Question:
Was the Village Green, Village Green all hand thrown or was it cast? We have some mugs, 3 of them have a red raised "Red Wing" marking and 1 has a white "Red Wing" marking – this one is also a little lighter and thinner. What are the difference between the two and how is the raised mark created if it isn’t a cast piece? Thanks Demeri

Answer:
Village Green pieces were not hand thrown. They were formed by a mold or via ram press.

By mug I assume you mean the 5 inch tall beverage mug, not the coffee cup-shaped mug. These were formed in a mold, and Red Wing used many of them over the 17 years of production. I have three such mugs in front of me — one has RED WING USA in raised letters, the second has the same wording in impressed letters, and the third is completely unmarked. The raised letter version seems to be the most common from my experience. Why the differences? I suspect there is no good reason. Red Wing was haphazard at best at marking their wares and I doubt they put much thought into how the markings on these mugs appeared.

I’m not sure about your mug with the white Red Wing marking. How is the marking applied and how does it appear? Raised letters, ink stamp, impressed letters? Is the marking white merely because it is not covered with glaze, thus allowing the white clay to show through? Without a photo or more thorough description I really don’t know what you have here.

Larry