arlene Shuckhart)
BH	Becky Hansen	Threw originals in 2003
BJS	Bill Sidenberg	1970s–80s; see also BS
BS	Bill Sidenberg	1970s–80s; see also BJS
C	Clem Hull	Single initial, 1946–~1948
CC	Charles Chavez	Known pieces marked “84” (1984)
CH	Clement Hull	~1948–~1952
CMH	Clement Marot Hull	~1952 until death 1965; also some Hull Santa Fe pieces 1938–1942
CS	Craig Stevenson	Late 1970s to present; current owner
CS	Chris Scalia	Late 1990s; backward S
CV	Christopher Vernon	Years unknown
d	Unknown	Late 1940s–late 1950s; lower case
D	Unknown	Late 1940s–early 1950s; capital
DC	Doug Cowles	Believed after 1980s
DG	Dan Garner	Believed sometime after 1970
DH	Don Harvey	Contemporary of Fred Wills; learned from Wills
DH?	Deborah Hager	2000 to present; initials not confirmed
DK	Dene Kiser	Production Manager 1994–2004
DW	Don Wills	Son of Fred Wills; mostly wheel demonstrations
EH	Ed Hearn	Mid-1990s
EM	Eric McCulleu	1997; arrow pointing down from M
F	Fred Wills	Single initial, 1947–~1948
F/D	Fred Wills / Unknown “D”	Collaboration pieces
F/E	Fred Wills / Unknown “E”	Collaboration pieces; many examples exist
FW	Fred Wills	~1948 until retirement 1998
FWW	Fred Wayne Wills	Son of Fred Wills; limited output
IH / IVY	Ivy Hill	1998–1999
JC	Joseph Cordova	Late 1980s
JF	Jared Finkenbinder	1980s
JH?	Jerry Hill	Sometime after 1970, before 2001
JJ?	Joe Jezek	Master Potter; helped develop new clay in late 1960s; from Dryden Pottery
Jeff O.	Jeff Oelklaus	Thrower, Glazer, Master Mould Maker; 1998 to present
JR	Jim Reddinger	Contemporary of Fred Wills; known pieces 1982–1983
JU	Jan Upwall	Contemporary of Fred Wills
JSW	Jeff Weise	1970s–80s
JWS	Jeff Stevenson	1969–1988
LAW	Lateefah Wright	1998–2004; also finished pieces
LK	Lori Keenan	Early 1990s
LP	Lou Prosch	1970s–80s
LS	Loretta Short	1988–1997; also finished pieces
LW	Leroy Weber	Late 1960s–early 1970s
MD	Mike D’attillo	1984
MG	Matt Gebhardt	1995
MS	Mark Shuckhart	1988–1997
MS	Mark Sucharski	Circa 1984; Production Manager
NC	Nelson Curtis	1964–1968; later Chair of Art Dept., University of Idaho
NUNN	Unknown (presumed Nunn)	1920s; threw and finished
O	Otis Wills	Uncle of Fred Wills; 1943–1964; threw and finished
O←	Teina Bentley	1994
O.F. Bruce	O.F. Bruce	1920s
PD	Pattie Duncan	1987
PG	Paul Gibson	1960s–1980s; P with G tucked under its loop
PO	Paula Old	1997
RA	Rudy Abeyta	1985
RAF	Bob Fair	1973
RF	Unknown	Late 1980s
RFS	Unknown	1919
RH	Ron Heim	Early 1990s
RKH	Ryan Hall	1988
RU	Russel Upwall	1980s
Scott / SL	Scott Ladzinski	1991–1994; S with L intersecting vertically
SF	Steve Ford	1989
TU	Tina Ufford	1980s–1990s; many hand-carved pieces

Finisher Marks

Finishers cleaned, smoothed, and prepared the thrown pieces for glazing. Their initials are typically smaller and placed near the artist mark or the edge of the bottom.

Show / Hide Finisher Marks

Mark	Person	Period / Notes
A / AO	Alice Offut	Late 1980s
AB	Amber Burt	Late 1990s
ABL	Unknown	Late 1980s
AD	Unknown	Late 1980s
AIG	Anita Gurney	1980s
ALS / A.S.	Arlene Shuckhart	1988–1997
AU	Unknown	1930s(?); finished conch shell
B	Billie Bignell	1950s–1970s
BA	Bea Annis	1995
BAH	Barbara Hough	1998
BR	Brad Roach	Late 1990s
BUL	Bozena Los	1999–2002
CB	Clara Beyers	Late 1980s
CF	Carolyn French	1986–1994
CG	Chris Graybill	1992–1993
CLC	Christina Crispi	1994
CM	Connie Morgan	1991
CP	Chris Pappialt	Mid-1980s
CR	Clara Reiner	1940s–1950s
D	Unknown	Moonglo pieces; collaborated with Fred Wills
D2R	Dorothy Randolph	1980s
DB	Donna Byers	1960s
DK	Dene Kiser	Production Manager 1994–2004; also threw originals
DLH	Deonne Holt	1979–1985
DM	Darlynn Mangus / Donna Meyers	Script: Mangus (1984–2004); Block: Meyers (1970s)
DR	Dorothy Ruff	Late 1980s–2003; major hand carving
DW	Dorothy Webster	Late 1970s
ECB	Elaine Burgess	1980s
EO	Ethel Owen	1978–1983
ET / TE	Eloise Trujillo	1984–2002
EZ	Unknown	1979–1983
G / GB	Gladys Baker	1960s–1970s
GP	Gail Pache	2001–2005
H	Nina Hess	1970s–80s
HM / HVM	Hilde Manuszak	Late 1980s–early 1990s
HMC	Hilde McLemore	1984–1986
IH / IVY	Ivy Hill	1998–1999
IS	Irene Solska	1997–2000
J	Unknown	1980s–1990s; worked closely with artist TU
JB	Joyce Blythe / Joyce Benwell	1980s–1990s; possibly same person
JDH	Jack Hartley	1993–1997
JH	Julie Ann Haney	1965–1975
JJ	Joanne Jacobsen	1970s–1980s
JOY	Joy Baker	1998
K	Mary Key	1970s
KJ	Kathy Jalbert	1986
KK	Kelly King	1956–1985
KM / KW	Kathy Milsap (née Wills)	1980s; daughter of Fred Wills
L	Lucille Larson	Mid-1940s–1950s
LAW	Lateefah Wright	1998–2004; also threw originals
LB	Linda Been	1994–1997
LCB	Laura Bruggner	2004–2006; many bunny figurals
LN	Linda Newman	Known piece with “84”
LS	Lauri Strauss / Loretta Short	Strauss: 1980s (joined LS); Short: late 1980s (separate chars)
M	Unknown	1970s
MAC	Mary Mack	Years unknown
MB	Marianna Brown (Ridings)	1973–2000
MBN	Mary Beth Nuss	1980s
MC	Marge Capron / Michael Cowles	Capron: 1980s; Cowles: 2003
MCC	Michael Cowles	2003–2006
MD	Marion Deitz	Post-1968 gloss pieces
MK	Marjorie Kruse	Late 1980s
ML	Mary Lucas	Years unknown
MLP	Marge Pope	Post-1968 Black Gloss
MM	Melissa Meyers	1980s
MMS	Mickie Shaw	Early 1990s
MP	Myra Patterson	1970s–1980s
MR	Marla Ridenour-Cole	1990s; moonglo pieces
MW	Marie Webb	1980s
N	Nora Richardson	1970s–1980s
NE	Nancy Eck	1980s
O	Martha Oliver	1980–2004; no flourish (vs. Otis Wills O)
OB	Opel Burbaum	1960s–1970s
OVD	Odel Van Dell	1940s
P	Phyllis Harms	Late 1980s
R	Rosemary Dobbs	1988–1997
RN	Rebecca Neff	1993
RS	Rona Sellers	Mid-1990s
RT	Ruth Tice	Late 1980s
S	Mildred Scott	1970s
SAM	Tonya Blythe	1998–1999
SAR	Sylvia Rice	2001
SE	Sara Elder	Late 1980s
SLB	Sandy Burton	1995–1996
TB	Tate Brown	1982–1992
TC	Trudy Carter	1970s
V / VM	Viola Merrick	1970s
VR	Vera Riley	1980s–1991
WA	Lisa Warnken	Years unknown
Y	Cleo McCoy	1970s
Z	Jennie Zega	1983–1988

Etcher Styles

The AA monogram and “Van Briggle” text on the bottom were hand-etched into the wet clay. Each etcher had a distinctive style. Researchers have cataloged at least twelve distinct etching hands, labeled A through L. Recognizing these styles helps narrow the production date of a piece.

Style	Person	Period / Notes
Etcher A	Unknown	1952–1965 (at minimum); prolific
Etcher B	Unknown	1952–1965 (at minimum)
Etcher C	Unknown	1952–1965 (at minimum); prolific
Etcher D	Unknown	Post-1968 gloss pieces
Etcher E	Unknown	1948–1952 (at minimum)
Etcher F	Unknown	1946–1948 (at minimum)
Etcher G	Unknown	Known as “Mr. Square G’s”; early 1920s through at least late 1940s
Etcher H	Unknown	1930s–early 1940s; prolific
Etcher I	Unknown	Post-1946; Moonglo pieces
Etcher J	Unknown	Believed 1960s
Etcher K	Brad Roach	Late 1990s
Etcher L	Fred Wills	Late 1980s; Wills etched many of his own pieces

Glazer Marks

Glazer marks identify who applied the glaze. Before the late 1970s, these were typically painted in ink on the fired bottom. From the late 1970s onward, Roman numerals were scratched into the bisque before glazing. Note that multiple glazers often shared the same numeral across different time periods.

Ink / Painted Marks (Pre-Late 1970s)

Mark	Person	Period / Notes
I	Unknown	1940s–1960s
II	Unknown	1940s–1960s
III	Unknown	1940s–1960s
IV	Unknown	1940s–1960s
5	Unknown	1940s–1960s
6	Unknown	1940s–1960s

Scratched Bisque Marks (Late 1970s Onward)

Mark	Person	Period / Notes
II	Martha Oliver	Glazer 1970–2004
III	Arlene Shuckhart	Glazer 1995; multiple users reported
IV	Helen Boyd / Amber Roach	Boyd: 1970s–1980s; Roach: 1998–2000
V	Helen Johnson	1983–1994; daughter of Fred Wills
VI	Rosemary Dobbs / Gean Holland	Dobbs: 1988–1995; Holland: 1994–2002
VII	Dory Bernecky / Mickie Shaw / Linda Dry	Multiple users; Shaw: 1993; Dry: 1995
XI	Annette Moody / Garoid (Gary) Dhondt	Moody: 1994–1997; Dhondt: 1995–2004
XV	John Bartlett	Glazer 2001–2004
XX	Dene Kiser	Plant Manager 1994–2004
XL	John Bartlett	Glazer 2001–2004
M	Jeffrey Oelklaus	Master Mould Maker 1998 to present
CV	Michael Cowles	2003 to present

New Century Dating Scheme (2001–2090)

Beginning in 2001, Van Briggle adopted a new dating system using the letters in V-A-N-B-R-I-G-G-L-E, each representing a decade. A digit 0–9 follows the letter to indicate the specific year within that decade.

During 2001–2009, the “V” includes a serif on the left branch to distinguish it from the Roman numeral VI that was already in use as a glazer mark.

Decade	Letter	Year Codes
2001–2009	V	V1, V2, V3 … V9
2010–2019	A	A0, A1, A2 … A9
2020–2029	N	N0, N1, N2 … N9
2030–2039	B	B0, B1, B2 … B9
2040–2049	R	R0, R1, R2 … R9
2050–2059	I	I0, I1, I2 … I9
2060–2069	G	G0, G1, G2 … G9
2070–2079	GG	GG0, GG1, GG2 … GG9
2080–2089	L	L0, L1, L2 … L9
2090–2099	E	E0, E1, E2 … E9

Centennial Year 2000 Special Marks

First 90 Days of Firing

VB100 with a star — commemorating the pottery’s centennial anniversary.

Remainder of 2000

VB100 etched (without the star) for the balance of the centennial year.

Numeric Incisions

Not all numbers on Van Briggle bottoms are dates or shape numbers. Understanding what they represent requires context from the era.

Mid-Century (1940s–1960s)

Numbers generally represent clay batch and recipe numbers. Their position relative to the AA logo matters: left of logo vs. right or below could indicate the same recipe made differently or a variation.

1984–1985 Date Marks

The numerals “84” or “85” were incised beside the logo specifically as date marks during these two years.

“Anna Van” Line

Numerals on “Anna Van” pieces are mould numbers (e.g., “44” = Dryden mould #44). These were made at Dryden Pottery in Kansas, 1954–1956.

Lost Records

Some early numeric marks may be finisher marks, but many records were lost in the devastating flood of 1935 that destroyed significant factory documentation.

Further Resources

Markings & Identification Guide — High-resolution reference photos of Van Briggle bottom marks from 1901 to 2004.
Dating Van Briggle Pottery — Era-by-era guide to determining when your piece was made.
Glaze Reference Guide — Comprehensive guide to Van Briggle glaze colors and their evolution.
Clay Body History — The evolution of Van Briggle clay bodies from the early dark clays through white and buff eras.
Contact Us — Have a piece you need help identifying? Send us photos and we will do our best to help.