Royal Doulton Coaching Days
The Royal Doulton Coaching Days series is an all time classic. It was designed by the noted cartoonist and illustrator Victor Venner; introduced in 1905 and was in production until 1955. It has all the attributes that set it amongst the collectable giants. It was in production a long time, there were stacks of it produced in an almost limitless range of shapes, including both Bone China and Earthen Ware.
Coaching Days was produced in four background styles, or colour-ways. The standard background is yellow & brown, the yellow forms the ground and a strip of brown shading is used to indicate the bush in the background. This ground was quickly applied with an air brush and then the transfer was applied over the top. This ground is used on both bone china and earthen ware.
Coaching Days rack Plate; Yellow Ground; dated January 1937
The blue sky ground is hard to find, most often it is on a bone china base, but there are some 10.5" rack plates on an earthen ware base. This ground is also applied by air brush, only with more detail; the road is a sandy brown with shading to give a suggestion of shadows under the characters, horses and the coach. The foreground is a green forming a green verge to the side of the road and giving the scene more depth. The bush behind the coach is green with shading to add depth and the sky is a summer blue with billowing clouds.
Coaching Days Bone China Rack Plate; Blue Sky; pattern number E.2768; dated July 1926
The “Snow Ground” is rare and appears on both earthern ware and a bone china base. The true snow ground takes two forms, in one the horse and coach is struggling through a blizzard, sometimes the artist has applied so much falling snow that it almost appears to be in white out conditions. In the second form of the snow scene the horses, coach and characters appear in snow covered back ground, there is often colour in the sky suggesting either evening or sun shine. The background bush is in the grays and brown of winter. There coach forms deep wheel ruts in the snow and the men's foot prints are clearly visible in the snow.
Coaching Days Earthern Ware Rack Plate; Snow Scene; D2682
From time to time I have seen examples of Snow Ground put forward that I do not feel that these are true snow ground examples. On the bone china examples there is definition to the snow, where on these earthen ware examples there is no definition, it is my belief that these are just production variation where less colour has been applied, as with this biscuit barrel below.
The forth background style is extremely rare. The scene is depicted in the full glorious flush of sunset. There is a lot of detail to the back ground, I believe that this would version would have been also done by air brush, but it would have been a very slow and laborious task. I have only seen an occasional example of the sunset colour-way and to date I have never owned a piece. I must thank the collector who supplied me with this photo.
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Coaching Days Bone China Vase Sunset Colours; E3407
My favorite scene is the Royal Mail Coach pursued by armed and masked highway men. I love the goose and the hare hanging from the back of the coach, at the risk of being ridiculous, could you imagine a bus on an interstate run pulling into a capital city Bus terminal with an Emu and a Kangaroo hanging from the back
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Royal Doulton Coaching Days - Bone Chian Pie Dish
New Scene - "The Out Rider"
Dating Coaching Days
This series was in production for 50 years, so there are range of tools we can use to determine an exact production date or at least the production era. An impressed date code give us the month and the year and on bone china it some times even gives the exact day. The small numeral just to the left of the crown in the maker’s mark gives us the year, add the number to 27 and you have the year. Mark below left – note the 15 beside the crown – denotes 1942. Also not the large “A” to the right of the crown – this was introduced by British Government in 1942 and it is to do with War time restrictions, I am not sure the exact year it was phased out, but circa 1952”.
The third mark was in use from 1902 until 1932.
I have only seen this DoultonBurslem mark used on one example of Coaching Days. On occasions I have seen other series ware items with a date code of 1905 with this mark also. This mark came from the base of an earthen ware Pelican Powder Box. I would hazard as a guess that this box would have been produced in 1905.
Pattern numbers are very useful for setting the date when a pattern was first produced, “D” pattern numbers are for Earthen Ware, “E” pattern numbers are for Bone China :-
D.2356 was introduced circa 1905
D.2579 “ ”1906
D.2682 “ ”1906
D.2716 “ ”1906
D.3474 “ ”1911
D.4190 “ ”1921
D.4891 “ ”1929
E.2768 “ ”1905
E.3407 “ ”1905
E.3804 “ ”1906
E.5082 “ ”1909
E.5083 “ ”1909
I will use Louise Irvines scene descriptions from page 52 of volume 2 of Royal Doulton Series Ware for the first 20 scenes. The descriptions of the new scenes and the four different back scenes are mine. I have decided to include an images of both the Earthen Ware and Bone China versions of this pattern and the verious colour-ways as there are minor variations.
The Scenes
As Defined by Louise Irvine
1. “Coach being harnessed, attendant bringing up a pair of horses”.
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Blue Sky
2. “Driver talking to serving wench”.
Earthen Ware
Image courtesy of Barb from NZ
Bone China - Blue Sky
3. “Youth holding a front pair of horses”.
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Blue Sky
4. “Innkeeper talking to drivers, attendants boarding.”
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Blue Sky
R.D. Coaching Days Blue Sky Plate; D.2682
I have only ever seen two examples of scene 4 Blue Sky on an Earthen Ware ground.
Please note: The gent to right of the coach choofing on a pipe. This is the only time I have seen this guy, does anybody else have an exampe of this scene or has anybody ever seen him in any other scenes?
Bone China
Bone China - Blue Sky
Image courtesy of Ian & Jerome of Calgary in Canada
5. “Group of passengers”.
Bone China
Bone China - Snow Scene
Image courtesy of Ian & Jerome of Calgary in Canada
6. “Horn sounding, coach departing, watched by solitary man”.
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Blue Sky
Blue Sky Example - dated February 1907 - D2682
7. “Driver talking to passengers, attendants loading”.
Earthen Ware
The scene above is only a partial, it comes off a biscuit barrel and I could not get the front 2 horese in the frame because of the curve of the barrel.
Bone China - Blue Sky
Blue Sky Example - E2768 - October 1906
8. “Family waving farewell”.
Earthen Ware
Bone China - Blue Sky
Blue Sky image courtesy of Ian & Jerome of Calgary in Canada
9. “Man opening gate for the coach”.
Earthen Ware
Bone China - Blue Sky
Blue Sky image courtesy of Ian & Jerome of Calgary in Canada
10. “Tightening the harness, goose and hare hanging from the coach”.
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Snow Scene
This example of scene 10 is pattern D.2682
Bone China - Snow Scene
Example is E2768 - dated October 1906
11. “Unscheduled stop, trouble with lame horses”.
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Blue sky
Blue Sky Example of scene 11; E.2768; dated July 1926
12. “Coach going up hill, attendants walking”.
Earthen Ware
Bone China - Snow scene
Snow scene image courtesy of Ian & Jerome of Calgary in Canada
Bone China - Sunset Colour-way
Sunset coloured ground from a bone china vase with the pattern number E3407
13. “Struggling through the snow, extra horses”.
Bone China - Snow Scene
To show the entire scene I have had to show both sides of the vase. I really like the 2 guys walking along behind the spear horses with spades.
14. “Coach pursued by highwaymen”.
Earthen Ware
15. “Boxes being handed to driver.”
Earthen Ware
Earthen Ware - Blue sky
Image courtesy of David Hamilton
This image came off an Earthern Ware rack plate with the pattern number D2682, it was dated Febuary 1907. This is the first time I have ever seen the character sitting on the baggage.
Bone China - Blue sky
E2768 - Date coded for May 1907
16. “Man with trunk, coach approaching through the snow.”
Earthen Ware
17. “Coach stopped, broken harness.”
Earthen Ware
Bone China Blue Sky
E2768 - date coded February 1908
Bone China - Snow Scene
E2768 - date coded March 1905
Snow scene image courtesy of Ian & Jerome of Calgary in Canada
18. “Passenger sitting on a trunk, another beside.”
Bone China - Snow Ground
19. “Group of passengers, horn sounding.”
Bone China
Image courtesy of Barb from NZ
Bone China - Blue Sky
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20. “Gig arriving with passengers”
Earthen Ware
Bone China - Blue Sky
The New Scenes
As Defined by Nicholnack
"The Out Rider"
Bone China
"Yokel giving pasenger directions"
Bone China
"Driver talks to Innkeeper & Maid"
Earthen Ware
Image courtesy of Barb from NZ
Bone China
Passenger talking to groom
Bone China
Image courtesy of Barb from NZ
The Back Scenes
As Defined by Nicholnack
There are 2 different birch trees and 2 birch coppice’s that appear on this series, these I have named and am also adding to the list of scenes:–
“Winter Birch.”
“Autumn Birch”
"Birch Coppice"
Back view of coaching days Rocket Jug
"Birch Coppice, trunks only"
Back view of Coaching Days Salad Bowl; pattern number D.2716; production era 1932 - 1942