Question:
Larry, I collect yellow Reed pieces and I have noticed that there are two distinct plate shapes. One shape I would call the flair shape where the edges go straight out from the center, and the other a tulip shape where the edges turn under at the outer edge. I know that this was made for a about 30 years so there could be a change in style. Do you know the reason for the change and which style belongs to what era? Jody

Answer: This question was posed several years ago. I turned to my friend Terry Moe, a long time collector of Gypsy Trail, for an answer. Here is his reply:

The Reed molds were changed as you have noted. It is not clear when that occurred nor is it clear why it happened. The 7 ½" Covered Casseroles were offered with 8 ½” under plates and the 8 ½” Covered Casseroles were offered with 9 ½” under plates in the undated brochure which introduced Chevron (probably 1936). Some collectors believe that the plates that have the flat profile were designed to fit better under the Casseroles. Other collectors believe that the flat profile plates did not hold the food on the plate so customer complaints caused the Company to change to the upturned rim. Still other collectors believe that the profile was changed so the plates would stack better in the cupboard. As you can see, we really don’t know. I believe that the flat profile plates were introduced first and the change was made to better hold the food on the plate. My family used the Reed plates for our everyday dishes for a number of years and we prefer the upturned rim.