Category Archives: News
RWCS Launches YouTube Channel
Red Wing, MN- The Red Wing Collectors Society (RWCS) has been a leader in the collecting club world in expanding its online presence and promoting the organization and membership benefits. Today, it announced the launch of a YouTube Channel.
Over the past year, the RWCS and its Membership Committee have been developing ways to attract new collectors and increase its membership numbers. In 2009, the RWCS launched its presence on several social networking, online collecting forums and antique blogs; YouTube is the next step in expanding the organization’s web presence.
Working closely with students at the Minnesota School of Business, Stacy Wegner, RWCS executive director, received two videos that were focused on membership benefits and how to become a member. In addition to these membership videos, the RWCS hopes to expand its channel to include short informational videos on how to start a collection, more information about the potteries of Red Wing, MN, and the Society’s annual events.
“YouTube is another way for us (RWCS) to promote our membership benefits and reach people interested in the Potteries of Red Wing in a new way,” Wegner said.
YouTube is the leading online video community that allows people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. It allows people and organizations to easily upload and share video clips on youtube.com across the Internet through Web sites, blogs, social networking and e-mail.
To see the videos please click here.
The Red Wing Collectors Society was founded in 1977 in Red Wing, Minn. and is devoted to educating people about all American pottery. There are more than 4,000 members worldwide. The Red Wing Potteries had diverse pottery lines that included stoneware, dinnerware and art pottery. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail director@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org.
2010 Chapter Commemorative Exchange Pieces
2010 Convention
Chapter Commemorative Exchange Pieces
Each year the RWCS Chapters produce a commemorative for their Chapter Members. These pieces are available to their current members as outlined in their Chapter rules.
During the RWCS Annual Business Meeting held at the Convention in Red Wing, Chapter Presidents or their representative brings their piece to the meeting and exchange their commemorative for the RWCS Official Convention Commemorative. The Chapter Commemoratives are on display in the RWCS Business Office and can be viewed each day during Pottery Place Center normal business hours.
Click Here to read the descriptions of each piece.
2011 MidWinter Event Poster
MidWinter 2011 Housing Information
2010 Convention Display Winners
2010 Annual Convention
July 8-10, 2010
Red Wing, MN – Each year during the Annual Convention in Red Wing, MN. Members of the RWCS set up displays of Red Wing Stoneware, Dinnerware, Art Pottery. Memorabilia, and Rare items. These displays compete for Peoples Choice and Best in Show during Convention. The Rare Items complete for the Dennis Yaeggi Rare Item Awards. The winners receive one of the 18 special commemoratives made each year and all displayer receive a regular commemorative as a thank you for participating.
Here are the photos of the winners! Interested in displaying at the 2011 Convention contact the RWCS Business Office at 800-977-7927 or email director@redwingcollectors.org
Trails West Chapter awarded “Little Brown Jug of Membership”
*** News Release ***
Red Wing, MN – July 9, 2010
Ms. Stacy Wegner, Executive Director of the Red Wing Collectors Society, announced at the conclusion of the 2010 Convention’s Business Meeting, that the Trails West Chapter, comprised of primarily Kansas and Missouri residents, took top honors in securing new members for the Society in 2009-10.
The Little Brown Jug of Membership, pictured below, was accepted by Jerry Mounts, Vice President and Membership Chair, on behalf of the Trails West Chapter. The jug will be on display at various Chapter functions including their Fall Flap 2010, which will be held at the farm home of Dennis and Dixie Hostetler in Wakefield, KS.
The Trails West Chapter continues to defy the Nation’s economic trends by increasing its membership year-over-year. In addition to the states listed above, the Chapter is proud to have members from Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
2010 Convention Special Commemorative
2010 Convention
Special Commemorative
The RWCS is excited to release a photo of the 2010 Special Commemorative: a reduced version of the standard commemorative a pig with salt glaze.
The 2010 Special Commemorative is a smaller, salt glaze version of the pig. They are also metal-stamped on the bottom. There were 18 Special Commemoratives made. They were given out as awards for displays, prizes for various drawings and one was auctioned off in the Commemorative Room.
To view the regular commemorative – click here.
Video Lending Library Updated – 2010 Convention Sessions
2010 Convention
Education Sessions Available For Rental
The Red Wing Collectors Society in keeping with it’s mission to education the members of the Society recorded several 2010 Convention Session in DVD format to add to the video lending library. The new additions include:
Keynote Speaker: Jerry Mewhorter, former plant manager at the Red Wing Potteries
Dinnerware Paper Production & Advertising by Larry Roschen and Terry Moe
Stoneware Fakes by Jerry Mewhorter
2010 Convention Footage
These new editions along with more than 200 other session are available to members of the Red Wing Collectors Society – Free. Members may request videos by calling 800-977-7927 or email Stacy Wegner, executive director, at director@redwingcollectors.org.
2010 Convention Wrap Up
10 Gallon Double-Handled Birchleaf Threshing Jug Brings
$7,100 at Red Wing Collectors Society Auction
Red Wing, MN― An impressive 10 gallon Red Wing double-handled threshing jug with birchleaves drew the highest bid at this year’s Red Wing Collectors Society (RWCS) Auction, bringing $7,100.
The RWCS Convention brought more than 1,500 visitors to the city of Red Wing from July 7-10 to buy, sell and learn more about the lines of Red Wing stoneware, art pottery and dinnerware.
Other items of interest in this year’s auction, which was operated by Houghton’s Auction Service, included a 4 gallon North Star salt glaze water cooler with upturned leaf (missing hex bung cover), $2,600; a 5 gallon straight-sided salt glaze water cooler front-stamped “Red Wing Stoneware Company” with Drop-8 decoration, (hairline), $2,300; a 2 gallon straight-sided Elephant Ear Ice Water cooler with reinforced bung (base chips and a hairline on the back), $2,100; a set of three Red Wing Mason jars (quart, ½ gallon and gallon),$900; and a 5½-inch salt glaze lunch hour cat, $850.
At $1,250, a mint 5 gallon transitional Ice Water cooler front-stamped “Red Wing Stoneware Company” was one of the best deals of the sale.
A few of the top dinnerware items included a five-compartment Ernest Sohn Lazy 
Susan w/original turn table, $350; a Tampico tumbler, $275; and a Delta Blue 6 cup teapot w/cover, $200. A collection of 68 different Red Wing dinner plates sold for $425.
Susan w/original turn table, $350; a Tampico tumbler, $275; and a Delta Blue 6 cup teapot w/cover, $200. A collection of 68 different Red Wing dinner plates sold for $425.
Top art pottery pieces consisted of a bottom-signed garden ware bird bath w/perch, $1,050; a bottom-signed 23½-inch bronze tan garden ware urn, $900; a bottom-signed brushware cherub vase, $300; and a #682 blue and green 13-inch Chromoline vase, $250.
The auction, which had about 300 items, brought about $95,000 in total sales.
RWCS members had a wide variety of activities to attend during Convention including a narrated tour of the historical sites around the city of Red Wing, a “Crock Hunt” scavenger hunt around town and a special display room where members showed rare items and created their own unique displays for the education and enjoyment of attendees. Other events throughout the week included the annual business meeting, the Potter’s Picnic, and the always anticipated Saturday Show and Sale. Members also bought and sold items throughout the week in the parking lot at Pottery Place Mall, and about 175 volunteers helped make this year’s Convention a success.
Former Red Wing Potteries plant superintendent Jerry Mewhorter kicked off Convention with his keynote presentation. Other educational seminar topics included an orientation for first timers, demonstrations by a working potter “throwing” pieces on a wheel, Red Wing 101, recent finds from the old pottery dump, Red Wing dinnerware, identifying stoneware “fakes”, North Dakota potteries, news from the RWCS Foundation, undecorated Watt ware and correct methods for using stoneware for canning practices.
The year’s commemorative, which could be purchased only by Society members, was a brown Albany slip pig figure. Two limited-edition commemoratives were also produced – a black pig and a white pig with black spots. These were mixed in with the regular commemoratives and all commemoratives were packaged in sealed boxes, so a small number of members were fortunate enough to get one. Of the 3,600 pieces made, 3216 were brown, 350 were black and 34 were white with black spots.
Topping the news from the annual business meeting was the election of three new RWCS Board members. Dan DePasquale, Ann Tucker and John Sagat were elected to the respective positions of president, vice president and secretary after Sue Jones Tagliapietra, Paulette Floyd and Jolene McKoon decided not to run for re-election. The trio put in a combined 34 years of service on the Board and will be missed.
Other meeting news included the Golden State, Trails West and Lewis & Clark chapters of the RWCS donating a total of $2,900 to the RWCS KidsView educational program, which is geared toward encouraging a younger generation to collect Red Wing stoneware and pottery. The Golden State Chapter also donated $1,440 to the RWCS Foundation.
The Society is on the leading edge of creating engaging and educational ways to get younger generations involved in collecting. The focus on these RWCS members is an important part of the Society’s vision to ensure its continued existence and growth. There are many interactive and challenging activities and seminars for children of all ages to get involved in, such as learning how to bid at an auction, what to look for in an antique, and several hands-on craft projects.
The Red Wing Collectors Society was founded in 1977 in Red Wing, Minn. and is devoted to educating people about all American pottery. There are more than 4,000 members worldwide. The Red Wing Potteries had diverse pottery lines that included stoneware, dinnerware and art pottery. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail director@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org.
###