Question:

Dear Experts,

I have inherited my mothers peach wedding dishes from the late 1940′s and have been told they were made by the Red Wing Pottery company.

I am contacting you for information about the set and current values of the pieces. I have a total of 101 pieces (including lids) and all are in excellent condition with no cracks or chips and only a few minor scuffs on a few of the dinner plates.

I have:

-11 large dinner plates 10 3/4″

-10 medium plates 8″

-8 small plates 6 1/4″

-8 covered soup bowls 5 3/4″  (16 total pieces)

-10 cereal bowls 5 3/4″

-8 comma shaped bowls 5″ x 6 1/4″

-12 cups 2 3/4″ high 3 1/4″ diameter

-12 saucers 6 1/4 ”

-I small serving bowl 7″

-1 pitcher 8″ total height with handle

-1 sugar bowl with lid

-I creamer

-8 spoon rests

-1 salt and pepper set

Most of the pieces appear to be a little tilted with one side higher than the other-is this normal? I would appreciate any information you can give me.

Thank you,

Chuck

Answer:

Your peach-colored dishes were indeed made by Red Wing Potteries.  Town and Country dinnerware was created by celebrated designer Eva Zeisel, and it the only design she produced for Red Wing. This pattern is known for its tilted plates and bowls, for rounded shapes that easily fit in the hand, and for its Shmoo salt & pepper shakers. Town and Country was introduced in 1947 and was initially available in seven colors that could be mixed and matched by the consumer: White, Dusk Blue, Sand, Metallic Brown, Chartreuse, Peach and Rust. By 1949 White, Peach and Sand had been discontinued and replaced by Forest Green and Gray.  The pattern was discontinued in 1956.   It’s unusual to find such a large collection of Town & Country all in a single color.  Apparently most homemakers preferred to mix and match colors.

Town and Country pieces were not marked with the company name and for years were not recognized by most people as Red Wing pottery. But interest in Eva Zeisel and her work escalated rapidly in the 1990s, as did interest in and values for Town and Country dinnerware.   Values peaked in the 2000s.  As with many antiques and collectibles, values dropped during the recession and haven’t yet fully recovered.

The values below are estimated values for a single piece (or base with cover) in excellent condition.  Any damage or discoloration will reduce the value.  White pieces are very scarce and values are significantly higher for them.  Metallic Brown also seems to command a higher price than other colors.

Dinner plate 10 3/4″:  $15-25

Salad plate 8″:  $10-15

Bread & Butter plate 6 1/4″: $10-15

Marmite (covered soup bowl) 5 3/4″: $20-25

Salad or Cereal bowl 5 3/4″:  $20-25

Sauce or Relish dish (comma shaped bowl) 5″ x 6 1/4″:  $10-15

Tea cup 2 3/4″ high 3 1/4″ diameter:  $10-15

Saucer 6 1/4″:  $10-15

Soup bowl (small serving bowl) 7″:  $25-30

Pitcher 3 pint (8″ total height with handle):  $60-75

Sugar bowl with lid:  $20-25

Creamer: $20-25

Coaster (spoon rest):  $20-25

Salt and pepper set:  $60-75

Larry

Question:

Hi there-

I have 5 glazed egg cups that are marked Red Wing USA, June Johnson. 4 are dated ’57, the try is dated ’58.
Can you tell me about these and their value please?

Thank you,
Jeanie

Answer:

These egg cups are not part of any Red Wing dinnerware line and thus I don’t know a lot about them.  To my knowledge they were not shown in any Red Wing brochure or sales literature.  One theory says they were made for a custom order from the Old Mill restaurant.  Red Wing is known to have made an ashtray for the Old Mill, which was located in Austin, MN.

While I don’t know a lot about egg cups, I can state with confidence that these egg cups were not made by Red Wing Potteries despite the RED WING USA markings.  When Red Wing Potteries closed in 1967, the company’s molds were sold to the public with no attempt to obliterate the RED WING markings in the molds. Many of these molds went to art schools and hobby shop potters.  Non-Red Wing items formed by genuine Red Wing molds turn up fairly often but usually they are quite easy to tell from the authentic Red Wing product.  Colors and decoration are not the same. Weight is another consideration; amateur pieces are usually heavier or lighter than the original item due to the clay used to make the piece.  Amateur potters and art school students usually mark the piece with their name or initials and the year of production scratched into the wet clay.

These egg cups display several of these non-Red Wing characteristics.  The inside and bottom of the authentic Red Wing egg cups that I’ve seen are glazed the same color as the exterior; these egg cups have white interiors and bottoms.  The pink color resembles an authentic Red Wing glaze but the brown glaze does not.  The brown glaze slops over the rim and slightly into the interior.  Red Wing artists weren’t perfect but they would not produce such an imprecisely colored rim.  Finally, the name and number scratched into the clay does not fit the profile of an authentic Red Wing lunch hour piece.  The makers of lunch hour pieces used the factory’s colored glazes to mark their items.  Names and numbers scratched into the clay are essentially a dead giveaway that the item was made in an art class or by a hobby shop potter with an old Red Wing mold.

As for value, I’m sorry to say that hobby shop pieces like these have minimal value. They don’t hold much interest for collectors, though someone may be willing to pay a few dollars to add such an oddity to add to their collection.

Larry R

Question:

Thank you for your time and expertise. I am in possession of the 3 test plates for the Spruce pattern dinnerware. I realize some test plates are of great value and wonder what these may be worth? The center plate has a very small chip. I have sent 2 photos of the chip as well.

Thank you,

Victoria

Answer:

These plates have handwritten codes on the bottom, which was standard practice for Red Wing test plates.  The artwork and base color of these plates leaves no doubt they were made as test or sample pieces for the Spruce pattern.

It’s difficult to place a value on a one-of-a-kind item like a test plate. Based on prices realized at auction for test plates for other Red Wing patterns in recent years, I’d place the value at $400 to $600 per plate.  The small chip on one of the plates would reduce the value to the low end of that range.

Larry