Question:
I am trying to get any information at all about this piece. This is what I know about it. I was told it is Red Wing Pottery. It must have belonged to my Grandmother because her name is on the back (Sabina Rose). I believe she worked for the company in Red Wing, Minnesota but I can’t verify that either. The names were signed on it, her name was placed on the back and then it was fired. Any information that you can give me on this piece would be appreciated. Thank You! Debbi

Answer: What a spectacular piece! This is a one-of-a-kind plate, likely produced as a farewell gift for an employee from her coworkers. Nearly all of the names on the plate are female, and the primary role for women at Red Wing Potteries was to hand paint and decorate dinnerware and art pottery. Thus this plate is apparently a farewell gift from the workers in the hand decorating department to Sabina Rose, whose name is written in yellow on the back of the plate.

The plate is from the Provincial line. The floral decoration is from the Orleans dinnerware pattern, one of four patterns made in the Provincial shape. The colorful signatures were made with dinnerware glazes in use at the time. Many of them are colors found in the Orleans decoration, but others such as yellow and forest green were colors used for other dinnerware patterns of the time.

A number of similarly signed plates have turned up over the years. Most of these farewell items and other lunch hour or personalized pieces were made in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and this plate fits into that time period. This plate with so many employee signatures is a piece of Red Wing history. It is difficult to put a value on a one-of-a-kind piece like this. But given the colors, the historical significance, the condition (looks to be excellent) and the overall attractiveness of this plate I would estimate it is worth at least $1000.

Larry