At one time, the annual fair was the biggest event in every country and district in that country, the whole neighbourhood took a holiday and went along, most were essentially commercial affairs, dedicated to purchasing livestock and domestic essentials.  During the 19th century they gradually changed into the funfairs of today.  The second half of the century  was the most popular time for cheap china ornaments that are now known as fairings.  Some were given as prizes, but most were sold for only a few pence to dress cottage mantles.

Much of their charm lies in the British humour which was bright, cheerful and sometimes rude.  The shared a cast of characters with music hall skits and Edwardian saucy postcards.  Buxom maidens, hapless youths, innocent and not so innocent maidens, outraged fathers, henpecked husbands, nervous newlyweds, old lechers, and swaying drunkards, were all used for the comical structure of the fairings.

Most were made in Germany Conta and Boehme, the first manufacturers, were the best.  Their fairings were made of solid soft paste porcelain, while the competitors were made of  hollow models, which tended to be less well finished and painted.  German dominance meant that the trade ings ended at the start of world war one. 

The really collectable ones are those mad by Conta and Boehme, with funny mottos in black or red copperplate script. It is important that the script is still readable.  Early Conta pieces are unmarked, but the late 1870s they adopted the mark of a crooked arm holding a dagger.  Earlier pieces tend to be better, as the pieces lost definition due to wear and tear on the moulds.

Conta an Boehme  began to number their pieces about the same time as they marked them. Numbers run from 2850-2899 and from 3300-3385.  At first, the numbers were scratched into the base, later they were embossed.  Any pieces that are unmarked, have a heavy Germanic or roman script and are stamped made in Germany on the base and are not Conta Fairings.

The value of Firings depend largely on its rarity. Many were made, but these were cheap ornaments, not meant to be treasured, so many of them were thrown away or broken.  They have also been widely reproduced,  the best way to tell a real piece is to check for wear, especially on the gilding.  The glaze on old pieces may have crazing, and uniformed crazing as the sign of a modern piece.  Small repairs do not reduce the value. Most of the charm of fairings is in their folksy appeal, and do it your self repairs.

When you are buying fairings make sure that the number, style and subject all point to the same factory, if they do not then it is a reproduction. A base with a continuous ridge, top and bottom, is from the firs half of the 1860s, while bustles came in after 1870.  A bicycle indicates that a piece is later than 1867.  Some fairings have themes based on popular music or prints, these may be dated easily.  Fairings may come in pairs, typically before and after scenes.  These pieces are a lot more if you can get the set.

Some items that come under the heading of fairings had practical uses, trinket boxes, watch stands, spill holders, and matchbox holders.  Some trinket boxes had lids which copied popular fairings, though without captions.  Matchstick holders, made for phosphorus matches, had a rough surface for striking as well as a holder disguised as a  tree stump, capstan, broken column or similar.

Not all fairings were funny. Some portrayed political figures, while others had scenes from the Crimean war.  In the Edwardian period, when the fairings were in decline, the makers looked for more respectable markets, such as shops.  Fairings traded ribaldry for sentiment, and featured angelic children or cats, dogs and farm animals striving to be lovable.