Question:
I have a Concord style plate with a pattern I can’t identify. Two Oak leafs on the left and right edges in black outline with green accents. The back has the red Red Wing stamp and a black grease pencil #1.

Answer: If authentic, this plate is quite a find. It is not among Red Wing’s standard production dinnerware patterns. It most likely is a test or sample piece. The company’s designers developed and tried new patterns routinely over the years. Sometimes the pattern became a standard production item but many designs were rejected. It is also possible this is a "lunch hour" item, made by one of the pottery workers for their own personal use or to use as a gift. Numerous one-of-a-kind test plates are now in the hands of collectors.

The shape of your plate is Fancy Free, not Concord. Only two patterns, Desert and Caprice, were made in the Fancy Free shape. They were introduced in 1952 and had a short lifespan. Both patterns are quite scarce today.

The key factor for your plate is whether or not the artwork is under the glaze. That certainly appears to be the case based on your photo, along with the Red Wing mark and the hand drawn #1. If the artwork was added over the glaze, it’s an indication the plate was painted subsequent to leaving the pottery and the value would be very little.

It is difficult to place a value on a one-of-a-kind item. But authentic Red Wing test plates and lunch hour plates in good condition almost always sell for several hundred dollars apiece, and some have sold for over $1000.

Larry