Portland Vase

This was one of the first small models to be introduced and is extremely common, at least in the form bearing the shorter inscription and non-league arms. It is also very common with the arms of the City ofLondon. These are my personal preference as matching arms because theyrepresent the geographical location of the original. However, manycollectors prefer the arms of the Duke of Portland whose wifepurchased the original after it was taken from Rome, where it wasdiscovered, to England, though the model is quite rare bearing thesearms. The original model was at one time lent to Josiah Wedgwood, whoproduced 50 copies at his own pottery. The version of the Goss modelwhich bears the longer inscription commemorates this and is thought tohave been specially produced in 1895, perhaps as a limited edition, tomark the centenary of Wedgwood’s death. This version, which isoccasionally found with two coats of arms, is rare, and extremely rarebearing Josiah Wedgwood’s personal arms. The model was also chosen by J.J. Jarvis as the first special modelfor members of The League of Goss Collectors and as such bears thespecial League arms. This version was originally sent free tocollectors when they first joined the League, the cost beingeffectively included in the membership fee. It is much less commonthan the non-league version, though it is by no means difficult tofind.