Author Archives: geekness

About geekness

I have collected all of my life, starting with rocks and shells as a grade-schooler, and progressing to limited edition art and ephemera. I cannot image life without a new collection to begin learning about. Even if I never actually own one, I like to learn about things and how multiples of them can create a beauty all their own.

Lenox China

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

Lenox is well known for the fine bone china it makes, and the company has employed some of the best china designers throughout its existence. Both the attention to detail and the design of the Lenox china has led to displays of this china in museums in the US and abroad.

Both traditional and modern styles of dinnerware are made on the ivory and white translucent china bodies used by the Lenox Company. Only 24kt gold and platinum are used to trim those patterns that have metallic embellishment. Since the 1960s, additional companies have been added to Lenox itself to provide flatware (Gorham) and crystal to the Lenox table top. The modern mark is a wreathe around a large L, with the word “Lenox” beneath.

Lenox china: some has sold © by TheLivingRoominKenmore

My opinion

Beautiful china. Here the problem is to set boundaries on collecting, lest one have a house full of china and no place to live.

See more Lenox china.

Product lines

fine china, including L by Lenox
dinnerware, more casual than the fine china
holiday dinnerware
table accessories: S&P, cookie jar, table cloth & napkins, trivet, napkin holder, napkin rings, creamer and sugar bowl, spoon rest, canisters
figurines: angels, animated characters, carousels, unicorns, cats, dogs, Christmas, country animals, Snowbunnies, elephants, female figures, birds, flowers, Nativities
ornaments
drink ware
stainless flatware
bowls, frames, candle holders, vases
jewelry
lines by designer: kate spade new york, Donna Karan, Marchesa, Disney, Thomas Blackshear
Mario Batali cookware
Fenton, featured in the Lenox catalog
Dansk
Gorham
Department 56

Prices

fine china: place settings for $100-$200
ornaments: generally $20-$30
crystal: about $30 a stem, non-crystal: four for the price of one crystal glass

Collector’s Society

none.

The official company site

http://www.lenox.com/

History

The company began as Lenox’s Ceramic Art Company, so there are Lenox items from the 19th Century marked with a CAC and the name “Lenox”. These items, made from 1889 to 1918, include thimbles, parasol handles, inkstands, vases and other table items.

The company name was changed to Lenox Incorporated in 1906, and Walter Scott Lenox brought two Irish porcelain makers to Trenton, New Jersey, to make Belleek style wares. These are marked with a painters palette, a large L and the word “Belleek”.

At the turn of the Twentieth Century, most Americans bought European china services, and there were few made in the US. Lenox changed that trend by offering complete table services in a fine bone china. A complete dinner set was displayed by Tiffany and Company in New York in 1917, and the Lenox name has been associated with dinnerware ever since. Six presidents have selected Lenox for their White House china sets.

Lenox is available at gift shops, department stores, online and through their mail order catalog. Lenox is the last china manufacturer to keep its facilities in the US (Trenton, NJ).

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Haeger Pottery

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(pronunciation: hay-ger)

Haeger is best known for the clean lines of their art pottery, and the clear, saturated colors used to decorate it. Although some of the colors are pastels, they are strong in those shades as well as the pieces in non-pastel shades. Many styles and themes are available from this long=lived and successful company. There is bound to be an area of their production that you can like and/or collect.

SOLD: Turquoise Haeger cat © by TheLivingRoominKenmore

My opinion: You need only look at the companies production to fins something you will like. Prices remain reasonable. Look for a niche to begin collecting in, or the vast amount of Haeger available may overwhelm you.

See Haeger pottery.

Product lines:
regular Haeger lines
Royal Haeger line: all kinds of household items
Royal Haeger Lamps: lamps made using items from the Royal Haeger line
Studio Haeger, produced from 1947
Royal Garden Flower-ware, made from a body more resembling porcelain, with matte finishes and muted colors
dinnerware: tea sets, bowls, plates, children’s dishes
fountains, music boxes, radios

Prices:
Given the long life and production of the company, prices remain very approachable. This is an easy place to begin a collection.

Collector’s Society:Haeger Pottery Collectors Club of America, Antioch, CA. Not online.

The official company site is: http://www.haegerpotteries.com/

History
The Haeger Pottery was established in 1871 by David Haeger to make bricks and tile. Son Edmond added art pottery in 1914, and the company has made this pottery ever since. Martin Stangl was the art pottery designer from 1914 to 1918. before returning to the Fulper Pottery.

Royal Arden Hickman was the chief designer from 1938 to 1944, and his production are named the Royal Haeger line, which were very popular with the public. The longest lived designer at Haeger was Eric Olsen, who worked there from 1947 until 1972.

The company remained in Haeger family hands into thee 1980′s, giving this company a stable governance few American potteries can boast.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Mikasa China

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(pronunciation: me-caw-suh)

Mikasa is one of the more successful china companies of the second half of the 20th Century. Their modern designs, both in the china shapes and decorative patterns, are in step with the public’s taste in dinnerware. Readily available in china departments of larger department stores, Mikasa also retails their products at their own retail and outlet stores.

Mikasa Granville China © by Rennett Stowe

My opinion: I like many of the dinnerware patterns, and the Erte salad plates. For anyone with a taste for the modern in dinnerware, there are bound to be several patterns and many number of pieces to purchase.

See Mikasa currently available on-line.

Product lines:
figurines: Christmas and wedding
birthday mugs for children
Erte number and letter salad plates
Christmas ornaments
Four Season plates
frames, candle holders, vases, accent pieces
many, many lines of dinnerware, modern in aesthetic, service for 12 under $1000
flatware and crystal to compliment the dinnerware

Prices:
Prices are generally good, especially with access to an outlet store. The official website also has outlet items. Older patterns are readily available on eBay for prices similar to the original retail price of a given pattern. Replacements, Inc. also carries Mikasa dinnerware, crystal, flatware and some home decor pieces.

Collector’s Society: None.

The official company site is: http://www.mikasa.com/

History
Mikasa started as an importer of Japanese china in the 1950s. The company began designing their own dinnerware patterns, with an emphasis on modern shapes and patterns.

Based on their modern designs in both casual and fine china, the company expanded their production by contracting out production of the china to companies worldwide. This gave the company the freedom to expand lines that were popular with an ease that having their own production facilities would not. Flatware and drink ware were added to the companies portfolio to make Mikasa a source for all table needs, and decorative items in some patterns were also added when a pattern proved to be popular with consumers.

A less expensive line named “Studio Nova” and a cheap brand named “Home Beautiful” has allowed Mikasa to carry lines that appeal to every class of retailer. Their own outlet stores also provide Mikasa wares at discounted prices. Many patterns are introduced each year, and production of any given pattern depends on its reception by the public.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Rookwood Pottery

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

Rookwood Pottery has been popular and highly identifiable since its beginning. Many styles of pottery have been made by the pottery in the years since its founding in 1880. Various lines of pottery, including both those with a hard, glossy finish and those with matte glazes have been remarkable for their profusion of designs and shapes. When the pottery was closed in 1967, the formulas and molds were kept together until economic support could be gathered to reinstate the pottery name and production in the 1980′s and the first decade of the Twenty-First Century. Work continues to this day to reuse the Rookwood Pottery molds and glazes in production pieces for modern sensibilities.

Vase, Chief Shavehead © by ego technique.

All Rookwood pottery is marked with the RP (R reversed), with a way to determine the date of production, some shape or line designations, and with the initials of the decorators in many cases.

See Rookwood Pottery.

My opinion: Some of the lines of Rookwood are heavy and dark, but the matte glazed forms can be beautiful. Those so-called “reproductions”, made in white or other colors after the revival of the pottery in the 1980′s may well show off the forms even more completely by the absence of heavy colors or thick glazes. Look for those forms and decorations, modern or original, that speak to you, and pray the entire Rookwood production does not all call your name. The tiles are very nice.

Product lines:
Standard Glaze: deep, rich under-glaze backgrounds with floral motifs or genre scenes. Frequently these pieces are most notable for the dark overall tone of the pieces. Vases, jugs, mugs, plaques; shades of ochre and brown predominate.
Sea Green: combinations of green and blue with touches of warm colors like brown or golden yellow. Vases predominate.
Arial Blue: shades of blue similar to the porcelain of Royal Copenhagen.
Iris Glaze: a hard, shiny glaze over decorations of shades of similar colors, in the Royal Copenhagen aesthetic. Vases predominate.
Iris/Black Iris: incised objects or those with a deep, black background. Some of these have metal overlays or metallic lids. Vases primarily.
Matte glazes: also called the Z class for the Z impressed on the pieces from 1900 to 1904. Pieces may be modeled, incised or painted with various matte glazes. Vases and bowls.
Vellum: pieces with normal, painted designs but retaining an overall matte finish. Vases, plaques, bowls.
Soft, porcelain body, used after 1914. Previous stoneware body continued to be used for some of the previous glaze lines. Several lines of glazes were created or re-developed for the new porcelain body. More variation in line and style of decorations as well as shapes. Vases, bowls, tiles.
Production Wares: products considered to be more mass produced than the hand-painted wares of the other lines. Molded, usually simply decorated or covered in one glaze. Bookends, bowls, candlesticks, flower frogs, figures, ginger jars, planters, vases.

Prices:
From almost reasonable to out of the question, depending on the piece. Hold out for those you like best, and save your money until the right time comes to buy.

Collector’s Society: None.

The official company site is: http://www.rookwood.com/

History
Rookwood, named after the family estate, was established in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols. She was heavily influenced by the pottery on display at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Her pottery expanded and began to employ full-time decorators in 1881.

Over the years the Rookwood Pottery decorators and molders kept pace with the changing fashions of the time, including Art Nouveau and Arte Deco. The pottery survived economic depressions and world wars. Their success invited imitation by J.B. Owens, Roseville, Weller and other area potteries throughout the first half of the Twentieth Century. Finally changing tastes and the availability of other materials led to the end of production in 1967. Even still, the Rookwood molds and glaze formulas were kept together and several attempts at re-establishing production have occurred since. Arabic numerals indicate those efforts after 1967 from the originals.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Metlox Pottery

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

If you like embossed rims on your plates, Metlox is for you. The company is
big on embossed plate rims, usually fruit and flowers if plate has normally sized rim. Also, even when the rim is smooth, they can’t seem to resist some embellishment of the rim on the edge. The company also has shapes with narrow and very narrow rims, and the coupe style with no rim at all. Those shapes with narrow, flat rims usually have a color band applied to it. There are some sets of plates with scenes, old South or old New England. These plates have narrow, banded rims and the scene takes up nearly the rest of the plate. Overall, the patterns vary from household casual to a few that are truly modern.

See Metlox pottery.

My opinion: Something for nearly everyone here. Modern shapes and patterns for some, more traditional casual patterns on embossed shapes for other. No traditional, formal dinnerware. Nice blue and white pattern in Antique Blue pattern. A piece or two of your favorite patterns would seem to be sufficient.

Product lines:
Dinnerware

  • Strong, plain colors on modern shapes, or colors shading from light to dark from rim to center.
  • painted or embossed fruit or flowers on plate rims.
  • Bits of … Patterns: Bits of Old England, … Old New England, … The Middle West, … The Old Northwest, … The Old South, … The Old West, … The Southwest: appropriate scenes within a narrow, banded rim
  • California Ivy: one of this companies best known patterns
  • many patterns named “California X”

Cookie Jars: nicely shaped, embossed details
American Royal Horses: horse statuettes
Songs of Christmas: plates based on Yuletide songs

China Shapes
MONTECITO: narrow, flat rim
ULTRA: even narrower rim
coupe: no rim at all
traditional: wide rim, often embossed or with raised details

Prices: Very reasonable for common patterns, on a par with original prices, given inflation, etc. More for the rarer pieces or patterns.

Collector’s Society: Metlox Nuts (http://home.earthlink.net/~ge1228/)

The official company site is: None. But see http://www.metloxcalifornia.com/ for many pictures and prices.

History
Founded by T. C. Prouty and his son Willie in Manhattan Beach California, in 1927 to make porcelain signs. The first housewares made by this company are known as the ProutyLine. Additional lines of dinnerware were introduced in 1932 under the name Poppytrail. The metal oxides and the talc used for the dinnerware were from California, so many of the dinnerware names include California in them. The metal oxides are the source of the Metlox name.

Miniatures were added to the Metlox production after the hiring of designer Carl Romanelli, as were the Modern Masterpieces line of bookends, figures and wall pockets.

Evan Shaw purchased the company in 1946, and the company included Disney characters in their production until 1956.

In 1958, Metlox acquired the trade name and molds for Vernon Kilns, which led to the Vernon Ware branch of the company.

Evan Shaw died in 1960, but the family kept the pottery functioning until production ceased in 1989.

For more information, go here.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Porcelain Tea Sets

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Porcelain tea sets are usually intended to be used, although some are so fancy it is hard to imagine such a thing. The regular European tea set may consists of the tea pot, sugar, creamer and four or six cups and saucers. Smaller sets may include just the teapot and a couple of mugs. Larger sets may include an additional hot water pot for the second round of tea, a waste jar for the dregs from each cup before a second cup is poured into it, and as many as a dozen cups and saucers.

Tea set makers like Franz include a specific spoon for each tea cup as well These fantasies of flowers, butterflies or ocean creatures are not really meant to be used, but a large tea set can be accumulated with patience and plenty of money.

Oriental tea sets usually consist of the tea pot and an odd number of tea cups, usually five. If the tea pot is smaller, there may only be three, and the pot only golds three cups of tea. Individual tea pots and single cup sets are also available.

A tea for one tea set is usually a stack of saucer, cup and pot, where the pot holds only two cups of tea. These sets can be quite imaginative in their design, with the cup and tea pot begin formed into animals or ornamental forms.

Children’s tea sets usually have the tea pot, sugar, creamer and six or eight cups and saucers, allowing for the inclusion of many stuffed animals and dolls in the youngster’s party. These sets used to be made from china, then metal and are now mostly made from plastic, but it is still possible to collect the older sets made from porcelain with some effort and working with an antique dealer or two.

Since many porcelain tea sets can be acquired one cup and saucer at a time, you can often make up a set to suit your own preferences, rather than accepting the number of cups or sugar bowls that the accepted set contains. Perhaps you have two forms of sugar you want to offer your guests, then two sugar bowls would make sense. You might also want a bowl for slices of lemon, as well as the creamer. And it is always a good thing to have two tea pots so there is plenty of tea to go around.

Find your own pattern and set up your tea set as you see fit.

Go to the Table of Contents to see all the topics covered so far.

Read more about porcelain collectibles.