Clowning Around with Red Wing Stoneware

Red Wing Stoneware Company, one of the largest producers of utilitarian pottery and stoneware in the United States, has been an iconic name in Minnesota’s history since 1877. That legacy is still going strong with collectors, who were eager to snap up pieces offered in a July 10 Red Wing Dinnerware, Art Pottery & Stoneware […]

Fine Dinnerware

Fine china is not just for holidays anymore. Increased home entertaining has given rise to using fine old china—once considered old-fashioned—for entertaining and family dinners. People are discovering that Haviland, Lenox, Delftware, Royal Copenhagen and Wedgwood plates and serving pieces make everyday meals look special. There was a 39 percent increase in searches for fine […]

J. K. Decor Carlsbad

Q: I inherited twelve place settings and several serving pieces of this porcelain dinnerware. It’s marked with this blue mark and “Made in Germany” and also has a sticker that says “J.K. Decor Carlsbad.” Can you tell me something about it and what it’s worth? A: The design of courting couples on your dishes is […]

What’s Not Selling and Why

Readers frequently write to ask, “Can I sell this?” And our article on the Top 14 searches last week brought a lot of discussion in the comments section about what is selling right now. Remember that styles and tastes change.  What is selling today isn’t necessarily what will be selling tomorrow.  You hear about the […]

Phoenix Bird Dishes

Q: A large dinnerware set was given to us in the 1970s by friends who were moving into smaller quarters. The set includes two sizes of plates, cups, saucers, and a number of serving pieces. One cup is marked “Made in Occupied Japan.” I presume these were made sometime after World War I, and I […]

Porcelain Dinnerware Sets Holiday Mood 

November is a time of family dinners and celebrations. Sets of formal porcelain dinnerware haven’t been in demand recently, but auction prices show that collectors will still pay top dollar for good porcelain. A recent auction at Stair Galleries in New York offered classic antique and vintage porcelain tableware. Lots included partial dinner services, bowls, […]

Flora Danica Still Expensive

Royal Copenhagen’s Flora Danica pattern dinnerware has always been very expensive. The flowers are modeled and added one at a time. The matching flatware rarely shows up at auction. A 60-piece set of knives, forks and spoons sold at a recent Heritage auction for $42,000. A 58-piece set of dishes brought $15,000.    

Dinnerware Patterns

These dinnerware patterns are organized in alphabetical order.     Autumn Leaf Autumn Leaf pattern china was made for the Jewel Tea Company beginning in 1933. Hall China Company, East Liverpool, Ohio; Crooksville China Company, Crooksville, Ohio; Harker Potteries, Chester, West Virginia; and Paden City Pottery, Paden City, West Virginia, made dishes with this design. […]

European Dinnerware Used In The United States

Dinnerware in the average American home in the early 1900s was usually china from Limoges, France, especially Haviland, for “good” dishes and English ironstone or American whiteware for every day. Stylish Haviland dishes were delicate-looking, with molded shapes and floral designs in pastel colors, especially violet. During World War I, few dishes were imported, but […]

Pfaltzgraff Company

Pfaltzgraff is the oldest pottery in America. Since its founding in York, Pennsylvania, in 1811 by German immigrant George Pfaltzgraff, it has been operated by five generations of the Pfaltzgraff family. The name Pfaltzgraff Pottery Company was first used in 1896. The company originally made salt-glazed stoneware crocks and jugs, then added red clay flowerpots […]