Category Archives: Dinnerware

Dinnerware

Eva Zeisel Town & Country

Question: 

Hello,

My name is Joy T. and I live in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  My husband and I own a very large collection of Eva Zeisel Town & Country dishware that we inherited from his mother.  We are at the point of our lives that we are ready to pass this collection on to someone who appreciates and enjoy all of these beautiful dishes.

I was hopeful that you might be able to assess the value of what we have (see attached list).  Everything is in exceptional condition.  Our local vintage shop is interested in purchasing the lot, but we need to have a better idea of the true value.  Would you be able to help us or would you be able to pass this info on to another person who could help?

Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Joy

Answer: 

Ten or so years ago there was great interest in Town & Country dinnerware and values were high.  Sadly, like many collectibles, prices for Town & Country have dropped significantly since then.

 

The values below are for pieces in excellent, undamaged condition.  Any damage reduces the value significantly.  These values are what I believe a collector would pay for them.  They are likely higher than a dealer would pay, especially if sold as a single lot. 

 

Pitchers 8.5″ (3 cup):  $35-45 each

              6″ (2 cup):  $25-35

Teapot: $100-125

Creamer & Sugar: $25-35 for the set

10″ casserole: $25-35

5.75″ casserole (marmite): $15-20

Cruet with stopper:  $65-75

Syrup jug:  $40-50

Salt & pepper:  $50-60

Comma plates 8.5″ (relish dish): $15-20

                        10.5″ (baker):  $20-30

Comma platters 15:  $25-35 each

Mixing bowl:  $50-60

Serving bowls 8.5″ (salad): $25-35

                       5.75″ (cereal): $15-20

Dinner plates: $10-12 each

Salad plates:  $5-10

Bread plates:  $5-10

Cup & saucer set:  $10-15 each

Soup bowl:  $15-20 each

Tea bag saucers (Coasters):  $20-25 each

 

Larry R

 

Willow Wind Deviled Egg Platter

Question:

Hello, 

Wondering if you could tell me the value of this deviled egg platter?

Thanks,  Lynette 

Answer:

The Willow Wind pattern was available in two colors; pink and turquoise.  This egg plate has a pink base with a turquoise cover — a mismatch.  A Willow Wind egg plate with the correct cover would be worth $150-175.  I’d estimate this mismatched set to be worth $75-100.

 

Larry R

Ernest Sohn beverage server

Question:

How can I find out information on this piece? I have seen nothing like it on any site that has Ernest Sohn.

Answer:

Very interesting piece!  In the late 1950s/early 1960s Ernest Sohn obtained pieces from the Village Green pattern from Red Wing and modified them to be sold by his Ernest Sohn Creations company.  This “swinging gallon coffee server” includes many of Sohn’s signature touches.

Red Wing sold a similar server as part of its Village Green pattern. Red Wing’s version had a green cover and a black metal stand. 

Sohn’s version uses only the server from Red Wing; all other parts have been replaced by Sohn. The copper cover with large wooden knob and the rattan wrap on the handle are classic Sohn features.  The stand is similar in concept to Red Wing’s stand but is fancier and made of a different metal. 

 

Larry R

Flight Salad Bowl

Question:

Larry, I have a Red Wing Flight bowl that measures nearly 11 inches across. I haven’t seen this bowl listed as part of the collection and would appreciate more information about it. There is a blemish on the inside by the far left duck. 

Thank you
Mary

Answer:

The Flight salad bowl seen in the photo is a standard production piece, though it is scarce.  The Flight brochure lists this as a 10 inch salad bowl.  Red Wing’s listed dimensions were always approximate, not exact.  The Flight pattern was introduced in 1962 and was produced for two or three years. Flight has always been one of the most popular Red Wing dinnerware patterns, and values were sky high several years ago.  But the high prices brought a lot of Flight out of storage and the increased supply caused values to decline.  But the 10″ salad bowl is a tough piece to find.  I’d estimate the current value to be around $100, maybe a bit more to a serious Flight collector.

 

Larry

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

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

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

Lanterns Pattern Supper Sets

Question: I have been trying to find info on this Dinner or lunch tray. I believe the pattern is lanterns or perhaps not. Pottery is not my area of expertise. I purchased a set of 4 of these for resale and am looking for any information and possible value. The trays are about 10″7 1/2″ they are divided 4sections if you count the one for the cup. Any information is greatly appreciated. Dave

Answer:

The photos show a 12″ x 9″ supper tray in the Lanterns pattern.  Lanterns was introduced in 1952 and was discontinued in 1955.
Red Wing introduced supper trays in 1951 and added them to many of their dinnerware lines over the next several years.  These trays were made in two sizes: 10.5″ rounded square and 12″ x 9″ rectangular shape. Both of these were divided into three sections and had a place to rest a cup.
Supper trays in any Red Wing pattern are scarce today.  In excellent, undamaged condition the value of a Lanterns supper tray would be $25 to $30.
Larry

Gypsy Trail Hostess Ware teapot shape 235

Question: What can you tell me about this teapot marked Red Wing.

Answer:

This teapot is from the Gypsy Trail Hostess Ware collection, a large group of colorful pieces made to go with the Gypsy Trail dinnerware patterns. The bottom of this teapot should be marked “Red Wing USA 235” on the bottom.  This is one of several Hostess Ware teapots introduced in 1941 and was made for several years.  It appears in the 1944 Gypsy Trail catalog, which is the last known catalog for this line.  Most Gypsy Trail production ended soon after the end of World War II.
The 235 teapot is fairly common.  Available colors were orange, blue, turquoise, yellow, pink, green, and cream ivory.  Current value for a 235 teapot in excellent, undamaged condition is $25-30.
Larry R