Question:
hi! I just received a bunch of jugs (some are all brown and some are half brown and half crock colored) and a couple of bean pots, teapot and a pitcher from my mother. she says that they are all Red Wing but some of them are not marked at all and other ones that don’t have an obvious stamp on them have a maple leaf on the bottom and one has a star on the bottom. Are these Red Wing as well? I also have a mini jug that says Potter’s Excursion, June 11th, 1915, Red Wing to St. Paul with a black ink circular stamp on the bottom that says "falconer stoneware Red Wing" is this old or a re issue? I have a ton of pictures but didn’t want to overwhelm you with them unless you think that you need to see any of them. Thanks for your time. susie

Answer: Susie, I have looked at the photos you send in. The only item I can tell for sure that is Red Wing is the Bean pot. Some of your pieces were manufactured by the Western Stoneware Company. And lastly your Teapot. The photos did not show me the star that is on the bottom of your teapot. However, looking at the teapot itself, it does not look like a North Star piece to me. There were a number of stoneware companies (one in Cooks-ville, Ohio) that used a star on their stoneware pieces as well that people think are Northstar. So this may be the case. If you could send me a photo of that star it would help me out. Most of your pieces were manufactured in the 1920′s & 30′s. The values will be low as there is no advertising or decorations on these pieces and the type of pieces you have are quite plentiful and easy to obtain. Your mini jug that says Potter’s Excursion, June 11th, 1915, Red Wing to St. Paul with a black ink circular stamp on the bottom that says "falconer stoneware Red Wing" would be a reproduction and not an orginal. This piece would have little value as well. A couple of great books that would help you out would be: Red Wing Potters & Their Wares by Gary & Bonnnie Tefft (my first choice) and my second would be Red Wing Stoneware by Dan DePasquale, Gail Peck and Larry Peterson. Hope I was of some help. Al Kohlman