Question:

We bought this Fondoso item for $18 yesterday at a flea market. We have a considerable number of Gypsy Trail pieces, but have never seen this, and it does not appear in any of our books. We thought it might be a casserole, but the rim is not flat to support a lid and it’s a little too shallow.

The inside has cloud-like whitish areas, which may be the result of its having been used as a planter and minerals having leached out of the soil, or it might have come that way from the factory. The dimensions are 12x5x2.5.

Can you identify the purpose and name of this item, whether it is a standard piece, and its approximate value? There is no damage. Thank you.

Barbara & Jim

Answer:

At least three items with the Fondoso design were sold as art pottery pieces rather than dinnerware.  Thus they don’t appear with other Fondoso items in modern books and guides because they weren’t included in the vintage dinnerware catalogs that are the basis for those books.

Art pottery price lists from 1940 and 1941 include your bowl as shape 903. The price list includes only shape number and cost, so I don’t know what Red Wing may have named this piece.  Most likely it was intended to serve as a table centerpiece or planter.  Shape 904 was a pair of candlesticks with the Fondoso design (similar in size and shape to the small Fondoso salt & pepper shakers).  Shape 974 was an 8.5 inch bowl, which was essentially a Fondoso casserole without a cover.

The white areas inside your bowl are residue from a previous use, most likely as a planter.  This is a common issue with planters and vases.  The value for a 903 bowl in excellent condition is around $50.  The whitish residue may reduce the value somewhat.

Larry

Question:

Hi. I acquired these 2 platters a few years ago and absolutely love them. I have been unable to find much info on them but I do believe I have correctly identified them as the 1964 Kashmir pattern. I would love confirmation and a value if possible.
Also, is it possible to locate more pieces or is this a hard to find pattern? I haven’t had a lot of luck finding many pieces to add to my collection.

The large platter measures 15 1/4″ by 10 3/4″ and unfortunately came to me with the damage you see.

The smaller platter measures 13″ by 9″ and is in excellent condition.

Thank you so much for any help you may be able to offer.

Sincerely,
Gina

Answer;

Yes, these platters are from the Kashmir dinnerware pattern.  Kashmir was introduced in 1965 and produced until Red Wing Potteries ended production in 1967.  The pattern is quite popular with collectors, including me.  I started building a set of Kashmir nearly 30 years ago and over time have managed to acquire nearly every piece in the set.  In my opinion it’s a great pattern to collect.  There is enough of it out there that you’ll find a piece you need now and then, but not so common that you’ll see it in every antique shop.  And Kashmir can occasionally be found listed on eBay and other online auctions.

Kashmir platters are worth around $25-40 each in excellent, undamaged condition.  The chip on the larger platter is obvious and will reduce the value significantly, down to the $5-10 range.

Larry

Question:

Hi, I have the Blue Katrina Cookie Jar that was my grandmothers. I know it was made in the early 1940′s and there was a Blue, Yellow and a Green one was made a couple of years later. Could you tell me what these beautiful cookie jars sold for originally. I have tried to find some advertising from that time frame but so far have not found anything.

Thank you so much.

Margy.

Answer:

Sorry, I don’t have any retail ads for the Katrina cookie jar so I can’t say with certainty what the price to consumers may have been.  But I do have Red Wing’s wholesale price to stores that purchased these jars directly from the pottery.  The wholesale price listed for 1941 to 1944 was $24 for a dozen cookie jars.  That’s $2 per jar, and Red Wing often discounted their prices significantly depending on the total size of the store’s order.

Red Wing also made a series of fruit-shaped jars during the same period.  The wholesale price for them was $18 per dozen, and a 1941 promotional piece showed the retail price as $1.50 per jar.

Putting this all together it is safe to assume the retail price for the Katrina jar back in the day was less than $5, and most likely in the $2 to $4 range.

Larry

Question:

Hi,

I am inquiring about the following piece of Red Wing dinnerware I inherited from my grandmother.  I can’t find the correct email address on your “Ask the Experts” section, so I’m sending it to the only email address I could find.

After reviewing your “Ask the Experts” archives, it appears that this 10.5″ x 10.5″ square-ish plate comes from the “Blossom Time” collection, which I think you stated was produced from 1950-55.  I’m wondering if the removable carrying handle was part of the original collection (and if the item thus has a name), and if it adds any value to the piece?  Or, was this handle a generic type of add-on from that era that people could add to plates/platters to make them more portable/versatile?  It is in excellent condition.

Thanks for your help.

Beth

Answer:

The photo shows a Blossom Time dinner plate with an attached metal carrying handle.  Blossom Time is one of many patterns made in the Concord shape.

The metal handle was not listed in Red Wing brochures or price lists.  It was an accessory that could be purchased separately.  The handle was sold by Roberts Colonial House, a company in Chicago.  There may have been a co-marketing agreement with Red Wing, or the handle may have been available for purchase at the Red Wing Pottery Salesroom.  The handle adds minimal value to the Blossom Time plate, perhaps an extra $5 or $10.

I’ve attached two photos of a new unused handle in its original cellophane packaging.  The packaging includes a photo of a handle on a Lotus dinner plate, a sister pattern to Blossom Time.  The Roberts Colonial House handle was sold in the early 1950s.  A few years later Red Wing began to make tidbit trays out of surplus plates by drilling a hole and adding hardware.  It seems likely the tidbit tray concept originated with Roberts Colonial House handle.

Larry

Question:

Hello Experts,

My question is-

How many King of Tarts were made total in each of the colors?

and are these all the colors?

multi colored

dusty blue

speckled blue green with black

cinnamon

pink with black

wheat

chartreuse

Thanks- Angela

Answer:

Sorry but I have no idea how many King of Tart cookie jars were produced in each of the colors.  I don’t have access to production numbers and to my knowledge no such documentation exists.

We do not have thorough documentation on the King of Tarts cookie jar.  I have brochures from 1955 and 1956 that list the available colors as Fleck Blue and Fleck Pink.  Production of the multicolor jar began in the 1940s as evidenced by jars with an ink stamp that was not used after 1949.  The other colors were likely produced in the early 1950s but we have no documentation of dates or available colors.

My list of available colors would include multicolored, fleck blue with black trim, fleck pink with black trim, dusty blue, rust, and yellow.  Most likely rust = cinnamon and yellow = chartreuse.  I am not aware of a “wheat” colored King of Tarts jar, but would not be surprised to learn there are additional colors that I’ve not seen.

Larry

Question:

I received these bowls from my Great-Aunt. I do not know if they are Red Wing Pottery. Could you please check into this for me. I am doing my own research on line on many of the other items but still need help with some. Thank you so much.

Yes, enjoying retirement but miss my clients so much as they became friends thru the years of service.

Myra

Answer:

The bowls in the photo were indeed made by Red Wing as part of their Gypsy Trail Hostess Ware line.  They were introduced in 1940 and were listed in catalogs until 1943.  Many collectors refer to them as Brides bowls and that is the term used in the 1942 catalog.  But catalogs from other years named them Shower bowls or two-toned bowls.  They could be purchased individually, as a nest of five bowls in sizes 5-6-7-8-9 inches, or as a nest of six bowls with the additional 10 inch bowl.  Your nest includes six bowls and thus is the complete set.

Generally these bowls are worth $40-60 each if they are in excellent condition.  Some buyers may be willing to pay a premium to acquire a complete set like yours.  It’s a very nice set!

Larry

Question:

Dear Red Wing experts:

Maybe ten years ago, a street person from my neighborhood here in Washington, DC offered me two boxes of assorted glass/ceramic items for $6. An inveterate scavenger, of course I took the deal.

As it turned out, he had scooped these boxes up from an alley trash pile. The story goes that a widower cleaned out his deceased wife’s possessions, and apparently she had traveled around the area buying things, including a lot of teapots. Some were by Sadler, some by Hall, some by other companies I don’t recognize. I found a lot of price stickers in the $20-25 range, and a few receipts from PA and MD shops dated in the 1980s.

Amongst this little collection (my heart breaks when I wonder what had already been hauled away to the landfill), I found this teapot, which says Red Wing on the bottom. Knowing nothing about Red Wing, I have no idea whether it’s legit or not.

I can’t say the design – or its rather primitive execution – really appeals to me aesthetically, but there is something about its humble clumsiness (the poor beakless bird with its sloppily painted feathers, the raised design whose edges are neither crisp nor well defined) that makes me like it anyway. I imagine some worker, forced to take his/her grade school kid along to work that day, pulling out a brush and some paint and saying, “Have at it.”

If you can tell me something about this piece – anything – I would be grateful.

Katrina

Answer:

Red Wing Potteries produced dinnerware from the early 1930s until 1967.  Early dinnerware was glazed in a wide range of solid colors.  In 1941 Red Wing introduced its first dinnerware with hand painted artwork.  Over time this feature became a well-known hallmark of Red Wing dinnerware.  Artwork was applied in assembly line fashion by local girls and young women hired for that purpose.  Painters were each given one or two colors to add to each piece as it passed on down the line.  The three colors on your teapot were likely applied by three different painters.

In the mid 1940s Red Wing produced three tea sets, each consisting of a matching teapot, sugar and creamer. These sets do not belong to any dinnerware pattern, they are simply stand-alone tea sets. Most likely these three tea sets were sold as giftware. To my knowledge these tea sets have not been identified in a Red Wing catalog or price list so we don’t know their official names. Collectors sometimes refer to this teapot as a “figural bird”. I would put the value for this teapot in the $30 to $40 range, assuming excellent undamaged condition. While this teapot can be fairly difficult to find, it also does not seem to be in high demand so the value is rather low relative to teapots in the more popular dinnerware patterns.

By the way, the bird does have a beak.  The feet and beak are present in the bird’s raised figure but aren’t painted, they were left white because that’s how the teapot was designed.  This was not an oversight on the part of the painters.

Larry

Question:

I have a piece of Red Wing that I cannot find any info online about. IT is not bit so my first thought would be a measuring cup or a scoop or a creamer. It just looks to little to be a gravy boat. It is orange. Can you help me identify it and value it? It is perfect condition and i would probably ebay it. I didn’t clean it for the photo sorry. Thanks Jeanine.

Answer:

Red Wing catalogs listed your item as a Butter Boat.  It was made in the early 1940s as part of Red Wing’s Gypsy Trail Hostess Ware line.  Value for a butter boat in excellent condition is $20-30. -Larry

Question:

I can not find pattern please help and value. In good condition -Red Wing pottery logo on bottom. Thanks for help

Answer:

The name of the pattern for your casserole is Ardennes.  The name was used twice by Red Wing, and your casserole is from the early version of Ardennes.

In 1941 Red Wing introduced their first four hand painted dinnerware patterns.  The shape was called Provincial and the patterns were named for the four provinces of France: Orleans, Brittany, Normandy and Ardennes.  Orleans (red rose) and Brittany (yellow rose) were produced unchanged until 1950.  The early version of Normandy was made for only one year and is very difficult to find today.  The early version of Ardennes was made for several years.  We aren’t sure of the discontinuation date but we know it was no longer available by November 1946.

The Ardennes and Normandy patterns were redesigned and reintroduced in 1949. In this version the casserole base was solid colored (Forest Green or Dubonnet), not decorated with the leaf design found on your casserole.

Your early Ardennes casserole with cover would be worth $50-60 if it is in excellent condition.  Any damage, including stains, will reduce the value significantly.

Larry

Question:

I recently purchased a light green Fondoso pitcher.  (I’m not sure of the official color’s name, but it’s a jadeite hue.)  Its interior is glazed in white.  I brought it home and gave it a couple thorough washings with dish soap. It doesn’t have any obvious discoloration, and when filled with water, the water remains clear and tasteless.  However, any time water contacts the exterior of the pitcher for more than a brief hand-wash and dry, it leaches a rusty brown color.  The residue is not sticky and has no smell.  It’s easily removed.  I submerged the pitcher for about the last 24 hrs. and have had to change the water twice because the water has gotten so discolored.  It looks almost like tea after a few minutes!

I’ve never seen anything like this.  Is this common with Red Wing pottery or with this line or glaze?  The only thing I could think of is that red clay was used and the glaze is thin, but even that seems a stretch.  Is there anything I can do to clean it so that the film no longer forms?  Any expertise you can offer would be most helpful.

Thank you!

Jessica

Answer:

Red Wing did not use red clay to make dinnerware, so that’s not the source of the rust colored residue that is leaching from your pitcher. The problem is almost certainly due to crazing. Crazing occurs when the clay and the glaze shrink at different rates, leading to fine cracks in the glaze. This was a common problem with the glazes used to make early Red Wing dinnerware such as Fondoso. Once an item is crazed, liquid held by the item can seep through the glaze and into the clay. Most likely the rust colored material you see came from coffee, tea, cola or some other dark liquid that seeped into the body of pitcher over repeated uses long ago.

As you have seen, soaking the pitcher in water will draw the contaminants out of the clay. The easiest and safest way to clean your pitcher would be to simply submerge the pitcher in water for as long as it takes to remove the contaminants. Change the water when it is dirty. When the water remains clear  your pitcher should be clean. This process may take weeks or longer. Some people use bleach (I do not recommend this) or hydrogen peroxide (the 30% or 40% strength found at beauty supply stores, not the 3% strength used to clean wounds). Baking the item on low heat has been used to remove greasy contaminants.

Larry