Many people enquiring about their older Spode and Copeland services ask what was in the original set so that they can find the remaining pieces; either matching with new product or searching for older pieces.

However this is neither an easy nor straightforward question to answer. The composition of a service depends on:

• for which country it was destined
• for which period of history - Spode began manufacturing in about 1770
• which social status the purchaser held
• the whim of the purchaser
• the wealth of the purchaser
• fashion and whether the purchaser followed old or new fashioned styles

There is some guidance in some catalogues held in the Spode Museum Trust's archive describing composition of dinner services, tea services, breakfast services, dessert services toilet sets but it is impossible to give a definitive answer to 'what was in the set?'