From The Belleek Collector,
Volume 8, Number 2 from 1986

"We have just received word from Jim Barkley, Director of Production for the Belleek Pottery Ltd., that all baskets now being crafted are being lettered and numbered.

"Henceforth, Belleek baskets will carry a letter (denoting year) and number (indicating number of a particular style created thus far in that year). This identification will be painted in metallic gold on the second pad on the bottom of the basket, following the word "Ireland." The photo here, taken from a sample of basketweave, gives a clearer picture of how this will appear.

"All baskets produced in 1986 will be marked with an "A," and each style will start with "1." For example, there wil be a Shamrock Basket with the identification "A27," and an Oval Small Basekt with the very same number. Bear in mind that quite a few numbers will never eneter the market, because of defects, kiln loss, and damage in transit.

"However, a register will be kept at the Pottery, and this will provide specifics for inventory and archival purposes—we will be able to trace the destinations of specific baskets (i.e., to the U.S., to Switzerland, or to Canada), and to determine which Belleek basketmaker was responsible for which piece.

"Another advanatage of this new marking procedure will be in assessing the age of all baskets in future years. Until now. ot jas been extremely difficult to accurately date basketware, to anything more specific than a 20-30 year time span. We still won't be able to pinpoint the year of production for those baskets crafted before 1986. Yet we'lll certainly be able to determine which pieces were crafted before 1986, and categorize them as "old Belleek." And, in the future, we'll be able to date all baskets without any hesitation to a specific year and artist."