Question:
Good Evening, My question is this, what is the sequence of the Red Wing markings on the bottom of the dinner ware? I have a large collection of Bob White and there are at least 5 markings on the different pieces, what is the order that they were used in production, including the time period when there was not a mark? This would really help when trying to date some of the pieces. I have looked though the books that I have and nothing is mentioned and my wife and I were just up in Red Wing this last weekend and could not find anyone that could help me. Thank you for time and consideration in advance. A Bob White collector for over 30 years. Dale Retallic

Answer: Bob White was made from 1954 to 1967. Several different marks were used over this period, as you have noted. I can’t say exactly when the various marks were used at what time, but here is my best estimate.

The reddish-pink wing shaped ink stamp was introduced in 1950 and was used until sometime in 1958. Bob White pieces with the pink wing mark can be dated to the early years of production. The reddish-pink wing mark can be found on some larger Bob White pieces such as pitchers, teapots and salad bowls. At some point, probably in 1958 when the wing mark was dropped, these larger pieces were bottom marked "RED WING USA" via the mold used to form the piece rather than by ink stamp. At about the same time a plain black text ink stamp that states "Red Wing USA – Hand Painted – Oven proof" replaced the wing stamp on flatware. To my knowledge the RED WING USA bottom mark and black text ink stamp continued to be used until the end of production in 1967.

Some Bob White pieces are marked with a black ink stamp that includes the name "Bob White" in script letters. I’m not sure when these were made but my guess is the mid-1960s. This is based on the fact that pattern-specific ink stamps were used for a number of patterns introduced at that time (for example Pepe, Damask, Ebb Tide, and Kashmir). Bob White and Lute Song are the only two older patterns found with pattern-specific stamps, and they both remained very popular in the mid-1960s.

Regarding the RED WING USA mark imparted by molds: Keep in mind that molds were used over and over again. Older molds were no doubt still being used for a while after the revised molds (with the mark) were made. So it is likely that for a period both marked and unmarked versions were being made. Red Wing was far more interested in maximizing production from their molds (and reducing costs) than in the consistency in their markings.

As for Bob White pieces with no mark, I don’t believe they fit into any particular time period. I’m not sure which pieces you refer to here, but there are some Bob White pieces that were seldom if ever marked. And no doubt there are examples of pieces that were usually marked with an ink stamp but for some reason were missed. But I don’t believe the lack of marking can be used to date a piece of Bob White.

Larry