ART MARKET / Up for sale

American decorators pay exorbitant prices for brightly coloured English porcelains but 'blue and white' collecting is left almost exclusively to the British. It is a scholarly game of sorting which piece was made by which 18th-century factory - many of them were shortlived. Plymouth, for example, only lasted a couple of years. A collection formed for a song by Alison Bremner in the early years of the 20th century is to be auctioned by Sotheby's on 9 February on behalf of her nephew. She bought with a sure eye for quality and condition. There are 63 pieces, including these rarities.

A very rare mug (10.5cm) attributed to Worcester c 1751-55. Worcester took over the stock and trade secrets of the Lunds Bristol factory in 1752 and it could be a Bristol piece (pounds 1,500-pounds 2,000).

A Worcester vase (17.5 cm) made c 1757-60 in the 'Mobbing Birds' pattern, also used for overglaze polychrome decoration (pounds 1,500-pounds 2,000).

Recent excavations in docklands have proved that this type of shell-shaped dish (15cm) was made at Limehouse c 1744-48 - once attributed to William Reid's Liverpool factory (pounds 1,000-pounds 1,500).

Lowestoft octagonal tea jar and cover, c 1762-65, only 9.5cm high. The size of this container underlines how rare and treasured a luxury tea was at this time (pounds 1,000-pounds 1,500).

Rare Caughley sample mug, c 1775. It would have been shown to customers, who could choose the tone of blue they wanted for their service (pounds 1,000-pounds 1,500).

Leaf-shaped sauceboat (15.5cm) attributed to the Christians factory in Liverpool c 1765-70, though recent excavations suggest it could have been made at Vauxhall (pounds 500-pounds 700).

The perfect Lowestoft piece: jug painted with a view of Lowestoft harbour (14cm) made between about 1770 and 1780. Lowestoft blue and white is mainly collected by local residents (pounds 700-pounds 1,000).

(Photographs omitted)