Question:
I recently purchased a pedestal juicer marked REDWING 256 at a local thrift store. I read they are still making redwing, and wondered if this was new or old. It seemed unique to me. Thanks.

Answer: Your juicer is a vintage piece of Red Wing. The original pottery closed in 1967. In 1990 or 1991 a new pottery began to use the Red Wing Stoneware name. The new pottery makes items "in the Red Wing style" but does not make reproductions of original Red Wing pieces. Most of their wares are bottom marked with a blue ink stamp that includes the company name and a wing within a circle.

Your juicer was introduced in 1944 as part of the Gypsy Trail line of dinnerware. During the World War II years metals were reserved for the military, and the Gypsy Trail line expanded to include many new items such as coffee dripolators, cookie jars, cannister sets, baking dishes, ice tub and even a watering pot for flowers. A Gypsy Trail Ware catalog dated January 1944 lists "Fruit Juicer with Cup" as being available in yellow and cream ivory. The juice collecting cup is made to fit beneath the juicer’s spout and it resembles a creamer. Over time most of these juicer and cup sets have been separated, and I don’t believe the cup is marked Red Wing. The cup is quite difficult to find today. Production of nearly all Gypsy Trail items ended shortly after the end of World War II, so your juicer was made for a brief period.

The juicer is not a common piece but it certainly isn’t rare either. Most examples found today seem to have a couple of vertical hairlines, probably due to the stress put on them while being used to squeeze out juice. The juice collecting cup is far more difficult to find than the juicer. The value people place on the juicer seems to vary quite a bit. I’ve seen them in antique shops priced at more than $200, but I bought one myself about a year ago for less than $50. I’d say the value of the juicer alone in average condition would be $50 to $100; add another $50 if the juicer is in excellent condition with no hairlines, chips or staining. A complete set with both the juicer and the cup should at least double these values.

Larry