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About 15 years ago, I bought my first "ball" style vintage ceramic water pitcher. I now own 9 in different colors...7 were made by the Hall China Co. I also own two other pitchers made by Hall in the "Nora" pattern. When I bought my first pitcher, it was for purely nostalgic reasons. When I was a kid in the 1950s, my parents would take us to a diner that had an entire shelf of these water pitchers in all the colors of the rainbow.
Last Christmas, my son bought me two vintage Fiestaware tea cups (one pink, one yellow)...he thought they were made by the same company as my pitchers. They weren't, but that's perfectly OK. Now the hunt is on (the best part!) to find other pieces to go with these tea cups. I don't want to amass a complete set...heaven knows, I have enough stuff! But I want to find saucers to match my existing cups, and I'd like to add blue and green cups/saucers. I believe there are also lunch-sized plates that would go with my cups, so it would be nice to have a "luncheon" set.
What I want to know?......is why they could figure out a no-drip pouring spout in the early 20th century, but it seems to be a lost art! LOL
I have 2 of the "Ball" pitchers and I use my turquoise one on a regular basis. I had it stored for years, then decided it was coming out to be used.
I have an enormous collection of LuRay Pastel, in turq., pink, blue and yellow. Probably some of my absolute favorites "collectible" dishes are my M.A. Hadley-rearing horse, large coffee cups, plates and bowls. Love...love, love them!
I can't remember the name right off the top,.....okay, looked on the Web..yeah, Winfield, Bamboo (green). I love the way that dishware is painted...every piece is like a pretty piece of art. I'm so glad that it's not an over-the-top price for that stuff. When I went out to the shop, looking for something this spring, I noticed that a 'critter" had been in the shop, prowling, I guess. It knocked down some "non-valuable" crap, right onto my box of Winfield, Bamboo. Darn if several pieces didn't get broken....including the salt shaker. My bad....should have had them stored more carefully.
Be careful with McCoy. I'm seeing a lot of pieces that I believe are reproductions that are being passed off as legit. Cannot seem to find much info online does anyone have any suggestions on where to find good reference materials so I can spot the fakes more easily?
I have a MCCOY Pottery, by Hanson and Nissan, that is good. Lots of illustrations. This, and several other books are readily available on Amazon, and they aren't expensive.
Sounds like Martha Stewart's earliest shows...I remember all her episodes on collecting Fiesta, McCoy, etc. I recorded them at 5 a.m. and watched them over and over again through the week!!! Craziness. The box of VHS tapes has disappeared but the memories of those shows linger...
For years in antique and curio shops and at garage sales I was ever-hopeful and shifty-eyed if I spotted something that resembled a find...my heart-beat quickened...
My husband thought I was mad in my collection-pursuit...eventually I slowed/stopped. I can now pass a Fiesta or McCoy with just a slight twitch-flinch. Fact is I ran out of space for even just one more...and the cost of my romantic involvement with collecting was getting outta hand.
Seriously, some of my favourite pieces are Currier & Ives stencilware in blue and white. Gotta love those old prints! Anything with an old mill, a covered bridge, a covered wagon, or a paddle-steamer, and I'm hooked....
I LOVED Martha Stewarts early shows too. They were quiet and beautifully photographed. I liked when she went on field trips to places like a little silk flower shop, a button shop and the furniture refinisher's shop. She took us to see the shops of craftsmen who had been in business forever, but who are vanishing these days.
I like the Shawnee pottery items. I inherited a Smiley Pig cookie jar from my grandmother, now I have 4 more, a total of 5 pig cookie jars, a pig milk pitcher and a pig creamer. They go up and down in value. I never paid more than $50 for a piece. I saw a cookie jar like mine sold for $850 on Ebay! But now, the price has gone down again, still, my collection should be worth at least $700--$1000.
Well those are my interests and I was wondering if there were any others who prowl thrift shops, antique stores, estate sales, garage yard and church sales for these items?
If so, which ones? What draws you to this time frame? What amazing finds have you stumbled upon in your search and how do you incorporate these items or furniture into your decor?
I use what is usable, unless the item is meant to be ornamental.
Big fan of HL in general, not only Fiesta.
It all started when I saw a milk crate full of dirty diner china at a thrift store, and asked the price, and they GAVE it to me. I guess no one wanted to clean it up, but it cleaned up fine and I'm still using the items, mostly coffee cups heavy enough to be murder weapons.
I do collect food service china of all makes, and ... Well...Corningware, Pyrex, and so on.
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My bad....should have had them stored more carefully.
