Thermoluminescence (TL) readout equipment is now in wide use for dosimetric purposes, and the principle of TL dating of ancient pottery generally known. On the other hand, the well-known difficulties in establishing ages by this method with reasonable accuracy discouraged investigators to apply commercial or self-developed TL equipment to the much more frequent and simpler problem of distinguishing between old (=original) and new(=faked) ceramic art objects. The paper describes how, with little additional equipment and modifications of TL readers, authentication tests can be carried out based on the measurements of the TL from large ( ~ 0.1-0.25 mm) quartz grains which have been isolated from the pottery.