The Star ink stamp was initially used to mark Red Wing art pottery.

Red Wing Potteries used a variety of methods to mark their dinnerware, including ink stamps, paper labels or marks imparted to the item during the molding process. There are also many Red Wing dinnerware items that were not marked in any way, and some items marked “Red Wing” were not made by Red Wing Potteries.

Red Wing began producing dinnerware in the mid-1930s. The colorful Gypsy Trail line, which includes four distinct patterns, was introduced June 1935. Gypsy Trail items can be found with a wide variety of marking styles.

The Star ink stamp (right) was initially used to mark Red Wing art pottery. It was applied to only a few dinnerware items. It can be found on the earliest Gypsy Trail coffee servers and on some Wreath creamers and sugar bowls. Wreath is an undocumented pattern that we believe was Red Wing’s first attempt at dinnerware and thus predates Gypsy Trail.

Most Gypsy Trail items produced during the 1930s were not marked (below,next two photographs).

Some had “RED WING” pressed into the bottom during the molding process (below, next two photos).

Around 1940, “USA” was added to the mark (below, next four photos).

Later in the early 1940s, the catalog number was included on the bottom of most newly introduced Gypsy Trail items (below, next two photos).

Fondoso, one of the four Gypsy Trail patterns, had marks unique to that pattern (below, next two photos).

The mark directly below has the words “RED WING” within a wing-shaped mark. It is rare and has been found only on a few Chevron and Reed oval platters. The Gypsy Trail paper label (further below) is also rarely seen.

The Provincial Cooking Ware line of baking dishes was produced during the early to mid 1940s. This line had bisque (unglazed) exteriors (below). Most pieces were marked by impressing “RED WING PROVINCIAL WARE” on the side along with the item’s catalog number.

In the early 1960s a revival of Provincial Cooking Ware was introduced. This line was named Provincial Bakeware and it had glazed exteriors with a similar bisque color. However this 1960s line was marked on the bottom rather than the side (below).

Red Wing’s first hand painted dinnerware line was introduced in 1941. The ink stamp directly below was used from 1941 until the late 1940s. This mark is usually found in black, but green and blue inks were also early on. The ink stamp further below was used for only a couple of years in the late 1940s.

Town & Country was introduced in 1947 and is one of Red Wing’s more celebrated dinnerware patterns. It was designed by Eva Zeisel and features soft, rounded surfaces. The plates and bowls have a slight tilt. All Town & Country items were unmarked, but there is at least one known exception. Below is a chartreuse Town & Country teapot that is bottom marked with the late 1940s ink stamp.

Red Wing’s most well-known dinnerware mark was introduced in 1950 and was used until 1957 or early 1958. The name RED WING in seen in the “feathers” of this pinkish-red wing-shaped mark (directly below). A number is often found along with the wing; this number does not indicate the pattern but is simply a stock or lot number used in the manufacturing process. This stock number is found with most ink stamps from this point on. The greenish-black ink stamp further below is rarely seen and is a transition from the late ’40s stamp to the new wing stamp.

The Tweed Tex pattern, which was entirely white with no hand painted decoration, had its own unique variation of the pinkish wing stamp. A stamp without the words “HAND PAINTED” was used for this pattern (below).

In 1958, the pinkish wing was replaced with a rather drab black ink stamp that consists of only text that states the product is HAND PAINTED and OVENPROOF (below). It continued to be used to mark items in most patterns until Red Wing Potteries closed in 1967. But there were exceptions.

The True China line was introduced in 1959 and consisted of eight patterns. The following ink stamp was used to mark True China flatware items (below). The unique triangular stamp (further below) was used exclusively to mark individual ashtrays in the True China line.

Red Wing also introduced pattern-specific ink stamps for a number of patterns. Items from the patterns named in the following ink stamps can be found with either this pattern-specific stamp or the drab text stamp (next 12 photos).

Unlike Gypsy Trail’s mold-imparted marks shown earlier, Red Wing did not use this method for any of its hand painted-dinnerware when it was introduced in 1941. Patterns of the 1940s were either ink-stamped or not marked at all. This changed in 1952 when Village Green was introduced. The use of molds to mark items with “RED WING USA” resumed for accessory items such as pitchers, teapots, casseroles, salad bowls, gravy boats, etc. In any given pattern, the bowls and plates are often found marked with an ink stamp while accessory items used the mold to impart the mark (below, three photos).

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Ernest Sohn Creations contracted with Red Wing Potteries to produce two lines of dinnerware items. Butter Mold is the better known line. Butter Mold items feature fern and leaves artwork borrowed from a vintage butter mold, usually with the letters “E.S. U.S.A.” This design can be found on the bottom, side or top of a given item (below, next two photos).

Red Wing also made Village Green-shaped items for Sohn glazed entirely in dark brown. These pieces had foil labels to identify them, but in many cases the label is now missing. All-brown Village Green shaped items marked simply “USA” were most likely made for Sohn (below, next two photos).

In the mid 1960s, an upright wing ink stamp was introduced to be used on the new Hotel or Restaurant dinnerware line, which was sold exclusively to the hotel and restaurant trade. This ink stamp is usually seen in black but green ink stamps can also be found. When the Potteries closed in 1967, the staff decorated the remaining greenware with whatever glazes remained, resulting in some unusual color combinations. Many of these post-production pieces were marked with this ink stamp (below, next two photos).

Finally, there are numerous pieces out there that are marked “RED WING USA” on the bottom but were not made by Red Wing Potteries. When the business closed for good in 1967, the assets of the company were sold to the public, including the molds used to form dinnerware and art pottery pieces. Since the company was out of business, there was no attempt to obliterate the RED WING USA lettering found on the bottom of the molds. Many of them were purchased by art schools and hobby potters. The users of these old molds often scratched their name or initials and a date into the wet clay when forming a piece. Red Wing workers did not scratch marks into the wet clay, even when making “lunch hour” items for their personal use. They used ink. Thus, any “Red Wing USA” item that has markings scratched into the bottom was almost certainly produced in an art school or hobby shop and has no real collector value.

The glaze can be another clue that an item is not an authentic piece of Red Wing pottery. Items glazed in garish colors or colors that were not uses by Red Wing Potteries at the time the mold would have been used are most likely hobby shop pieces. Experience always helps to discern such pieces, and even seasoned collectors can be fooled occasionally.

Larry Roschen and his wife Kathy have collected Red Wing pottery since 1980. In recent years Larry and his friend Terry Moe have sought out vintage Red Wing documents to research and expand our knowledge of Red Wing dinnerware. Larry currently serves as the dinnerware advisor for the “Ask the Experts” section of the Red Wing Collectors Society website and is a member of the RWCS Foundation board.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

This is the crock with fake Nebraska advertising that Red Wing dealer Bill Prock bought back in 2009.

Ever since a butter crock with a fake “Goodhue County Co-Operative” advertising stamp showed up at a chapter meeting a few years ago, Red Wing Collectors Society Trails West Chapter President Larry Birks has made it his mission to learn as much as he can about fake stamps and share his knowledge to help prevent people from buying a faked piece.

Although there are a few ways in which new advertising is being applied to old pieces of stoneware, such as laser engraving and paper labels, Birks says the most convincing fake ads are applied as an ultra-thin vinyl transfer. In many cases, these pieces are covered with a clear coat to give the appearance that the advertising stamp is under glaze.

This reproduction advertising stoneware is so well done that it’s fooling even the most advanced collectors. Back in 2009, after seeing some photos, longtime Red Wing collector and dealer Bill Prock purchased a one-gallon crock with Nebraska advertising for $2,000. He had never seen or heard of this particular advertising before, so when it arrived in the mail and looked good, he called up one of his best customers and sold it for a fair profit.

About a week later, however, the customer forwarded Prock an e-mail he received from someone who told him the crock was a fake. Prock still had the crock in his possession at this point, so he grabbed his jackknife and scratched at a small corner of the advertising. Sure enough, the advertising scraped off.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Prock says. “I’ve been buying and selling stoneware for many years, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Even looking at it right now, I wouldn’t know it was fake unless my customer hadn’t received that e-mail. It’s got that shiny glaze over the advertising that all Red Wing pieces have.”

Prock refunded his customer, who graciously offered to split the losses. But Prock wouldn’t hear of it.

“This was my problem—not his,” Prock says. “I just want people to learn from this.” (Bill later got his money back from the person he bought it from, although it took awhile.)

This jug with a fake “John Treber” advertising that showed up at a South Dakota auction in late January 2011. The close-up photo below shows where an alert Red Wing Collectors Society member easily scratched off part of the ad. He informed the auctioneer and an announcement was made before the piece sold, stating there were no guarantees whether it was authentic or fake. Perhaps a more noble decision would have been to pull the piece from the auction altogether, as it still sold for $250.

Notice the scratch through the "R."

After doing some digging, a source told me these pieces are being made in Nebraska, but they didn’t know the name of the person making them. To date, most of the pieces with fake advertising are showing up on eBay, at antique malls and flea markets or on auctions. The faked “John Treber” and “Oliver Chilled Plow Works” jugs shown on this page were recently sold at auctions held near the town stamped on each respective piece. So, it’s possible that the people who are making these pieces are consigning them to general-line antique auctions in areas where the advertising is from, in hopes of targeting a high concentration of people seeking local advertising.

So how can you identify these pieces as being fake? If you have the advantage of looking at an item in-person and you doubt its authenticity, the advertising will usually scrape off if it’s not original. Applying advertising over original glaze is much like painting a piece of glossy glass . . . the paint might stick just fine, but if you scrape it with a razor blade, it will come off with little effort.

Before you start scratching a jug in front of its owner, however, explain to them that scratching at the glaze won’t damage the crock or the advertising if it’s original. The glaze on original zinc-glazed Red Wing stoneware pieces is extremely strong, and provided the glaze hasn’t pitted due to acid damage at some point in the past, scratching it with a knife will not harm the piece.

This jug with fake advertising was listed in a March 12, 2011 auction that took place about 40 miles away from South Bend, Ind.

When presenting a seminar on fake advertising to the Collectors of Illinois Pottery and Stoneware this fall, Birks learned about a new technique. Apparently, at least two fakes made using rubber stamps and ink have shown up in Western Kansas.

“The kicker is that running a knife over the ‘inked’ label did not damage the label and therefore the faked pieces were deemed ‘good,’” Birks reports. “It was only after the pieces were being cleaned up (both were very dirty) that the ink began to run and disappear, leaving the stoneware without part of the label. So, now we have a new way to check for fakes besides scratching the surface. Wet a thumb and rub it over the label. The ink supposedly is water soluble and will break down and come off.”

If you only have photos to look at when deciding whether to buy a piece, as is the case when bidding on eBay, you might notice that something about the advertising stamp just doesn’t look quite right. Some collectors of advertising stoneware note that pieces with fake ads can usually be identified by the appearance of the font used in the ad. Some of the fake advertising pieces pictured here are good examples of stamps that simply don’t look like they were done by Red Wing due to the fonts used. In some cases, the size of the type and shape of the ad is different than on original Red Wing pieces. While particularly well-done fake ads have fooled advanced collectors from time-to-time, newer collectors are the ones who are especially vulnerable to buying a fake advertising piece because they have limited experience to draw from.

Also, think about what the advertising says and where it’s from. If you consider yourself to be well-versed in the advertising that Red Wing and other stoneware companies made, but have never seen this particular advertising stamp before, it might be too good to be true—the “Oliver Chilled Plow Works” jug pictured here is a great example. Sure, rare pieces exist that you have never seen before, but you might be able to verify the level of rarity by reaching out to fellow collectors and asking them if they’ve ever seen examples of the advertising in question. If you talk to 10 of the most-advanced collectors you know and they’ve never seen it, it doesn’t mean it’s a fake, but it should at least make you proceed more cautiously when making an expensive purchase. This is another example of when being a member of a club like the Red Wing Collectors Society is beneficial; it helps you network with other collectors.

Many are concerned that this fake advertising will affect the value of original pieces. I believe that while it’s possible the values of original advertising could dip slightly, the more we educate collectors about fakes being out there, the less chance that values will decrease.

More examples of old stoneware with faked advertising and the authentic versions.

Keep in mind that a piece of stoneware that’s bottom-signed by the manufacturer doesn’t make it immune to having new advertising placed on it. If anything, the person who’s making these pieces might be more likely to place new advertising on signed pieces, because buyers would be more likely to believe they’re real.

Nobody likes getting ripped off, so if you see these pieces at auctions, tell the auctioneer that they’re fake; he or she will often announce this when the piece is being sold or pull it from the auction completely. And don’t be surprised if you find one of these pieces covered with dirt at a farm auction . . . a shifty seller trying to trick you into sinking your hard-earned cash into one of his pieces might try to consign it to a sale and do everything they can to make it look old.

Also, don’t be afraid to inform dealers and “eBayers” when they’re selling a piece that might have fake advertising. Most of the time they’re honest people who don’t want to deceive their customers . . . they just don’t know the piece is fake.

Finally, some people decide to destroy a piece when they find out it could be a reproduction. If you’re one of those people, don’t give it a thought until you’re able to confirm whether it’s a fake or an original. If it is deemed a fake and you’re unable to return it for a refund, consider keeping it and using it to help educate others on what to look for.

For more photos and to download RWCS Member Larry Birks’ list of advertising stoneware pieces that are known to have been faked, visit the RWCS website.

Rick Natynski is the editor of the Red Wing Collectors Society Newsletter. The Red Wing Collectors Society was founded in 1977 in Red Wing, Minn. and is devoted to educating people about all American pottery. There are more than 5,000 members worldwide. The Red Wing Potteries had diverse pottery lines that included stoneware, dinnerware and art pottery. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800.977.7927, e-mail membership [at] redwingcollectors [dot] org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

If you can’t see a mark on a piece of fine pottery or art glass, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. If your eye is trained to spot quality pieces but you are not able to find a mark, it can be well worth your time to keep on looking for one.

I once visited a very high-end antique store in Los Angles and was rather disappointed when I couldn’t find anything of interest I could buy and later resell for a profit. But, as I was leaving the store, for some reason I looked up at a top shelf where there were two extremely large vases. I asked the dealer if he would get a ladder and bring them down so that I could get a better look at them. Hesitantly, he did.

I examined the vases from top to bottom but couldn’t find a mark, even though I felt fairly certain they were Doulton Lambeth pieces decorated by one of their leading artists. I went over these pieces several more times but still couldn’t find a mark and was considering putting them back on the shelf. Being the stubborn person I am, as all that I refused to give up, so I examined them another time. Finally, I caught a glimpse of three letters within the body of the vase, “FEB” — meaning Florence E. Barlow, the sister of Hannah Barlow. This had just become my lucky day. The two Barlow sisters were Doulton’s best known decorators, and their vases always bring top prices.

Why hadn’t others found these marks? Very simply, the marks weren’t typically where one would find marks on pottery. I’m sure there had been hundreds of people who looked at the bottoms of these pieces and returned them to their shelf when they couldn’t see a mark. You see, ninety-five percent of these vases would have been marked on the bottom. But, not these. And, to make it more difficult, this particular mark, “FEB” had been incorporated into the actual design of the vase, making it almost impossible to find. But, not impossible to a persistant and stubborn person like me. This poor dealer had no idea these vases were special pieces.

I could barely hold my composure when I asked the price. “Two hundred and fifty dollars each,” was the dealer’s response. I didn’t know if it was time to dance or cry.

I returned to my car carrying these two precious bundles and carefully placed them in the back. Then, I pinched myself to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. You see, these wonderful 22″ vases were worth over $5,000 each at the time.

This type of find isn’t a rare occurrence. Lalique, Steuben and other art glass pieces with etched marks often present a huge challenge in finding the marks. The secret is to recognize the quality of the materials and the decorations on the piece. If they both meet the standards of a quality piece, then you should spend the time required to verify the maker.

The next show you attend, find a Tiffany Lamp and ask to look at it. I believe you will find it isn’t easy to located the marks because of their small size and because of where they are located under the shade.

You can learn to spot quality when you make a study of the most sought after pottery, porcelain, and art glass. Knowing the work and values of in demand artists will put you at the head of the class. You’ll be able to find the marks others miss.

Use every source you can in order to study. Search the Internet. See these pieces up close at shows. Invest in your own resource library. Used books can easily be found at reasonable prices through the internet. Choose your area of study.

When you spot that next high quality piece, be persistant in looking for a mark. It can pay you off tenfold.

For more information about marks, visit www.Marks4Antiques.com.

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Automobilia China Part Two

By David Bausch

While most of the early china objects depicting the automobile were from Europe (the home of the automobile), it wasn’t long until the automobile fever caught on here in the U.S. of A. While Royal Doulton of England, and Villeroy and Boch of Germany were making china picturing the automobile, it was Roseville of Zanesville, Ohio, that took up the effort to portray the automobile on China in America.

Roseville produced a large series of pottery known as “Tourist.” There were 29 different shapes of pottery that carried the Tourist design. I should say designs, because there was more then one design in the series. Usually, two autos are found on the larger items and one on the smaller pieces. Some of the cars are roadsters and others are touring cars of different styles; one of the series shows a car broken down with a flat tire. A flat tire was not an unusual problem; at least not in the very early days of motoring. I am sure many of the motorists could relate to that experience.

A large jardinière on a pedestal base will command a price of $2,500 to $3,000. A small bowl can run around $300 to $500. Condition is very important, crazing is very common on this pottery, and crazing reduces the value of any item in this series.

Valuable Majolica earthenware hiding in plain sight

By Sherri Hall-Wilcox

One of the most valuable pieces of pottery that tends to lie about, its value unknown, is Victorian Majolica. To most, this brightly colored earthenware often appears too gaudy to possibly be antique or even worth anything, and since a great deal of it has no maker’s mark, it is often overlooked.

Majolica’s history begins in 1851 when it was exhibited at London’s Crystal Palace by Herbert Minton of Minton & Co. The demand was so great other European makers soon began production of their own lines of majolica. For the next 45 years, no home’s decor was complete without a variety of majolica centre pieces, fish servers, platters or umbrella stands. The market for majolica lasted until the end of the Victorian age and finally died out in the early years of the 20th century.

Majolica became popular again in the 1970s with the revival of public interest in the Victorian floral designs and chintz patterns. Pieces that had gathered dust for the better part of a century were brought out of attic trunks, dusted off and put on display. A whole new group of collectors were born in the process. By the late 1980′s, values for this gaudy tin-glazed earthenware began to appreciate at a great rate.

In the beginning, only the pieces by Minton’s and other early makers were the collector’s darlings, but by the 1990′s, these pieces were becoming well beyond the reach of the average collector. Even the unmarked pieces began to sell for several hundred dollars.

Just how valuable are individual majolica item? Well, the piece pictured at the top of today’s column is a not a record maker, but this George Jones majolica pedestal & jardinière, circa 1870, sold for $20,000 two years ago. Some pieces, such as a rare Minton Majolica Peacock, have sold for more than $230,000 at major auction houses such as Sotheby’s. How well values will hold up for majolica over time remains to be seen.

Greetings, all! I started out collecting Lladró Spanish porcelain, which quickly led me to other areas, including Asian porcelains. I started out with Chinese porcelains but quickly learned that the field of Japanese porcelains was more rewarding because it was somewhat easier to ascertain the correct origin and age of items than it is with Chinese porcelains.

My interest in Satsuma and Kutani porcelains also opened me to other areas in collecting what are called in the antiques trade “smalls” – primarily decorative items of a size small enough to display on furniture. My collection now includes a cloisonne on porcelain vase signed by 19th century artist Takeuchi Chubei (for which I paid the grand sum of $10 at an antique shop), a tixi lacquer covered box with alternating layers of red and black lacquer (for which I paid all of $8 in another antique shop), and an ivory blotter and pen with carved tiger motifs(for which I think I paid around $15).

My experiences in buying these items show another attractive aspect of collecting Japanese smalls: They are frequently vastly undervalued in the market because generalist dealers don’t know what they are nor have the eye to appreciate them. So collectors with a good eye can find some wonderful things out there! (Training the eye is, by the way, essential; there’s a lot of “junk Satsuma” and “junk Kutani” on the market, and it’s important to be able to tell the difference between that and finer stuff.)

Faience pottery, also known as Fayence in France, is often used as a synonym to Majolica because of their similar appearance and use of tin glaze. Yet, most collectors distinguish Faience pottery by their characteristic polychrome (multi-colored) designs and mostly white background, whereas Majolica tends to have decoration all over along with pronounced raised decorative details (relief).

Although the earliest specimens date all the way back to 1200 BC in Greece, most Faience items found in the antiques market or many museums today are made circa 16th century onwards, and primarily in Italy, France, Holland and England. The most desired of Faience pottery originates from France, such as the Quimper, Ruen, Luneville regions, or from Italy near Turin or Savona and Florence. Of course, as with most other popular pottery or porcelain, some Faience pieces now also come from China and other Asian economies, and in spite of their decorative appeal, these are not antique.

Most antique Faience pottery was of a quasi-utilitarian nature, like jugs or plates, but with a distinct aesthetic flair. Vases and other decorative ware were also made in those older days, but many tend to be of rather regular shapes. Designs tend to be floral or geometric in nature, and some have simple depictions of pastoral scenes with one or two persons carrying farm duties.

The vast majority of antique Faience was made in small studios or by individual artists. These early pieces were signed with the artist’s initials or monogram, along with a symbol or the full name of their location. Hence, QUIMPER or other names of regions where Faience pottery was made do not reflect any actual manufacturer or maker, but rather a number of art studios or artists that worked in the area. Much later, around very-late-18th century onwards, some studios were much larger or became collectives, and some marks and signatures from that period are linked to a specific company, as in the case of the HENRIOT factory in Quimper, France.

Old Faience is very popular nowadays and can fetch high prices at auction. Because early examples were made of earthenware and, as noted above, were of utilitarian nature, many show clear signs of distress and wear such chips or cracks. However, this is to be expected and in most cases it does not detract from their value. In fact, some collectors believe it adds character to a Faience piece. This is unlike what you would expect on a Meissen porcelain figurine or a pair of Sevres urns that are usually more valuable if in perfect condition, even though they date from a similar period, since the latter were meant to be used for display only.

Please see “My Collections” for some examples. The above is by no means an exhaustive account on Faience pottery, but rather a starting point for an interesting discussion. Please feel free to contribute your own experiences with Faience to this blog.

Alex and Elizabeth are WorthPoint Worthologists.

Every once in a while a fantastic antique comes on eBay to be offered without reserve. I’m talking about a collectible that you’ll usually find in the catalog of the likes of Sotheby’s & Christies or another major auction house.

The subject of this post, a 8.5″ Grueby Faience, 7 Petal Cucumber Matte & Mottled Green Vase is such an item. It’s truly a stunning American Art Pottery Vase.

This is a consignment from a New England estate. The executor of the estate has asked me to auction it on eBay. The auction will start on Thursday evening May 22nd 9pm eastern time and end on Sunday evening June 1st at 9pm. I hope you stop by and take part in the bidding, or let a friend know that this rare find is going up for auction with no reserve!

Examples of Grueby Faience Vases can be found at Sotheby’s by clicking on the link below.

Here’s link to a Sotheby’s page with 3 examples of Grueby Faience Vases from $15,000 to $100,000

If you know of any serious collectors, please send them a link to the auction or this site.

Thanks

AW

This past weekend, I saw Rosville and Weller pottery well overpriced at an estate sale and wondered how anyone could turn a profit if they purchased these pieces at those prices. This is not the first sale I’ve seen this. In fact, this seems to be the norm today, and the reason why so many dealers are having a hard time selling their inventory. At the Arlington Park Antique Show I attended last month, it seemed to me that items such as Grueby, Newcomb and Rookwood were priced out of sight. I wonder if perhaps these pieces are being purchased by dealers at prices too inflated for today’s markets.

The secondary market should set the prices for us to use as a guide when we purchase, and if we find pieces priced even beyond that, where can we hope to go with them? Yes, the best are bringing record prices, but that isn’t so when it comes to the medium or lower priced items.

A new name that might bring you great returns, should you find a piece is Frederick Walrath. Walrath was an exceptional potter and his work is coveted by the most serious collectors of American Art Pottery. Walreth died in 1920, and his better vases can easily command five figures and his less serious pieces will bring in the hundreds. The pieces I’ll be discussing are the ones he produced in Rochester, New York, however he did work at one time for the Newcomb Pottery Company of New Orleans.

His work is marked Walrath Pottery” with a mark that looks like a cross bow between the two words. This is the kind of item that most people will pass, or have very little knowledge of what its true value should be. When you find a special piece of Walrath, this is the time to be patient and check all your connections before pricing it on the market. Here is where you can really compound your investment. While others are struggling to break even on the more known pieces like Roseville, Weller and Van Briggle, you will have your money ready for those special pieces of Walrath when the opportunity presents itself. Patience will be your guide to success.

This weekend was a prefect example of what I am talking about. Thinking I was going to buy several items at a sale I attended, my plan wasn’t fulfilled. I made a pass at several items that would have been good buys at the price I offered, but my offer wasn’t a deal maker. I only purchased one piece from this sale, keeping my other funds in my pocket for another day.

I knew the Rookwood lamp at this sale was exceptional, and I knew I had to own it. But, even as sure as I was that I’d found my treasure for the week, I called a good friend in Cincinnati to confirm my judgment. He assured me that the lamp was a fantastic buy. In my judgment, this piece is very special and should go to auction for the best results. Remember, we aren’t in a hurry because the compounding of our funds will create wealth for us, not the quantity of pieces we buy and sell.
So add Walrath Pottery to your growing list of things to watch for. By now, if you have followed my blog, that list should contain several items that could change your prospective of this business.

Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

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It’s Spring Time, and around here that means it’s time to visit the Arlington Park Antique Show. It was held this weekend, and I was very excited to get the ball rolling again. Cindy and I met to discuss our strategy before we entered the show, and while we waited for the gate to open, I talked to everyone within ear shot. The mood was upbeat, and the people were very eager to begin their shopping. Cindy and I did as we always do by following a pattern throughout the building to be sure we didn’t miss anything of importance.

Whoa, were prices high! For the first four hours we drew a blank. Finally breaking for lunch we decided to retrace our steps, thinking that at the close of the sale, some dealers might be more willing to deal with us.

So after much disappointment, we approached a booth we’d looked at earlier. In fact, this was the same booth we ended up buying from last year. They seem to always be tempting us with their outstanding inventory of glass and pottery. Yesterday, they had a wonderful Weller Forest Jardinier and Pedestal we eyed earlier, along with several other pieces of really fine pottery. A huge Roseville vase in the Green Pinecone pattern was still there, as well as one of my favorites – a ten inch vase in the Falline pattern from 1933.

So, as closing time was creeping up closer, bingo! They significantly reduced the price of the Weller Forest Jardinier and Pedestal to meet our goal. It’s rather large and I’m certain they wouldn’t want to pack that up and lug it home. By closing time, we were able to come to an agreement on price for the huge Roseville Green Pinecone pattern vase as well as the Falline pattern vase.

Paul was so nice and even packed the pieces, and Jo Ann helped carry them to the car. You can be assured that we will never fail to visit their booths if they set up at a show we attend. This is what I mean by when I talk about networking. You should make an attempt to meet these folks. I have never had a problem with any item that I’ve purchased from them, but I feel certain if I did, they would be accommodating. Without these wonderful people, my entire day would have been wasted. You will soon see these pieces on our website, and I am sure you will appreciate them as much as Cindy and I did.

If you ever run across Joann Woodall and Paul Woolmer from Hampshire, Illinois, be sure to stop and say howdy. These folks are real home town and ready to deal. They can be reached at Wagon Wheel Antiques www.wagonwheelantiques.net Next to them you will also find some fine folks in their booth. Cindy Horvath and Mike Nickel have a store called “A Nickel’s Worth” out of Portland, Michigan. I’m not certain, but I think these two stores work as partners. Last year, they supplied us with some fine Charles Lotton vases we listed on the 31 Club site. If you remember, those pieces didn’t last long.

Another great find for 31 Club Member, Cecil. You may get tired of hearing this name so often but he called me Saturday afternoon to ask if I was near my computer. It so happened that I was away from home. But, I couldn’t help myself from asking what he had found. “Oh, nothing,” was his reply. Well, I wasn’t going to let him get away with that, so again I asked, “What did you find?”

He told me that it was just a small watercolor about 5×7 inches. I asked him who the artist was and when he told me, my hat almost flew off my head. I asked him if I could be his partner on that, but he wasn’t buying that from me. I couldn’t wait to get home to research it, and as I expected, that small watercolor has a value of $6,000 to $8,000. Please don’t tell me there isn’t any great treasure out there to be found. Cecil asked me not to give the artist’s name yet, but hopefully I can do that at a later date.

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Like many successful businesses, one of the most prominent late 19th and early 20th century ceramics and pottery companies was created from a hobby.

Maria Longworth Nichols Storer painted blank china pieces. By 1870, she had experimented to get just the right glazes and just the right temperatures to create high quality ceramic ware to open her own marketing company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Known as Rookwood Pottery Company, her ceramic pieces created over a period of 70 years would be considered one of the most collectible ceramic series with one piece bringing $375,000 at auction in 2004.

At first, early Rockwood would be done on natural clay with an abundance of pinks, sage, and greens sometimes with carved or stamped patterns.

But then a more “standard” glaze appeared. Gold, red, orange over dark brown glaze produced a very high gloss finish, usually utilizing a leaf or flower pattern and, at times, even historical figures.

A “matte” glaze followed featuring pale blue and greens painted on soft colored clay painted over a yellow, blue or red base.

Next, came a “vellum” glaze that was a light blue matte over a lightly colored clay.

The “iris” glaze was a high gloss white brushed over a pink, blue, or yellow base used mostly for flower motifs and patterns.

“Tiger eye” was a glaze that included gold streaks that proved unstable. This glaze wasn’t produced much and so is quite collectible, if found.

The very last standard was “ombroso” glaze, a brown or black matte glaze usually used with cut or incised pieces.

Rookwood Pottery Company continued producing amazing tiles, vases, architectural features, and other ceramic and pottery pieces until 1941 when production ended. The Depression hit the company hard and never fully recovered.

In 2004, the name Rookwood is again producing fine pottery and highly collectible ceramic wonders in Cincinnati, Ohio where the original Rookwood Pottery Company was located.

The vision of Maria Longworth Nichols Storer will once again be fired in every distinctive pottery and ceramic collectible produced by the new Rookwood Pottery Company.