Please help identify 3 Yixing pots

[Bok]

Dear all,

Got gifted a few of what I suspect to be Yixing pots (out of a collectors leftover bin in Taiwan, so to speak).
No expert in regards to that topic, so I would like to ask the more knowledgeable among you about their opinion.

The first one is what looks to me the oldest in terms of patina.
Higher profile Shuiping. The clay colour is somewhat pale red. It becomes a bit lighter toward the junctions of handle, spout and body. Slightly loose lid. Sharp seal on the bootom. Worksmanship seems rather nice.

Very light and thin. Sign of use appear really fast after some uses. Lid to body "boink” is more of a dull sound.

Single hole, which purports at leas some age.

[Bok]

Picture of the inside.

Rest of the pots after lunch

[Bok]

Second pot is very small 2-3 small cups max.
Clay is a reddish orange, seems high-fired as the “boink” sound is high.
Must be more recent as it has a multi-hole spout.

Workmanship is ok I would say, lid fits tight, proportion is a bit off I would say spout rather clumsy compared to the handle.
Stamp is not executed very well, barelay readable.

This one seems to “eat” away a lot of flavour to tea (tested with Taiwanese oolong and daarjeeling kind of teas).

[jayinhk]

Re your first pot: nice pot. Looks older. I'll let those who know more give you a date. The one hole thing doesn't mean anything as there are pots made today without filters, but the stamp and construction make me think 60s-70s. The lighter bits are from pouring water over the pot; calcium deposits. Looks like nice hongni!

I've learned a little about Yixing since I bought that pot in Taipei the day we went to Wistaria, but there is a lot to learn!

[Bok]

The third and last one is a nicer one again (gift from my father in law, who in turn got it from a friend).

Clay is coarser, has some inclusions, gets a nice shine rather quickly. Colour is more towards orangey-red.
Single-hole and overall really nice workmanship.

One thing is special and I have not seen it before:
It is signed by hand and has a curious little nob in the middle of the underside.
Function or mannerism? Any input is appreciated!

From the few times I have used I think it works not bad.
I am just struggling with those small pots in general, the handle is just too small for my preferred way of handling a pot…

[Bok]

More details:

[Bok]

I've learned a little about Yixing since I bought that pot in Taipei the day we went to Wistaria, but there is a lot to learn!

Thanks Jay! True it is a science in itself it seems. But then that is the case with most things if one puts their mind to it

[kyarazen]

hmm.. generally after 90s, or what the taiwanese would call it as 厂外定制

but usable! the material of some of them look very decent and they can make good tea

[jayinhk]

Last one is definitely wheelthrown; Chaozhou or Taiwanese? Kyarazen said they're all 90s so I guess I'm wrong about the first one, although I can't tell if those are concentric rings from wheelthrowing on the inside.

Second one I can't tell you anything about really. Holes are well done on the inside (filter) but the stamp is rough. I guess use will tell you how good they are! I like the first one most. Whoever owned it used it.

[Tead Off]

He said 'after' 90's.

Here in Bangkok, I have seen new pots brought from Taiwan with single holes. You cannot judge age through type of hole alone. All these pots have had zhongguo yixing stamps and were copies of Factory pots of earlier periods and made in the last few years. All used clay that resembled zhuni.

[jayinhk]

True, he did say after 90s.

One factor specific to Taiwan is Taiwanese made fakes for the Taiwanese market. I saw hundreds, maybe thousands of fake pots in Yingge. In the end if the pot makes good tea and doesn't smell funny, it's a good pot.

[Bok]

Thanks for everyone’s input!

The second one is definitely going to storage, every tea I have tried so far in it took a turn to the worse, compared to other pots.
The other two are somewhat neutral, not really better or worse than what I normally use.

Getting better results with my own pots so far…

[Bok]

True, he did say after 90s.

One factor specific to Taiwan is Taiwanese made fakes for the Taiwanese market. I saw hundreds, maybe thousands of fake pots in Yingge. In the end if the pot makes good tea and doesn't smell funny, it's a good pot.

Not sure if those are made in Taiwan at all, fakes are made cheaper in China.
And what concerns Yixing, I think a good 90% is fake no matter where you buy it, which is why I have mainly stayed out of that game.

If you look closer in Yingge, you see a lot of familiar stuff from Taobao…
Or any teashop for that matter, most of basic teaware can be had on Taobao all the same.
What annoys me the most everyone seems to pick the same designs as if there weren’t any others than some silly fish on the bottom of a cup…

I inherited a few other pots from my in-laws (not with me at the moment), which is what I will limit myself to use as far as Yixing goes.

[Bok]

hmm.. generally after 90s, or what the taiwanese would call it as 厂外定制

but usable! the material of some of them look very decent and they can make good tea

All 90’s, even the first one? I did not think the last two were vintage, but at least the first one seems a tad older to me, at least if I compare it to more recent stuff.

Of course single holes can be used in any period. It’s more the colour of the clay and tiny signs of wear which make me think it might be older than 90‘s. But as a layman I will take your word for it…

[jayinhk]

True, he did say after 90s.

One factor specific to Taiwan is Taiwanese made fakes for the Taiwanese market. I saw hundreds, maybe thousands of fake pots in Yingge. In the end if the pot makes good tea and doesn't smell funny, it's a good pot.

Not sure if those are made in Taiwan at all, fakes are made cheaper in China.
And what concerns Yixing, I think a good 90% is fake no matter where you buy it, which is why I have mainly stayed out of that game.

If you look closer in Yingge, you see a lot of familiar stuff from Taobao…
Or any teashop for that matter, most of basic teaware can be had on Taobao all the same.
What annoys me the most everyone seems to pick the same designs as if there weren’t any others than some silly fish on the bottom of a cup…

I inherited a few other pots from my in-laws (not with me at the moment), which is what I will limit myself to use as far as Yixing goes.

Nowadays, yes, lots of Chinese imports, but in the 80s and 90s there were a lot made right in Taiwan (when production costs were lower). Still lots of crappy ones floating around, too. For a while, Taiwan couldn't import "Yixing China" marked pots because of the friction across the straits, and they had to be imported through Hong Kong, which was still British territory. Just what I've read from posts here.

Lots of real Yixing still out there, but lots and lots of modern stuff and crap out there too. I've gotten better at finding good pots; once you see enough, you start to understand them. We have a really good museum here that is packed with Yixings, and I haven't checked out the Yixing collection since I was 13! Shame on me...

Yingge was full of cheap Chinese teaware. The fact that so many dealers have the same stuff indicates someone is importing container loads of the stuff and then wholesaling to tea stores. Prices were the same as in China and sometimes a little lower than Taobao, too.

Would love to see your other pots! When I was in Taiwan, I was only really familiar with the five Yixing teapots i owned. I have almost 30 clay teapots now, almost all Yixing! And I'm still just scratching the surface.