Goodwill Pottery - Noritake & Carrigaline

Lots of things to report today. In addition to the busy weekend, I made a sale last night - San Diego Zoo Gorilla Plate. Mailed it out this morning and of course while I was there, I had to stop at the Goodwill and check out the new merchandise.

Noritake Colony Teapot




I picked up a really nice Noritake Colony Teapot.

Listed Noritake Colony Teapot at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Carragaline Cup SetAlso, a demi mug and saucer from the Carrigaline Pottery in Ireland in their Shamrock pattern. I had never heard of them before and that alone sold me on buying it to do the research. Listed:
Carrigaline Shamrock Cup Set at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I said yesterday that I would let you know about the swap meet finds I had yesterday so here it is.

Blue Mountain BakersFirst I picked up a Loaf Baker and a large Oval Baker from Blue Mountain Potteries in Canada. This was another buy heavily influenced by the fact that I had never heard of these guys either. So far I have discovered that Blue Mountain Potteries was one of the largest and most prolific in Canada. They were in business between 1947 and 2004. Listed:
Blue Mountain Oval Baker at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall
Blue Mountain Loaf Baker at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Noritake Zembla Cream Soup SetMy other find was a bit more common and I was a bit disappointed to find it had a much lower replacement value than I had thought it would. It was a very nice set of six Noritake Zembla Cream Soup bowls with the under plates in perfect condition. Again I'll elaborate after I list and find out a little more.
Listed: Noritake Zembla Cream Soup Set at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

All Noritake articles in this blog.
Well that's enough for now. Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

A Busy Weekend & A Power Failure

Well I think this is the first time since I reopened this blog a couple of months ago that I missed two days in a row. There was just to much going on for me to get on the computer.

The main deal was the Little League World Series, which just wrapped up with our home town boys from Chula Vista coming out on top of a super fine team from Chinese Taiwan. In fact, I'm still listening to the local news specials trying to out brag each other. I'm not a big baseball fan, but these games were great. I wish our Padres could do half as well, but than again, that's a whole different ball game.

I am a big football fan and of course I had to watch the Chargers - Falcons game. Unfortunately we lost at the last minute, but it was a great game and after all it is the preseason. Anyway that's been my weekend.

I thought I would be able to catch up this morning, but About 11 O'clock last night we lost power and didn't get it back until just before the Baseball game. As luck would have it the problem was pretty much restricted to our street and I still have no idea what the problem was.

I did get to the Swap Meet this morning, and bought a couple of nice pieces, but that's a story for tomorrow.

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Hot Pottery - Alaskan Clay Vase - ENCO Mini Mug

I sure wish we had that breezy cool weather back that was here a day or so ago. It is definitely hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk today and it looks like it's going to stay that way over the weekend. It's so hot that my cats are all sleeping on top of our chest freezer where it's always cold.

I decided to take pictures and list a few things today because it is just too hot to do much of anything else. I found a few more items in boxes from our brick & mortar days and decided it was time to let the rest of the world see them.

Enco Souvenir Mini Mug I am a lot more interested in odds and ends than I used to be and when I came across this miniature souvenir mug from Turkey Run State Park it aroused my curiosity for a number of reasons. I can remember similar mementos from various vacations lining the shelves of my dad's gun cabinet. Also I had never heard of the company that apparently were the distributors of these items to many tourist attractions and roadside stands throughout the country in the mid 1900's. My research didn't turn up much about ENCO except that they were headquartered in New York and that they imported their merchandise from all around the world and some was even made here in the good old U.S. of A. I did find out a lot about Turkey Run State Park in Indiana and for those who may be interested here's a great Wikipedia Link:

Turkey Run State Park, Indiana

I did finally list it:

ENCO Mini Mug at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Alaskan Vase signed Hagmann
The next piece is not from my store days. I found it at Goodwill a couple of years ago and my wife liked it so well it went straight up on the fireplace mantel and I never listed it. Unfortunately we have run out of room on the mantel and have other items we want to display so I decided it was time to put it in the store. It is an artist signed Alaskan vase made from Cook Inlet Clay. I have not found any mention of this artist anywhere, but rest assured that this is no 6" vase made to sell in a souvenir shop. It is over 18" tall and very narrow. I have seen vases of this same clay that are very small (6") being offered on line for around $50.00. I think my asking price is very reasonable for this fantastic piece. Here it is:

Alaskan Vase signed Hagmann at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Enough for today. Thanks for listening....☺☺☺☺

Swap Meet Pottery - Otagiri, Lenox

Well another Wednesday Swap Meet and with the typical results. Not a thing on the field that I could even get interested in. Fortunately this swap meet has an area under the main drive-in movie screen with about 50 little garages which the dealers rent on a monthly basis. It's pretty convenient actually, they just keep there merchandise there and open the door on swap meet days.In fact when this Swap Meet was in its heyday 20 years ago I was renting five of those garages and 2 spaces on the field. Things are a lot quieter there now and the only thing that has gone up are the rents.

Anyway I usually pass these stores by as the sellers are usually much more expensive than those in the field spaces. Today I was getting a little desperate so I made a quick trip through them. I found two items that I decided to buy even though both were priced above my normal markup.

Lenox Rose VaseThe first was a little 6" Lenox rose vase. It was in great condition and the price wasn't too bad. I know that Lenox (like everyone else in the U.S.A.) has started manufacturing offshore so I buy USA made just for sentimental purposes. I was surprised when I got home and tried to find it on line. I looked at over 400 Lenox vases and saw nothing that even resembled the shape much less the design. I don't think it's very old so I am wondering if it's just too new to have found it's way into the secondary market yet. Here's what I have in the store:

Lenox at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Historical Data -- Lenox is the name of a porcelain maker. Walter Scott Lenox and Jonathan Coxon, Sr., founded the Ceramic Art Company in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1889. In 1906, Lenox left and started his own company called Lenox. The company makes a porcelain that is similar to Irish Belleek. Their superior dinnerware has made the company famous. Lenox was bought by Department 56 in 2005. If you want a complete picture of Lenox history try this:

Lenox Company History

Otagiri Hen & Rooster BookendsThe next item I was more familiar with and willing to pay more for. It was a pair of Otagiri Rooster & Hen Bookends (circa late 70's - early 80's). Otagiri did a wide variety of these over the years and I find them to be quality art. I have a pair of Pheasants in the store right now and they are going to sit on my fireplace mantel until they are sold. I don't see anyone offering the Rooster & Hen set right now. Here's my current inventory:

Otagiri at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall.

Historical Data -- Otagiri Manufacturing Company, more commonly called OMC, was based out of San Francisco. Products by Otagiri were manufactured in Japan. In the mid-1990s, Otagiri was sold to Enesco Corporation.

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Painting the Bridge - Keeping Up With All This Pottery

You are probably wondering just what the heck does this bridge have to do with my pottery collection/business. Here's the deal. I have thousands of pieces of pottery and over 2000 listings on Atomic Mall. This is an arena where prices are constantly changing and new information is always surfacing. I found it to be totally confusing and subject to making many mistakes to try and keep up with all of this on a piecemeal basis. Than one day I saw a documentary about bridge painters. It seems that all large bridges are maintained by starting at one end and working straight through to the other. By the time they are finished it is time to start over again. It made a lot of sense and it occurred to me that this was a very logical method that could easily be applied to updating my pottery.

I started by going through item by item, alphabetically, updating prices, correcting or adding to descriptions where appropriate and checking photos that needed to be improved on. I finished my first run through in three months and am just starting through again. Just to make things interesting I sorted by value this time, starting with the highest and working through to the lowest. This seems to be a great system and every time I get frustrated I just remind myself that I am painting the bridge and that it isn't going anywhere. It calms me down and lets me walk away from the computer and relax once in a while. Knowing that the job will never be done keeps me from trying to complete it before I go to bed each night.

In a nutshell it allows me to mix business with pleasure and not feel guilty about it. Don't ask me why I wrote this post. Just because I felt like it. LOL

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Goodwill Find - Brock Chanticleer Pottery

Since I had to ship the Rose China today, I had to stop at Goodwill and check things out. They had quit a bit of pottery, but only one piece jumped right out at me and said "take me home". It is a beautiful 11" Brock of California Chanticleer dinner plate. This is the first time I have seen one without any damage at all and I had to have it.

Brock of California was founded in 1947 by Bert Brock. He was better known for his abstract art than for his dinnerware, but the company designed a limited number of dinnerware patterns that are highly sought after today. The company closed around 1980.I have seen references that lead me to believe that Brock of California was actually a line designed by Brock and manufactured by the Southern California Pottery Company (also owned by Brock).


Here's my Brock of California Chanticleer

For the most part I have spent most of the day listing the Sheffield I bought over the weekend. That was a lot of photos to take and edit and than post so I didn't get much else done.

I should mention that one reason listing is a time consumer for me is that I use Photobucket and unlike most people I Title, Describe and Tag every primary photo for every listing. It's double the work but I'm still trying to be in the information business and not just sell things because they are pretty.

I'm trying to watch Monday Nite football and type at the same time. Not a great idea so I'm gonna quit for now.

Thanks for listening .... ☺☺☺☺

More Swap Meet Pottery - Cunningham & Picket (Homer Laughlin) Acacia Dinnerware

Sunday morning and another trip to the swap meet. I spotted some china on a table in the second row that I was fairly certain was Homer Laughlin Eggshell Nautilus because the shape of the sugar bowl was unmistakable. When I picked up a creamer to verify it, my suspicions were confirmed. It had a very clear Eggshell Nautilus Mark with a 1942 date stamp. While I was checking the other pieces for damage (there wasn't any except for light wear), I found I had really hit the jackpot. Almost all of the flatware was double marked with a Cunningham and Pickett mark next to the Homer Laughlin.

Not all Homer Laughlin China bears the Homer Laughlin backstamp. Having made many lines for other companies and department stores, some of the Homer Laughlin China out there is literally marked for other companies. Cunningham & Pickett (Alliance, Ohio) is one on the dozens of companies in this category. My impression is that they were a large Jobber, buying from the manufacturer and reselling to retail stores in their sales area.


Not much problem finding out that the pattern was Acacia since it was clearly part of the Cunningham & Pickett mark (a common practice for this company). It is a striking orange and yellow floral design with geometric stripe. Markedly different from the pastel floral designs so common on eggshell designs of that period. Here's a list of what I scored for a very low price: (Update 08/28/09) Listed

• 1 Sugar Bowl w/lid
• 1 Creamer
• 3 Dessert Plates
• 5 Rimmed Soup Bowls

Here's a link to the Cunningham & Pickett that I have:

Cunningham & Pickett at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall
Thanks for listening... ☺☺☺☺

Swap Meet Pottery - Sheffield (USA), Mason's Ironstone

Another Swap Meet Saturday for me. Not much there today, but I did find two things I felt were worth investing in.
A partial set of Sheffield (USA) Granada (Green) dinnerware and an absolutely wonderful Mason's Ironstone Bowl.

First the Sheffield Grenada (Green), this is a very common pattern and normally I would not have been interested except that there were many serving pieces and the price was definitely right.

Homer Laughlin's Granada Shape was designed by Vincent Bloomfield in 1967. Grenada is easily recognized by the half circles around the edge. Grenada glazes were most often in colors that matched the popular yellow and green kitchens of the time. Granada was used extensively on patterns that were sold to distributors and jobbers and a variety of backmarks will be found including the Sheffield Mark seen here. Like this one, many patterns were one solid color with no other design except the embossing. Sheffield was a trademark of J & H International Company. Sheffield products were manufactured by a number of companies, both domestic and international and were almost exclusively used as supermarket premiums.

Here's the list of what there was:

• 5 cup & saucer sets


• 3 saucers


• 1 Oval Platter 13 7/8"


• 1 Sugar Bowl w/lid


• 1 Creamer


• 7 Dinner plates 10"


• 7 Bread Plates 6 1/4"


• 1 Salt & Pepper Set


• 1 Round Covered Vegetable Bowl 7"


• 1 Round Serving Bowl 9"


• 9 Fruit/Berry Bowls 6"

Update (08/24/09) All of the above have been listed.

Here's what I have in the store:

Sheffield at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Last but certainly not least is a fantastic find for me on which I still have a great deal of research to do. It is a large Mason's Ironstone Bowl that was decorated in purple iris by Dame Elizabeth Blackadder and commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts in a Limited Edition of 750. I believe these were probably sold to raise funds in the Royal Academy Gift Shop, but as I say I need to study it for a while.

(Update 08/26/09)
Royal Acadamy of the Arts Biography: Dame Elizabeth Blackadder

Staffordshire Info: Masons Ironstone China

(Update 09/07/09) Listed:

Mason's Blackadder Bowl at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I was very glad that I had made the trip.

Thanks for listening... ☺☺☺☺

Noritake Rose China - an August Sale

After taking my afternoon "old guy" nap, I discovered that I had made a sale. Thus proving the old theory that some people make more money sleeping than while they are awake. ☺☺☺

A gentleman in Nevada ordered some Rose China Plates to replace some damaged plates that originally were given to him by his mother. Replacements designates this as RO29. These plates actually have a somewhat fascinating history. Immediately after the second WW, in 1946, the word Noritake was temporary dropped from the marks and the RC mark (originally used as "Royal Crockery" on ware being exported by Noritake from Japan to India and Singapore in the 1920's) was reappearing as "Rose China" together with a picture of a rose and the words Made in Japan. Since the quality immediately after the war was not up to the pre-war standard, Noritake preferred to save the valuable Noritake brand name until later. The occupied Japan mark was used from 1945 through 1952. Many patterns were continued after the Occupation and were marked Noritake.

Post WWII Rose china was actually of a poorer quality than the usual standards expected of Noritake and because of this much of this china has fallen by the wayside because of breakage and hard use. These plates were an exception, they have no physical damage, but the original gold trim has been noticeably worn no doubt from years of loving use.

It is my pleasure to help this gentleman find a good home for these plates and I thank him for that.

All Noritake articles in this blog.

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Health 101 - the Doctor is in!!

Today is one of those days I'm not very fond of. My monthly trip to the doctors that I somehow only find time for once a year. Actually I wouldn't go that often if I didn't have to get her to renew my blood pressure medication prescriptions.

Actually it started off well. I weighed in at 195 lbs. (I haven't been under 215 since I retired from the Navy in 1988). Then we found out the scale was off. I actually was a robust (spell that fat) 220 lbs. The next phase was the blood pressure. I felt optimistic at 145 over something, until she pointed out that last year I was 130 over something. Then came the dreaded bloodletting ceremony. This time I was pleasantly surprised. There is a new medical assistant and she was right on target with the needle. One puncture and SHAZAAM, three full tubes of blood. Finally I got my 3 minutes with the doctor she rearranged a few of my meds and told me to come back in 30 days. (I'll have to check my schedule and see if I'm available than). I took my wheelbarrow load of prescriptions and dropped them off at the pharmacy to pick up tomorrow. (I know I should have bought stock in some of these drug companies. Between my wife and I we must be paying the bonus's of at least three vice-presidents and a cleaning lady.) Oh well enough complaining for now.

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Franciscan Starburst Tile

I was surfing pottery blogs and came across this post about Franciscan Starburst wall tiles. I was very impressed and decided to post this link.





Atomic Addiction: Today's Holy Grail...

Hope you enjoyed it, I certainly did..... ☺☺☺☺

A Rare Cold Day in Southern California

We have had a spell of hot, but not uncomfortable, weather here for weeks so when I got up this morning and the curtains were blowing cool air into the house, I was pleasantly surprised. Right now nothing seems to be going on in the wonderful world of online sales and it can get a little boring just tweaking my listings to make sure they are ready for the rush, when and if it ever comes. If I'm going to be bored I prefer cool weather so I feel pretty good about today.

I am slowly but surely moving the last 100 items that I have on Blujay into my Atomic Mall Store. It's a little sad because I had very high hopes for Blujay when they first started up. I'm sure there are a number of reasons for the downhill slide that has been going on there for some time, but basically I think the owner just took on more than one man can be expected to handle. I am really hoping (make that praying) that Atomic Mall doesn't suffer the same fate. The big difference is that blujay was totally free and the Atomic Mall has at least some minimal fees and other optional charges that can turn a profit over time. No one can be expected to maintain a project that is costing them money.

I have managed to transfer another dozen items from Blujay to Atomic Mall in the last two days and will probably do a few more before the day is over. The only significant piece I moved was a Studio Pottery Tray that I have had a long time and never really found out anything about it, but I find it to be a beautiful piece and so I keep trying to find it a home.

Studio Pottery Tray at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall



Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Books, Books Everywhere - Not a Book to Spare

Yesterday was a cleaning day for me. I use a lot of reference books in my search for knowledge on the pottery I find at the Swap Meet and thrift stores. Up until yesterday I just kept them in piles around my computer station in the living room. Unfortunately one of my cats had turned over a water bottle that someone (forever to be unnamed) had set on top of a stack of books and it spilled. Luckily it was almost empty and little damage was done, but it was a wake up call for me and I immediately started moving the books to a safer location in my bedroom.

Now this may sound simple, but when you realize that every horizontal surface in this house is covered with either my merchandise or my wife's craft supplies it becomes a lot more complicated. Every item I have is coded in the listing to tell me where to find it, so for every item I relocated to make room for the books the location in the listing had to be changed. This was a time consuming process and if not done carefully could cause some items to disappear forever. The bottom line is that it took all day to move the books, so I did not get much else done.

I guess what I am really trying to point out here is the importance that these books play in my life. While they are expensive (average price $30.00 each), the payback can be enormous when you find that first item that turns out to be "Quality Junk". They also allow me to give my customers and the readers of this blog as much background information as possible about my pottery items. I see too many listings on line that simply say " California plate $5.00" and a picture (which may not even be the plate that is for sale). I prefer to provide as much info as possible. Not just to help sell the item, but also to make the listing as interesting as possible. The upside of doing this is that you do not get a lot of questions about things because you have already provided the answers. The downside is that everything you say about the item is open to question by the buyer, in particular the condition of your merchandise. I don't really mind this because I want happy customers and if I make a mistake (accidentally or through ignorance) I want to make it right.

I recommend that everyone build up a library of books that apply to their own interests whether you are a buyer, seller or collecter.

I did manage to get a few new items listed from my weekend buys.

Thanks for listening.....☺☺☺☺

Another Goodwill Score - Metlox Fruit Basket Chop Plate

Sent off my Franciscan Creole Plate this morning and of course I had to stop at Goodwill for a little "looksee". They had a very nice selection of Franciscan Madeira, but I have a lot of Madiera and it hasn't sold that well for me so I passed it by. Here's what I currently have listed:

Franciscan Madiera at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall






Than I spotted a huge (14") Metlox Fruit Basket Chop Plate. (Update 08/09) Listed:



Metlox Fruit Basket Chop Plate at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall
Although this is a fairly common pattern, I knew from experience that these extra large chop plates are fairly rare in this really great condition and when I saw the price was right I snapped it up. when I got back to the house I discovered with glee that it has a current replacement cost of $54.99. I'll list it tomorrow if I have time. Here is a link to the only other Fruit Basket I have:

Metlox Fruit Basket Vegetable Bowl at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I spent most of the rest of the day fighting with the Brock pieces that I was trying to list. It is really difficult to try and get any kind of accurate information about ware from any company when there is hardly any reference material available and Brock is one of these companies. I listed two more pieces today and it was interesting.

One is a Harvest (Brown) Pepper Shaker. I had a hard time finding any info, but I finally sorted it out and discovered that Brock actually had issued three different shapes of Salt and Pepper Shakers with their Provincial (my name) patterns. This one is in the Jug shape and the other two were Candlestick and Milk Can. I don't know if all of three of these were issued in all of these patterns, but it looks like they were. The Milk Can Shape appears to be the one that is most available.

The other piece is a Chanticleer mini ewer or carafe. It is identical to the the large coffee carafes in these patterns except that it is only 4 1/2" tall. It has a very bad chip in the rim just behind the spout and ordinarily I wouldn't have listed it, but since I couldn't find any available or even proof that they existed, I decided it was scarce enough to preserve and offer to some dedicated Brock collector.

Here's the link again:

Brock of California at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I promise to try and be more productive tomorrow.
Thanks for listening... ☺☺☺☺

Brock Pottery - A Confusing Day

This has been one of those days for me that you take one step forward and two back. I decided to list some Brock Pottery pieces that have some minor defects (Sorry, I realize that is a subjective definition.). At any rate I ran into problems right from the start. I usually clone existing listings if I have any and add changes to the pictures and words as needed. Unfortunately I found that many of my existing Brock listings had errors in them that I absolutely had to correct before moving on to anything new. I did finally manage to list two new items. A Harvest (brown) creamer and a gravy boat in the same pattern. By the time I finished these I was cross-eyed and ready to do something else for a while. I'll get back to the Brock tomorrow. Here's the link to what there is already.

Brock of California at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I also managed to get the Sango Sabrina Bowls I acquired last week listed:

Sango Sabrina at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

One last item to report. I did sell a Franciscan Creole Dinner Plate.



Description -- California Pottery, Picnic Line. Earthenware. 10 3/4" diameter. Deep honey and dark brown with embossed trim. Excellent used condition with minor utensil scratches. Issued in 1973. Estimated replacement price $17.99.
Historical Data -- Gladding, McBean and Company started in 1875. The company grew and acquired other potteries. They made sewer pipes, floor tiles, dinnerwares, and art pottery with a variety of trademarks. In 1934, dinnerware and art pottery were sold under the name Franciscan Ware. The company became Interpace Corporation and in 1979 was purchased by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons. The plant was closed in 1984 and all production was moved to England.
Picnic Line-- The Picnic Line was designed to reflect the 1970's. Bold colored florals, dark brooding exotica and happy sunny irreverence are Picnic themes.



Thanks for listening..... ☺☺☺☺

Pottery from the Swap Meet - Nikko, Pearl, Johnson Brothers

On the way back from the Casino early this morning I had my wife drop me at the Swap Meet. I didn't really expect to find anything. In fact, I didn't even have my (really vintage) Kipling backpack with me. as things turn out I was wrong again. I found two very salable items, a small Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz Platter at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall and a Nikko English Garden Coffee Pot at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall. While both are very nice pieces they are only of interest to me as merchandise.

I also found a beautiful (in my eyes at least) Pearl China teapot.


Yellow with heavy gold trim and a stylized gold flower & leave design. Unfortunately it suffers from a few aches and pains, heavy loss of the gold trim and a very visible chip on the opening rim. I don't know if I will list this piece, but it is exactly the type of item I love to buy for study purposes. For example, since this is a teapot and Pearl worked out of a Hall China facility (by most accounts the largest manufacturer of teapots in the world), I think there is a high probability that the teapot was made by Hall and decorated by Pearl China. Now a small part of my mind will always be on the lookout for proof of this.



The Pearl China Company was formed in 1931 by George and Dennis Singer as a pottery outlet. I believe they were primarily a decorating company. They used a leased part of the Hall China Plant in Liverpool Ohio. Their new store was opened in 1939 on Dresden Road in East Liverpool, Ohio and they distributed items from many companies, Homer Laughlin among them. They went out of business in 1958.

I do have a pretty pair of Pearl China candle holders listed in my store.


Pearl China at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Poetry 101 Sunday Night

Sunday Night

Once again the stirring and the light sit down together in the night.
His strength wore down by weeks work pile.
He needs her for a little while.
He reads his rhymes of life and love.
She listens quiet as a dove.
Her eyes they twinkle oft with joy.
Does she listen or does she toy.
He looked into those pools of brown.
Wondering if her mind does frown.
Each poem he does recite with fire.
Hoping in her creation to inspire.
The time is short. She will not dally.
Her evenings wants within her rally.
The time has come to part and go.
He bids her luck both high and low.
Then walks away his home to go.
The Old Guy
18 Mar 2001

Franciscan Sea Sculpture Swap Meet Finds

I rarely find much of anything at the Swap Meet on Wednesdays. A fact that has caused me to skip even going on Wednesdays much any more. Today however was an exception. I went there early and started my rounds. The first time through I didn't see anything that even remotely interested me. Probably because most of the dealers were still unloading their trucks and setting up their stalls. When I started through the second time I assumed it would be more of the same, but I couldn't have been more mistaken.

I was almost finished when I noticed a big junk dealer had just finished setting up. Usually, if he has anything at all, it is so badly damaged as to be worthless to me. I immediately saw a stack of Franciscan Sea Sculpture plates and began checking them for damage. Amazingly they were in perfect condition except for some wear on the marks (common in Franciscans Sculpture line). I picked them up and started away to find out the price when I spotted a few cereal bowls on the same table that I recognized as belonging to Franciscans primary sculpture line. These were the first primary white bowls I had ever come across and I knew they were fairly rare because of the number of requests I have had for them in the past. The lot consisted of 5 plates and three cereal bowls and while I never reveal my cost I will say that I got them for a song.

When I got home and discovered the lot had a replacement value of over $200.00 I was very, very happy. I have already listed all of the plates as I had photos of them from past sales and listings. I will list the bowls as soon as I can photograph them. These very plain bowls were the most valuable part of the buy at $34.00 each for replacement cost. They are listed:

Franciscan Sea Sculpture at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I almost forgot, on the way out I picked up 4 Studio Nova Attitudes Dinner Plates for another very low price. They are listed:

Studio Nova at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Clays in Calico Pottery - Found in a Box

When I closed down my last brick & mortar store, I tried to list everything that I had that I thought might sell and help pay some of the huge debt that I had run up at the time. All of the rest went into bags and boxes and up into the rafters of my garage to be dealt with when times got a little better and I had a little more time. I guess that time has come because I have started to dig through them. Actually I'm finding that the knowledge I have gained in the last five years of studying pottery has turned some of this "unknown trash" into some very interesting and possibly profitable treasure. One of these items is shown in the pictures below. Introducing the one and only "Clays in Calico Barrel Mug"'

I call it one and only because that is exactly what it is. It is valuable only in knowledge, not in cash. Clays in Calico was founded by Mr & Mrs Wes VanGorden in 1960 in an old hotel in Cardwell, Montana. The original Building is gone and the pottery has been managed bt Ron & Linda Jung since 1979. Each piece is unique and is made from local precambrian shale that has been separated into the three colors and than poured into the molds. This particular shale is not found anywhere else in the world. Every piece that is made is different because of the colors and swirl patterns caused by pouring the molten clays anto the molds.

It is a little more complicated than that and here is a link to their home page that will explain it a lot better than I can.

Clays in Calico

Of course since I am in business I have listed this piece:

Clays in Calico Barrel Mug in Quality Junk at the Atomic Mall

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺

Goodwill Pottery - Furnivals, Sango

Furnivals Brown Quail Round Serving BowlAfter shipping my Stangl order out this morning I stopped at Goodwill and found a beautiful Furnivals (Staffordshire) Round Vegetable Bowl in the Brown Quail Pattern in pristine condition. As near as I can tell the mark and registry number are from 1921. What I paid is of course a trade secret, but I can tell you that it was a bargin for this piece which has a current replacement value of $80.00. I will list it soon. I was particularly happy to get it since I have no Furnivals in stock at this time.

Furnival was one of the fine Staffordshire potteries, established in 1865 by Thomas Furnival & Sons. in January 1913 the name was changed from "Furnivals" to "Furnivals (1913) Ltd". The works were closed in 1968 and the company name was purchased by Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. The rights to the name are still owned by Wedgwood.

Furnival Quail Bowl at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Sango Sabrina BowlsI also picked up a couple of Sango Sabrina Bowls (one rimmed soup & one coupe serving), because the price was right and I have good luck with Sango replacements. Sango Ceramics Indonesia is the leading ceramics tableware distributer based in Indonesia. They have fine china, porcelain, and stoneware for home as well as for the hospitality industry manufactured in a number of countries. Their products are exported and sold everywhere. This pattern is most likely a Sango product distributed by their American marketing firm(PTS International).

Sango at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

I was also able to photograph my Swap Meet purchases from Saturday and will start listing them tomorrow.

Thanks for listening... ☺☺☺☺

Stangl - A Rare Early August Sale

I wasn't kidding a few days ago when I said that July sales were as rare as hens teeth and August sales are always just about the same. It seems however that there are a few brave buyers out there who haven't heard the word yet.An order came in yesterday for some Stangl Fruit items, a pair of Fruit salt & pepper shakers and a 24oz Fruit pitcher.

The salt & pepper shakers have no physical damage but the bottom has some staining where moisture has leeched through the unglazed Terra Cotta on the base. Both have the original Stangl stoppers.

The Pitcher has a Terra Cotta Body with glossy brown interior. White exterior with handpainted fruit design. 4 5/8" high x 3 1/4" opening x 3 1/4" foot x 6 3/4" spout to handle. Unfortunately there is a large underspout chip which has resulted in visible moisture underglaze moisture staining. Otherwise excellent condition with no cracks or crazing. First issued in 1942 and discontinued in 1978.

Stangl Pottery traces its history back to the Fulper Pottery of New Jersey. John Stangl returned to the Fulper Pottery in 1920, became president in 1926, and changed the company name to Stangl Pottery in 1929. The pottery is known for dinnerware and a line of bird figurines. In 1972 the pottery was sold to Frank Wheaton, Jr., of Wheaton Industries. Production continued until 1978, when Pfaltzgraff Pottery purchased the right to the Stangl trademark and the remaining inventory was liquidated.

These are very collectible items, but of course with the damage I discounted them and I am very glad that someone is giving them a happy home. I will ship them out tomorrow.

More Stangl Pottery at Quality Junk in the Atomic Mall

Thanks for listening.... ☺☺☺☺