Question:

We have a yellow pitcher with a contemporary three oval relief design on two sides. It is approximately 7 3/4″ tall and 7 5/6″ wide The bottom of the vessel has embossed the letter C in a circle and the words Red Wing Pottery Inc. design patent pending USA.  It was my husband’s grandmother’s pitcher. It is has a history in 1940′s but could back as far has the name change 1938. I want to know the design history. Is there  a patent? And if so what is the patent number. I located a red tea pot like my pitcher, but have no other info. My husband is clueless as it’s history.

Answer:

The item in the photo is a yellow ”Streamlined” water jug or pitcher. In 1940 Red Wing introduced several items under the ”Streamlined” banner as part of the company’s rapidly expanding Gypsy Trail Hostess Ware line. Each piece in the Streamlined group had a design on each side that consisted of three raised ovals of decreasing size on top of each other. The items were a 64 oz water jug, covered ice box jug, 8? and 9? covered casseroles, and 2 cup and 5 cup covered teapots. The water jug had an over-the-top handle and was the only Streamlined item that did not have a cover. By June 1942 the water pitcher was the only remaining Streamlined item in the catalog and by 1944 it too had been discontinued. In later years the pitcher as listed as “Modern” rather than Streamlined. This pitcher was available several colors including yellow, blue, turquoise, orange, pink, green and cream ivory.

All of the Streamlined pitchers I’ve seen are bottom marked with same “Design Pat. Pending” wording along with the copyright symbol.  Most likely a patent was eventually issued but I am not certain of that, nor do I know the assigned patent number. Value for a yellow Streamlined pitcher in excellent condition is around $50-60.

Larry

Question:

I have a Redwing tea set (picture attached), and I would like to know its age and origin.  The value would be nice but not as important.  Perhaps someone else would love it and want to give it a home.

It is marked Red Wing on the bottom, and there is some staining. Thank you for any information.

Sarah

Answer:

The items in the photo are from the early version of the Ardennes dinnerware pattern.  Red Wing introduced their first four hand painted dinnerware patterns in 1941.  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 teapot, sugar bowl and creamer were solid colored (Forest Green or Dubonnet) and were not decorated with the leaf design found on your items.

Your early Ardennes teapot with cover would be worth $100-125 in excellent condition.  The covered sugar bowl and creamer are worth $30-35 each in excellent condition.  Any damage, including stains, will reduce the value significantly.

Larry

Question:

Hello,

I hope you can help determine if my item is rare and the value.  I have a Red Wing signed Marigold whipping cream bowl I see NO chip, Cracks , or Repairs . There are a few of these around on the online but none are brown . I have included some photos

Thanks

Stafford

Answer:

I don’t know a lot about these Marigold Whipping Cream bowls.  They don’t fit into any of the standard classifications used by collectors.  The bowl isn’t from any dinnerware pattern and certainly isn’t art pottery.  It harkens back to the days of stoneware but was made long after Red Wing ceased stoneware production.  I believe these bowls were made in the early 1960s and they are usually light tan in color.  I haven’t previously seen one in dark brown.

The tan bowls were undoubtedly made to promote Marigold whipping cream.  Hard to say why this bowl was glazed dark brown because the glaze obscures the Marigold advertising, so it’s doubtful it was ordered this way by the Marigold company.  It’s probably not a lunch hour piece.  Could have been a special order by a customer who liked the shape of the bowl but not the advertising.  While the color is rare, it’s probably not worth much more than the standard tan bowl because the advertising is what makes the bowl collectible.

I’d estimate the value to be in the $100-150 range.

Larry