This bowl recently turned up for sale.  At first glance it is a nice early Radford bowl.  The shape has been seen, and the backstamp looks genuine enough.....

The mark, however, had been stamped in a dark ink or water based paint, and could be rubbed out with the finger... the base marks on genuine Radford are always underglaze.  The picture below shows the "E" already disappearing...  

Note that the base is not the same colour as the body of the bowl, which is unusual for early Radford.  Also the blue sponging, when examined closely, looks to be sprayed on, and the blue is not the "normal" Radford blue.  One possibility is that this is a genuine piece which has been damaged and repaired, then sprayed to cover the repair.  Given that a very convincing stamp has been produced, however, there may be other fakes around, not necessarily in this shape and pattern.  Should you come across any of these at fairs or auctions... don't buy it, and let the dealer know why... (mentioning Trading Standards might make them think twice about trying to sell to someone else...).

If you have seen any like this... let me know


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