Q: I have had this set of Cameoware by Harker Pottery Co. for years. Can you give me some idea of its value? I think the coffeepot and rolling pin are the most valuable.
A: Cameoware was one of Harker's best-selling lines and is very popular with collectors today. It was made from about 1936 until the 1950s. Kitchenware was made first, then dinnerware. "Cameoware" was the trade name for the first design in the line. The stenciled pattern on your dishes was called "Dainty Blue" and "White Blossom" in sales brochures but is now usually called "Dainty Flower." It was made in blue, pink, and yellow and on several different shapes. Yellow is the hardest color to find today. Other stenciled Cameoware designs were also made. It took three firings to make Cameoware designs. The dishes were fired once and then a rubber stencil with the design in reverse was affixed to the dish before it was dipped or sprayed with engobe, colored liquid clay. After the stencil was removed, the dish was fired a second time. Then it was glazed and fired a third time. A salad plate costs about $8 online, a cup $15, a rolling pin $50, and a coffeepot $100.
