Vintage Royal Visit Commemorative Plate King George VI Queen Elizabeth to Canada & USA – Johnson Bros Pareek, Long May They Reign 1939

At the centre, King George VI in his coronation robes and Queen Elizabeth in her crown sit side by side in a gilt heart, a crown and Tudor rose above them, crossed Union Jacks and the Canadian Red Ensign behind, and a banner reading Long May They Reign. Look to the edges of the medallion and the story sharpens: the domed US Capitol at Washington on the left, the tower of Parliament Hill at Ottawa on the right, a draped Stars and Stripes below, maple leaves all around.

That pairing — Washington and Ottawa, the American flag and the Canadian ensign on one English plate — is what dates and names it. It records the 1939 royal tour, the summer George VI crossed into Canada as the first reigning British monarch ever to do so, then carried on south to meet President Roosevelt and became the first to set foot in the United States as well — a goodwill journey made as the shadow of war lengthened over Europe. Coronation plates crown a portrait and stop there. The American capital on this one gives it away as the trip, which is why two cities share the rim.

The body is Johnson Brothers' Pareek earthenware, printed in colour over a cream ground and finished with a wide gilt border. Pareek was one of the firm's own line names, though it trips up plenty of sellers who list it as a maker in its own right. Earthenware of this age nearly always crazes, and this plate is no exception: a fine allover crazing runs across the glaze, with soft rubbing to the gilt rim from years of handling. The transfer stayed crisp and the colours bright. I'd keep it now as a display or wall plate rather than bring it back to the table.

For a collector of George VI and Queen Mother commemoratives, of the 1939 tour, or of that unusual moment when a British king stood in both Ottawa and Washington.