Category Archives: Porcelain Manufacturers

Minton China

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

Much reduced in production, Minton, once the competitor of Spode, has produced fine china dinnerware in many patterns, thimbles, eggs, figurines, coronation souvenirs, bells, and even tiles over the many years the company has existed. Best known for its monumental production of Blue Willow wares, Minton has also produced other blue and white patterns. Many of the Minton products are hand painted, although there are also transfer wares in the company’s repertoire. For fan’s of Blue Willow and other blue and white china, Minton is a prime source.

See Minton China currently available on eBay and Amazon.

My opinion: Save up for a special piece, and wait for a good deal.

Product lines:
china dinnerware, including Celebration, a Christmas pattern
Parian ware: statues of unglazed white porcelain
Art Nouveau and Sesessionist products.
pate-sur-pate wares: building up the decoration with layers of liquid slip. Very time consuming.
Minton Hollis tiles and decorations.
Personally commissioned dinnerware is still available.

Prices:Much of the Minton production available today is on the secondary market, so prices vary substantially, but can be quite high.

Collector’s Society:None that I know of.

The official company site is:None.

History
The history of Minton’s China parallels that of many European, especially English, porcelain manufacturers. The company was established as a family concern, and made earthenware first, followed a few years later by the production of hard past porcelain. Minton was established by Thomas Minton in 1793 in Stoke-on-Trent, the center of porcelain production in England. Many potteries were located here over the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

Minton’s established a second company with Michael Hollins to get into the tile and architectural porcelain products. Minton Hollis tiles are still sought after today. Minton’s china is best known for the Blue Willow pattern, and the company produced blue transfer and painted china. Minton’s was also the makers of undecorated white statuary called Parian ware. The turn of the Twentieth Century brought adventured in Art Nouveau ceramics, and Minton continues to reinvent itself as styles and tastes changed. The 1980′s brought absorption by Royal Dalton, but hand-painted wares are still produced under the Minton label.

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Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Haviland China

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

The Haviland Company produces, or has produced, hundreds of china dinnerware patterns. Many of the designs have gold edges, and many of the serving or decorator items are profusely decorated with gold accents. Dinnerware sets include all the standard dinnerware pieces, as well as items like bone plates and oyster plates. Frequently these less used items are the ones found on the secondary market, as they are subject to less breakage.

Theodore Haviland China © by Elaine with Grey Cats

Many dinnerware patterns are named after flowers that do not occur in the design, and there are patterns named for the women’s colleges of the East Coast. Some patterns are repeated in different colors, or can be found with or without a gold rim. The Haviland pitchers, creamers and chocolate pots have especially beautiful shapes. The company will make a hand-painted dinnerware set to the customer’s design, like a family crest.

Theodore Haviland China: Sugar bowl © by Elaine with Grey Cats

The company also produces nicely shaped china blanks for the china painters of the world.

Click to see some actual Haviland porcelain.

My opinion: Beautiful porcelain, but it would require considerable falling in live for me to go with any of the china patterns for more than a piece or two.

Product lines:
Dinnerware, both company designs and bespoke designs.
Cabinet plates, for standing at the back of shelves to show off the more complicated motifs.
Children’s set: Babar the Elephant.
Mother’s Day plates.
Christmas plates and ornaments.
China receptacles for vanity and bathroom.
China chess set.
Blanks for china painters, both commercial and amateur.

Prices:
Can be quite reasonable on the secondary market, although these are usually the less often used pieces like oyster plates and bone plates.

Collector’s Society:None. But this site, http://www.havilandchina.net/, has patterns books, etc.

The official company site is: There does not appear to be one at this time (September 2011).

History
The Haviland Company is a family run concern established in the mid-Nineteenth Century by a New York porcelain dealer. David Haviland went to the Limoges area of France to build his factory to take advantage of the kaolin deposits and pool of experienced china workers in the area. The family has introduced new manufacturing techniques over the years to keep the Haviland Company up to date. The company is now in the hands of the fourth generation of Havilands.

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

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Herend Porcelain

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(pronunciation: like heron with a D on the end)

While Herend does have some naturally colored animal figurines, their better known animal figurines have a net-like pattern covering most of the animals body. The shape used for this coloration is actually the outline of a feather tip with a v-shapes inset of color. The marking, once seen, is easily recognized. The porcelain dinnerware runs for fairly plain to ornate birds in trees patterns.

My opinion: Pricey, but the porcelain is beautiful. Pick your all time favorite animal or home accessory and buy it, and let the rest go. Watch out for imitators with similar but different overall netted patterns.

Product lines:
dinnerware: all on white body, the usual traditional and some modern patterns. Especially good for birds or insects on dinnerware, if that is where your interest lies. None with a plain round shape. Especially famous is the Victoria pattern of peonies and butterflies, first seen at the London World’s Fair in 1851, thus it is now enjoying its sesquicentennial in 2011.
figurines: animals, birds and fish in natural colors or in the Herend feather pattern with more realistic details on the head and extremities.
household items: vases, candle sticks, paperweights, baskets, boxes, etc., including linen.
special collections: jewelry, novelties, masterpieces (of a large nature), limited editions.

Prices:Some small items at $100, up to $8000 and much more.

Collector’s Society:Herend Guild (http://www.herendusa.com/herend_guild.php)

The official company site is: www.herend.com
Also try HerendUSA.coom.

History
Herend is now among the largest porcelain manufacturers in the world. Established in 1826 by Vince Stingl, its products have been the choice of royalty and the wealthy for over a hundred years. The factory is located in the middle of Europe, in Hungary. The company participated in the London Exhibition in 1851, where a china pattern of peonies and butterflies attracted the attention of Queen Victoria. The pattern was named for her and has been a favorite for one hundred and fifty years. The factory added a training school in 1897 for its hand-painted porcelain production.

Over the years, experiments in different styles have been part of company policy, as has its participation in world exhibitions throughout the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. The company was under state control from 1948 to 1981, but survived to become a private enterprise again. A museum of porcelain and a visitor center make the factory a tourist destination today, in the town of Herend, near Balaton Lake and west of Budapest.

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

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Hagen-Renaker Pottery

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Hagen-Renaker is one of the California potteries, but, instead of making household goods, this company specializes in miniature animal figurines. Although some figures may be nearly a foot tall, their most recognizable figurines are in the one half to two inch range. Because of the small size, the figurines may not be marked with the usual H-R, but may have a hang tag or be glued onto a small square of paper with the company name. The paper base does not help with the display of these small treasures, but should be retained on the figure anyway.

The name refers to two generations of the family, Hagen for the financier and Renaker for the first figurine makers. Although their production includes some human figures, most of them are animals or Disney characters. Some of the larger Hagen-Renaker horses are shown with riders and with appropriate equipment, like the barrels for a barrel racer or a jump for a show jumper. Most the the smaller animals are shown only in their own right, but are so cute that the lack of other human touches is not noticeable.

Bartholomew and The Dog © by noricum

The Hagen-Renaker figurines include both domestic and wild animals from the Northern Hemisphere. Farm animals, usually with both grown and young versions, are among the H-R animals, as are the animals that live in our homes. Fictional animals, like dragons and unicorns, also figure among the H-R menagerie. A line of “Little Horribles” bring the creatures of nightmares to life, and there is a line of pedigreed dogs as well.

Among the most sought after Hagen-Renaker figurines by this company are the miniatures of Disney characters made during the 1950′s. These include the unwelcome characters, like the evil queens and stepmothers, as well as the heroes and the hero’s helpers. Characters from Snow White, Bambi and other Disney films were made at the Monrovia, California, plant.

Donut © by Christina Welsh (Rin)

Hagen-Renaker had a number of locations over the years, and frequently the figurines are identified by the place of production as well as the name of the piece. Figurines were made in the house garage in Culver City, and at factories in Monrovia, San Dimas, and briefly at San Marcos, California.

The Hagen-Renaker figurines come in three official sizes, with the Designers workshop being the largest at five to twelve inches. This line includes the familiar animals of house and farm, and realistic horse figurines that resemble the horses of the Breyer Company (which are larger and made of molded plastic). The Specialty size, smaller than the Designer line and larger than the two inch or less miniature line, includes a creche, frog and toad bands, and various animals, including horses with and without humans and props. The miniatures include mostly animals, sometimes with a bit of habitat, like ducks, ducklings and a small pond. These are the bread-and-butter of the company from nearly the beginning, and are the figurines most often recognized as Hagen-Renaker, even without the paper tag they come glued to.

The imagination and humor of the Hagen-Renaker production, as well as the small size of most of them, make the figurines of this pottery company memorable and highly recognizable, which also makes them good collectibles as well.

See Hagen-Renaker items for sale.

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

Read more about porcelain collectibles.

McCoy Pottery

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

Collecting McCoy bring several joys and a despair or two. The joys are that the company was prolific in both kinds of ceramics made and quantities of those ceramics, so there is a lot of McCoy to collect and in many areas the prices are not high. The problem is, McCoy did not mark their wares for many years, and when they did, they did not trademark the name, so it is possible that other companies may have “borrowed” the mark from time to time. Once again, the key is having a field guide to take when on the hunt, and developing an eye for the product characteristics.

The real McCoy planter © by bab7268

My opinion: Plenty of scope for collecting here. Pick a form, color or line, and see what you can find.

Product lines:
cookie jars: hundreds of shapes, and some variation in painting. Lots of collecting scope, but space constraints come into play with this form.
crocks, churns and jugs: not marked, display looks boring until sheer number of items impresses the viewer. See comment about cookie jars and space.
dinnerware: mugs, jugs, teapots and sugar/creamer sets seem to predominate.
flowerpots, jars, planters: planters are in the florist line.
jardinieres and pedestals
kitchenwares: mostly very utilitarian
lamps
loy-nel-art: brown with natural motifs.
pet feeders
vases, flower holders, wall pockets: along with planters and cookie jars, the most interesting.

Prices:
Depends of size as well as scarcity, or maybe scarcity depends on size, in the case of jardinieres and pedestals. Prices run from a few dollars to as much as you can stand.

Collector’s Society: McCoy Pottery Collectors’ Society (http://mccoypotterycollectorssociety.org/)

The official company site is: None.

History
Like so many late Nineteenth and Twentieth Century glass and ceramic companies, McCoy refers to several organizations in which one member of the McCoy family or another was involved. There is also the usually buying out or getting bought out, name changes, etc. In a nutshell, McCoy produced stoneware storage vessels from 1899, more attractive wares were added in 1902, and the heyday for the pottery involved the facilities in Roseville and Zanesville, Ohio, from 1911. Much coming and going of companies and molds right up to the 1980′s.

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

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.

Hull Pottery

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(pronunciation: as spelled)

If you frequent garage sales and flea markets, you have undoubtedly seen Hull pottery. Besides kitchen items, the company made florist and decorator pieces. The most identifiable figure for me is the sassy-looking, puckered bill swan they made in many sizes and patterns. Once you have seen this hooligan of the feathered kind, you will recognize it. In addition, Hull is responsible for the Little Red Riding Hood kitchen wares, including canisters, cookie jar, shakers, string holder, banks and pitchers, among others. Perhaps a little kitschy at the time, the Hull products can bring back “the good, old days” for those who ran across them when they were first produced.

The company made all kinds of useful household objects besides plates, cups and vases. Hull made banks, string holders, candlesticks, baskets, cornucopia, tea pots, pitchers, lamps, mixing bowls, clocks and other items from pottery, for every room of the house. There are console sets with larger vases or bowls and candle holders, or a suite of vases to be displayed together, There are swan bowls with the appropriate flower, and vases made into lamps. Other birds may also be included in the named set, like doves. Wall pockets are sometimes included in the line, and there are teapots with matching sugar and creamer in some other.

My opinion: Here is a company whose production you can collect as a single type, like the swans, or across their production. First kitsch, then camp, now nostalgic, look at the reference books published on this manufacturer before you start collecting. You are bound to find something by Hull that you like for some reason, obscure or up front and in your face.

Product lines:
Home Decoration Lines:
Lines named after flowers: These usually include various sizes and shapes of vases with the flower in question molded into the front of the ceramic piece. The flower names lines are: Blossom Flite, Bow-Knot, Calla Lily, Classic, Crab Apple, Dogwood (Wild Rose), Granada (Mardi Gras), Iris, Magnolia, Morning Glory, Open Rose (Camellia), Orchid, Poppy, Rosella, Sunglow (Pansy), Thistle, Tulip, Water Lily, Wildflower, Woodland.

Lines with birds or butterflies in addition to flowers: Butterfly and Serenade (birds),

Other design lines based on natural subjects: Parchment and Pine, the various sea creatures in Ebb Tide, Leeds (elephants and pigs) and Tokay/Tuscany (grapes).

Finally, for those interested strictly in shape and color, the Continental line can provide those without flowers or natural motifs.

Kitchen Lines:
Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella Blossom, Modern, Floral, Crescent, Debonair, and Gingerbread Man. Oven safe lines include Nuline Bak-Serve, Cook ‘n Serve, House and Garden, the Hull Collection.

Prices:
Prices run from low ($5) to high ($3000), so you will have to decide on your own top limit after you get a feel for the price range of the pieces you want to collect.

Collector’s Society: Yes, the Hull Pottery Association (http://hullpotteryassn.org/).

The official company site is:None.

History
A.E. Hull, W.A. Watts and J.D. Young established the A.E. Hull Pottery Company in Crooksville, Ohio, in 1904. Between that date and the company closure in 1986, this company specialized in useful but decorative objects for the home. They produced a few lines of casual dinnerware, and many lines of kitchen wares for the storage of comestibles. The company also produced pottery for the florist trade, items for the garden and bathroom, and a line of House ‘n Garden serving pieces. The Hull mark varies, and was sometimes only on a paper label, so some will not be marked by this time.

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

Read more about porcelain collectibles in the Porcelain Collectibles Guide.