Have you ever wondered why you find china, glass and leather goods with stamps reading "Made in Germany", "Made in Japan" or "Made in France" written in English instead of written in their local language?
Has
the fact this phrase is written in English ever made you question the
authenticity of the origin of the piece?
Doesn't it stand to reason that if a piece really were "Made in France"
that the stamp would be written in French?
This inconsistency bothered me for years as I picked up pieces of pottery in
quaint shops in the French countryside or in the rolling hills of Germany. I love the diversity of the world, thus when
I buy a foreign article I like seeing a foreign language written on the
object! Shopping in the shadow of the
Eiffel Tower, I wondered, "Why would so many makers label their goods in
English instead of their own language?"
In 1891 the American Congress passed new legislation demanding a tariff be paid
on all imports of china, glass, leather and metal. As a result, all goods which were made from
1891 onwards were stamped with "Made in" their country of origin if there was
an expectation that they might be imported to America. Thus
we now find the phrase "Made in China" written in English instead of Mandarin!
Instead of finding the phrase written in English as opposed to the local
language to be suspect, it actually helps date a piece of china, glass, leather
or metal. If they are stamped with this phrase you know they were made after
1891!.