Category Archives: Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

Tidbit tray with test plates

Question:

Good Morning,

While traveling in Palm Springs earlier this month I came across the following unmarked piece.  Being a collector of Tampico, I noticed that the shape was clearly Futura.  Do you have any information on the history and value of this piece?  Thanks,

Alan

Answer: This two tiered tidbit tray was made from two test or sample plates.  The three handwritten codes on the bottom of the plate confirm this.

The plates are in the Futura shape.  The design resembles Pepe, a pattern from the DuoTone line, but the colors are different.  Perhaps consideration was given to add Pepe to the Futura line, but most likely the glazes were the focus of the test.  After testing was finished and the sample plates were no longer needed, they were drilled and made into a tidbit tray that was probably sold at the Red Wing Pottery Salesroom.  The Salesroom served as a place for Red Wing to sell seconds, overruns and various odds and ends like this tidbit tray.

It’s hard to place a value on a unique piece like this.  Collectors will appreciate a well-known pattern (Pepe) in a different color on plates from the “wrong” dinnerware line.  But the holes that were drilled to convert the plates into a tidbit tray detract from the value considerably.  If the dinner plate was intact I would estimate its value to be in the $400-600 range, maybe even higher to the right collector.  But as a tidbit tray I’d estimate the value to be no more than half as much.

Larry R

Bob White Tumblers

Question:

We have searched the archives looking for information on a few pieces of dinnerware but haven’t been able to find what we are looking for.  We are needing info on the Bob White supper sets & 4oz juice tumblers.  Were they actually produced?  We’ve heard of both items but haven’t ever seen them!  Also, we would like to know what patterns the water coolers & stands were available in.  Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge!!  Kim

Answer:

Bob White tumblers were a standard production item for a brief period in the 1960s.  The image below is from a January 1965 brochure.

Bob White supper trays were never put into production.  Such a tray was sold at the Red Wing convention auction a number of years ago, and it’s the only one I’ve seen.  I believe that was a test or sample piece, and the company decided to not add it as a standard production piece.
Water coolers were made for the following patterns:
Village Green, Delta Blue, Bob White, Round Up, Tampico.
A 1952 Village Green brochure lists a Wheat version of the water cooler but I’ve never seen or heard of one.
Larry R

Red Wing 1336 Crackle White and Bronze Vase

Question:

Hello,  I am interested in any information you hopefully can give me on this vase? It measures 9 & 1/2 inches in height from base to top lip. The base is 2 3/4 × 2 × 2. Brown inside,  white with light blue crackle exterior? Bottom marked REDWING U.S.A. 1336.
THANK YOU
Denise

Answer: The 1336 crackled white vase with bronze in mint condition it would be valued around $65.

Advertising Crocks Paal & Oshea and Mountian Lake

Question:

Hi. I have 2 small advertising Crocks. One seems to be in excellent condition and other has a small crack. Since I have no sentimental value to them, I’d like to sell them. It have no idea of their value.

Thank you

Sherry

Answer:

Sherry, The Mountain Lake beater depends on local demand $100-$200. The PAAL & O’SHEA is worth around $150.00-$200.00 with the damage.

 

Clifford

3 Red Wing Churn with no oval

Question:

Hello,

I just purchased this #3 Union Stoneware crock.  Can you give me information on this piece.  There is not , and it does not appear it ever had the blue stamp under the wing.

The wing itself feels like it has been embossed into the crock rather than stamped. Does the lid look like an original, or what an original would look like?  The lid has a chip on the interior rim, the crock has no chips or cracks.

Lastly, can you give me an idea of value?

Thank you for your time.

Barb

Answer:

Barb, Your 3 gallon butter churn has a value around $165.00. It has a lot of ink on it when they stamped the wing  that why it’s a little smudged and you can feel it. The lid is not Red Wing and goes on a crock.

 

Clifford Olson

Lexington Rose Pitcher

Question:

I have the Red Wing Lexington Rose pitcher, 13″ tall but the bottom logo has the black oval “RW 7″. Does this give it more resale value like on eBay rather than $25 you state. From my research, this logo on my pitcher was made prior to the “red” Red Wing logo other dinnerware. I want to know if it gives it more value as this means it’s older.  And real important: do you know the exact year the Lexington Red Wing pitcher debuted?

Thank you,
Cat H.

Answer:

The Lexington pattern was introduced in 1941.  The water pitcher was among the available items from the beginning.  The red and green colors on early Lexington pieces, including the water pitcher, were lighter.  The rose was closer to pink than red.  The black “upright wing” ink stamp was used to mark items from 1941 until the late 1940s.  This mark is occasionally seen in green or blue.
Sometime in the late 1940s, probably 1947, the “RW” ink stamp was introduced and the colors of the pattern darkened. This mark was used for a fairly brief period and is the least common mark of the three marks used on Lexington items.
The familiar pinkish-red stylized wing ink stamp was introduced in 1950.  The red and green colors continued to darken. Many new pieces were added to the Lexington pattern between the late 1940s and 1955.  Lexington was discontinued in 1955.
In my experience most collectors pay little attention to the ink stamp used to mark a particular piece.  Condition and the quality of the artwork are far more important.  There might be a few collectors who seek to add a pitcher with each of the three logos but there aren’t enough of them to influence market prices. Older doesn’t necessarily mean more valuable when it comes to dinnerware.  Some collectors find the darker colors more attractive, so they place a higher value on the later pieces of Lexington than those made early in production.
Larry R

10 gallon salt glaze Red Wing leaf crock

Question:

This piece came from my father’s house, and I suspect it came from his parents’ house in Waseca, MN. I can find no other markings on the crock. Thank you for your time.

Jean

Answer:

Jean, Your 10 gallon salt glaze leaf crock is Red Wing. A big leaf will bring around $1000 in mint condition to the right person. The chip will bring it down $600-$800 .

 

Clifford Olson

Pair of Salt Glaze lids

Question:

Hi –

I came across these 3 lids for our collection earlier this summer. The pair of salt glazed (one and two gallon) and the other 2 gallon that’s Albany slip. I’ve done a couple of searches on the site, but have come up empty on anything.

I’d love to know more about these; the year ranges they were likely produced in, if only one of the Red Wing companies made each, and their value.

Thanks for your time,

Randy

Answer:

Randy,

These 2 lids are Red Wing salt glaze. 1 gal. value  $100-$125 , The 2 gal. Value around $200-$250 in mint condition.

Clifford Olson

Pierre the Chef blue cookie jar

Question:

My name is Renee and am looking for some help. We have a Redwing Chef Pierre Cookie Jar that I believe to quite rare. I have been on the RWCS facebook page and have searched online for several days and cannot find any current information about this piece.
My husband has had this for over 25 years and it belonged to his grandmother. Otherwise we have had this and have not used it only for show. The measurements are 12″ high, 22″ around.
What I have found so far is it’s estimated value in 2010. That was said to be $750 – $1000. It’s color is said to be Fleck Nile Blue and there were not many made with this color. Photos attatched.
Please help me.
Thank-you,
Renee L

Answer:

The “Pierre the Chef” cookie jar was introduced by Red Wing in 1941, along with his friends Katrina the Dutch girl and Friar Tuck. Price lists from 1942, 1943 and 1944 show them as being available in blue, yellow, and tan colors. An undated brochure, probably from the mid to late 1940s adds green as a fourth color. The early brochures refer to the jar as “Pierre the Chef” but eventually he became known as simply The Chef.  These three cookie jars were great sellers for Red Wing. Many thousands of them were made and production continued into the mid 1950s. By then Katrina and Friar Tuck were dropped from production, but the Chef continued on along with several newly introduced cookie jar shapes. A brochure from 1956 lists fleck pink and fleck blue as the only two available colors for the Chef. This was probably the last year of production for the Chef as he does not appear in a 1957 dealers price list.

The blue fleck and pink fleck Chef cookie jars were made for only a brief period at the end of production.  They are far more difficult to find today because few of them were made.

I would estimate the current value for a Nile Fleck Blue Chef cookie jar to be $600 to $750 in excellent, undamaged condition.  Any damage will reduce the value significantly.  Antique values, including cookie jars, have declined in recent years.  This tends to be cyclical, and values are likely to rise again sometime in the future.

Larry

40 gallon Red Wing Crock

Question:

Hello! Can you please help with a valuation? Also, can you recommend a collector to buy?
Thank you! Amy

Answer:

Amy, Your 40 gallon crock in mint condition has a value around $1000.  You can try your local craigslist, face book for sale site or advertise on here.

 

Clifford Olson

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