This is an antique plate, made in Holland. What makes this plate a rarity and curiosity, is not just the famous Blue Willow pattern, reproduced in various countries from Japan and the Netherlands, to England. Another item of interest is the stamp, it says "Societe Ceramique Maestricht". French? Holland? In 1851 the company was founded in the Maastricht neighborhood of Wijck, by Winand Clairmont and Charles Chainaye. In 1859, Guillaume Lambert, an engineer from Belgium, took control of the company, then formed a limited partnership. The use of the word Maestricht is an old french word for the Maastricht area. In four years time it became a limited liability company and became known as "Societe Ceramique". Under Victor Juanez (1863-1913) and then PJ Lengersdorff (1902-1915), the company grew, and became the biggest competitor of Petrus Regout's company that became known as "Sphinx", in 1899. This somewhat complicated history, most probably dates the piece from the earliest years. Around 1900, they became equal to their "Sphinx" competitors in both quality and price, but began to change their focus to ceramic sanitary ware. In 1958, the two companies merged to the surprise of many, and in 1990, the factory was destroyed to make room for a new, high-end housing community that was given the name "Ceramique". This plate's place in this unique history makes it worth collecting, even though it look "rough", with it's unique mistakes and smudges. It is a luncheon plate that measures 8 7/8" inches by 1" inch deep. I have had this item appraised, and because it was appraised among a large group of items, I do not have a written appraisal, but it was appraised at $60.00.