Question:
Hi. I have a vase that I was always told was "worth a fortune" and it is embossed with Red Wing on the bottom. It is quite

I also have a full set, service of 8, dinnerware with a black leaf painted on it. The cups are square shape and black with an off white center.

Any idea of how much these things might be worth?

Thanks Claudia

Answer:
Need more information. Vase discription or a number from the bottom
of the vase. Thanks Jeff and Sue

Question: {mosimage}
We bought some Red Wing Bob White dishes over 10 years ago & this small teapot was included. It has no marking on the bottom. The glaze is identical to the pattern. It is about 4" tall & almost 13" around. But as you can see is void of decoration. Could you please tell me if it belongs to this group & a value? The piece is in great condition. Thanks for your time & help. Pat

Answer:
Pat, Only the top half of your teapot photo came through, so I can’t view the bottom portion of the teapot. I am not familiar with this teapot, and don’t think it was made by Red Wing. The glaze certainly resembles Red Wing’s beige fleck glaze but the specks don’t seem look right — they are too broad. This the teapot isn’t part of the Bob White pattern, nor is it from any other Red Wing dinnerware pattern. While it certainly has the Red Wing look, I don’t believe this teapot was made by Red Wing. Thanks, Larry

Question:
I would like the estimated value of a pink 64 oz. jug in the Fondoso pattern. Thank you, Danny

Answer:
Danny, Red Wing did not make a pink 64 oz jug in the Fondoso pattern, so I’m not sure just which piece you have. Most likely you have 70oz "Straight" pitcher or a 70oz "Tilt" pitcher. Both pitchers have an ice stop. The ice stop on the Tilt pitcher is offset or "tilted" at a downward angle, while the Straight pitcher is vertically oriented and has the ice stop at the top of the pitcher. Values for both styles are about the same — a pink 70 oz Fondoso pitcher would be worth $50 to $75 in excellent condition. Thanks, Larry

Question:
I have a blue glazed Dutch girl cookie jar with one barely visable chip on the outside of lid in lower area of lid and one chip off in base inner opening of jar (not visable with lid on). Thanks Deborah

Answer:
What is the question? For value, I’d estimate this cookie jar with two small chips to be in the $40 to $50 range, depending on the size of the chips and how much they detract from the appearance. Difficult to assess damage without a photo. Thanks, Larry

Question:
I have some Red Wing Bakeware which I inherited 40 years ago. I just found out what it is, as only 1 of the pieces is marked. I have donated it to a small local museum for their yard sale on Saturday. Having identified it, I am now concerned that 1) it go to someone who will appreciate it and 2) we get a fair price for the museum. Approximately what price would be appropriate for the yard sale, or, if there is a collector’s market for the Bakeware, would it be better to withdraw it from the sale and pursue that, with proceeds to the museum? I have 4 large plates, 2 small plates, 1 medium size oval casserole with lid, 4 small oval casseroles with 3 lids, 4 cups and saucers, and a teapot. One of the small casseroles has a chip, and another piece has a crack. Otherwise, they are in beautiful condition. There are 4 other pieces which are probably another pattern. Thanks, Sharon

Answer:
Sharon, There are certainly collectors of Bakeware but the values for this pattern aren’t particularly high. Most of the pieces you’ve mentioned are quite common and supply is greater than demand. Collector values for the plates are $5 to $15, cups & saucers $10 to $15 per set, the medium casserole $20 to $25, the small casseroles $10 to $15 apiece (less if missing lid, chipped or cracked). The teapot is the most valuable piece. In excellent condition it would be worth $30 to $50, depending on glaze flaws. Glaze skips and breaks are common with this pattern; a teapot with a smooth clean glaze could fetch the upper end of the price range. Thanks, Larry

Question:
Hi, I have a piece that says Red Wind USA on the back. I don’t know any thing about glaze but I think from what I could find on my own, that I have a Relish dish in the Chuck Wagon or Round Up pattern. It is divided into 3 sections and has a handle. It has a tiny chip on the back of the handle. I was wondering if it still had any value and if so, how much? There is no chuck wagon on it, only 2 cowboys. Thank you, Janis

Answer:
Tough to assess damage without a photo, but your relish dish still has value. To my knowledge there is no difference in the cowboy artwork for a Chuck Wagon and a Round Up relish dish. The plates had different designs but that was about the only difference in the patterns. Assuming the chip is very small and on the backside of the piece as you describe, the value of your relish would be in the $30 to $50 range. Thanks for writing, Larry

Question:
I have a dinnerware set of Red Wing Bob White pattern & the majority of the pieces has a yellowness on the pottery, mainly being on the outside edging or outer parts such as the cups. I have tried oops (b/ c I thought it was nicotene..cig smoke) but that didn’t remove it & usually Oops cleaner does. I soaked pieces in Oxyclean for over 6 hours & never phased the yellow. My question is: is this yellowness suppose to be there? If not, what can I use to get rid of it? Enclosed is a picture of a plate. Again, the yellowness is mainly around the outside edging…none in center of pieces at all. Thanks, Patty

Answer: {mosimage}
I don’t see any abnormal discoloring on the plate in the attached photo. The color may be a bit darker towards edges but it doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. Perhaps the glaze is built up a bit thicker in these areas than on the flat portions of the plate, giving the edges a yellower appearance. You might gently try a little mild abrasive cleaner such as Soft Scrub on a small area to see if it has any effect. But my guess is this is a natural aspect of the glazing process. Thanks, Larry

Question:
I was wondering if the paint used on the lotus pattern collection is lead based? Beautiful to admire, but safe to use? Thanks Kristy

Answer:
Lead-based glazes were commonly used in the pottery industry, and it’s my understanding Red Wing used them. The lead is in the shiny glaze that coats the plate, not in the colors used to decorate the plate. I do not know if lead-based glaze was used to produce Lotus dinnerware but most likely it was. Personally, I would consider a piece of Lotus with intact glaze to be safe to use. I would be more concerned about chipped or cracked pieces, or pieces with crazing in the glaze. (Crazing refers to fine cracks in the glaze that sometimes appear as the piece ages.) Thanks Larry

Question:
We recently went through boxes packed when my in-laws were alive. We discovered pieces of black and white dishes with Red Wing and what appears to be a red wing painted on the bottom of the pieces. The dishes are white with black roses (I think its roses). Is this actually Red Wing dinnerware/pottery? Thanks Linda

Answer:
Midnight Rose is the name of your dinnerware pattern. Plates in this pattern featured a rose drawn in black (like a pencil drawing) on a white background. The plates were marked "Red Wing" on the bottom with a pinkish-red ink stamp. Accessory pieces were made in solid black with white interiors, although the set could also be purchased with all-white pieces borrowed from the Tweed Tex pattern. Midnight Rose is one of six patterns made in the Anniversary shape, and it had the shortest lifespan of the six. It was made for only a couple of years in the mid-1950s. Apparantly the black color scheme did not catch on with buyers and the pattern was soon dropped. Thanks Jeff and Sue

Question:
I probably should have put the cups & saucers together and grouped
the items accordingly but I didn’t think about that until just now. **sorry** I also have a pitcher but it is still at my in-laws house and I think they have the cookie jar too. Not sure about lids to either of those pieces though. I love this set of dinnerware and even if it’s not worth much it holds sentimental value to me as it was my in-laws first set of dishes and a wedding gift to them. We have pictures of them using these pieces and the pictures alone are priceless to me. Thank you so much for your time and for your help. I hope these pictures are what you need, if not, let me know and I will re-take them in better groupings or sets. Thank you, Tina

Answer:
Tina, The photos you sent show a very nice set of Capistrano dishes. I will assume all of your Capistrano pieces are shown by the photos, with the exception of a pitcher and a cookie jar which were not available for the photos.

I would estimate the value of your collection as shown to be $350 to $450, assuming all pieces are in excellent condition. Chips, cracks, stains and other damage reduce the value significantly. As you stated, you have the serving pieces of a service for eight of (although I see only 7 cups). You are missing the covered sugar bowl and a set of salt & pepper shakers from what I would consider to be a basic set. If desired, these piece are readily available on the market.

You also have several nice accessory pieces. The egg plate is the most valuable of them, and you also have what appears to be a buffet bowl. (Hard to be certain without knowing the dimensions.) You mentioned a pitcher not in the photos. Two types of pitcher were made — a covered beverage server with a spout and an open water pitcher. You also mentioned a cookie jar. No cookie jar was made in the Capistrano pattern. But perhaps you have a casserole (round with a cover) or a soup tureen (elongated oval with a cover). The casserole is fairly common; the soup tureen is more difficult to find and thus more valuable.

I hope this information is helpful. While your set certainly has some value, it is not worth a fortune. Enjoy it for the memories it holds for you!

Larry