T-Shirt For Your Inner Aztec

I really like the Metlox Poppytrail Aztec line of dinnerware. Composed of squiggles and spiraling circles, its just goofy enough to be very cool. It was never one of the more popular Poppytrail lines, so you don't see alot around.
Busy making up some Christmas gifts today and worked up what I think is an attractive t-shirt design.
I started with a scan of an Aztec dinnerplate, took the basic bluish-gray Aztec squiggles & spiral and tinted it to a more violet color. Over at Cafepress.com I found a nice yellow t that works perfectly with the design...the Aztec Jr. Ringer T-Shirt. If you too like this design, then head over to Cafepress and buy one or ten. I make a dollar on each one sold. There's a sweet Aztec coffee decanter I've got my eye on that would only cost me a couple hundred t-shirts.

Franciscan Apple Dinnerware

To a lot of people, the embossed, hand-painted Franciscan dinnerware produced by Gladding-McBean is the epitome of California Pottery. The first major line issued by Gladding-McBean in 1940 was Apple, which the company called Franciscan Classics. An immediate hit with consumers and later with collectors.
an eBay seller has some very nice Apple pieces up right now, including this 64-ounce Water Pitcher. You find the smaller milk pitcher a lot, but this pitcher is rather hard to find. Priceguides put it between $125 and $150. This seller also has a sweet Apple Jam Jar. These auctions end 11/5.
Interesting how the seller came across the pieces. Seems they were cleaning out a relative's estate and found the Apple pieces in the garage rafters, wrapped in newspaper, and placed in an old apple basket. Yea, that's about right.

Ashtrays Repurposed

If you're looking to collect California Pottery on the cheap, I'd suggest you check out ashtrays and cigarette boxes. Back in the 50s smoking was very popular, especially with cool Californians. And all the companies and designers produced ashtrays and/or smoking sets that included cigarette boxes, table lighters, humidors, etc. The lighters and humidors can get pricey because there are lively collector markets for such. But cigarette boxes and ashtrays, especially ashtrays, tend to get ignored. That's too bad, as many of them can be quite attractive pieces.

Especially nice are works by Sascha Brastoff and Marc Bellaire, and ashtrays from both go unsold on eBay all the time. Many of them would make great incense burners or candy bowls. Some of the ashtrays out there are so dead-on 60s-Mod that they fit perfectly with such decor.
The ashtray pictured here is by California Originals, probably mid-sixties. Wonderful wood-grain finish and classic teardrop-mod shape. Its up at shopgoodwill.com right now for just a dollar. Probably won't go much higher. Ends 11/4.

Tigers Lose Series, I Lose Lion

When I shop on eBay I use a sniping service. Not because I think its important to place a last second bid, but because I have a nasty habit of forgetting the auction until a couple minutes after it ends.
So tonight this wonderful Freeman-McFarlin lion was closing on shopgoodwill.com. My plan was to snag it if it stayed under $50. This is the nice big 20-inch lion, a Kay Finch design. Priceguides peg it a $300 or so, so even with a little chip on the mane I figured I could get a super deal.
Unfortunately for me, at about the time I should have been bidding, I was busy explaining to the Detroit Tigers how to play the game of baseball. And they weren't listening to me. In fact, they refused to listen to me.
So, I missed my chance to place a bid. The auction ended. Final price, $17.05. Ooh, someone got a fantastic steal! So, the final standings...
Happy: St. Louis Cardinals and buyer of Kay Finch lion.
Sad: Detroit Tigers and Rich of Calif.

Sascha Signed Here

Sascha Brastoff is one of the more collectable names, especially for those seeking mod, "Eames-era" pieces. This 5-inch vase from the Mosaic line is on eBay right now and ends 10/31. The glaze looks a little haphazard, but its a good deal if it stays under $50 (as I word process its at $10).
This particular piece, and most Sascha Brastoff that you'll find, is signed "Sascha B." According to Chipman, and also Kovel, this means it was signed by one of the decorators. If you want a piece that was actually painted by Brastoff, look for the full signature, "Sascha Brastoff."

Shopping Goodwill

Thrift stores have always been a great place to find California Pottery. They're like a magnet for Grandma's old dishes and knick-knacks. Goodwill stores have their own online auction site and its well worth a visit...www.shopgoodwill.com. Its laid out pretty well and you can always find some California items. The search function is a little clunky, but it gets the job done.
There seems to be plenty of smart shoppers hanging around as few choice items go cheap, but there are some bargains to be found. Like these three Metlox Poppytrail mugs with the detachable handles, from the 200 series...one has a slight crack the other two are excellent. They sold on the Goodwill site this morning for $11.87. That's a genuine bargain as priceguides put these at $20-25 apiece.
So check them out. There's an undiscovered gem sitting on there right now. Can't tell you what it is though as I'd like to get a bid in at a low price. Maybe more later.

Cool Hawaiian Punch Pitcher

Wallace China is best known for their western motif restaurant ware of the fifties...Rodeo, Boots and Saddle, Little Buckaroo and such. But Hawaiiania collectors lust after the Shadowleaf pattern, which featured philodendron and banana leaves in green, also red and rust. Its a classic tropical pattern. This sweet Shadowleaf pitcher is on eBay ending 10/31. Its up to $70+ so its no longer cheap, but anything under $150 is a good deal. The seller has presented this as Palm Leaf, but I'm pretty sure that Shadowleaf is the correct name and perhaps this will keep bidders away.

Cincinnati Art Galleries Can Do Better

There's all kinds of sellers on eBay. Some are quite knowledgeable folks who share what they know about a piece so the buyer can make an informed decision. These are they best kind of sellers. There are also a lot of sellers who don't know their product, but do present an honest auction, albeit a little light on info. Often times you can score a bargain from these people. If you know your stuff.
When I'm looking at a listing on eBay and evaluating an item for purchase I take the knowledge level of the seller into large account. If its obvious that the seller is a weekend picker selling a wide variety of items then I don't expect the same level of detail in the listing that I do from an established seller. By the same token, when I see a listing by an established seller of high repute, a listing of low detail but high price, I have to wonder what the deal is. What am I not being told?
Case in point, this Bauer Plate with Mexican Scene being offered by Cincinnati Art Galleries. Opening price $300 with an estimated sale price of $600 to $800. Excuse me? Are you insane? Or...maybe...am I insane?
I see a fifty dollar plate with a reasonably nice scene painted on it (better than I can do). The listing indicates that the plate is signed on the back by the designer, Lola Lawrence. Is that why this plate is so valuable? I've never heard of Lola Lawrence, but the Cincinnati Art Galleries are a lot more educated about pottery designers than I am. Maybe they could add a little bio info on the high-priced designer. And maybe show a scan of the signature and mark. How about a little effort here.
I'm half tempted to think that the Cincinnati Art Galleries is floating this piece on eBay with an artificially high price hoping that their good name alone will sell this plate to some unspecting bumpkin. People do this you know. But I just can't believe that. Because that would be so incredibly stupid.
I've got an inquiry in to the folks at CAG requesting more info on Lola Lawrence. I'm certain that they will respond with information that validates their high appraisal. And when they do I will certainly follow-up this article with that info.

VK Nubian Centaurette

Disney collectors will be happy to see this show up on eBay...a Vernon Kilns figure from 1941. This is #24, the Nubian Centaurette with left hand at throat, from the animated classic "Fantasia." VK made this series for Disney for less than two years in 1940-41, so you don't see them too often. The seller is lowballing the value at $750...$1300 to $1500 is more like it. Be fun seeing how high this goes. Auction ends Saturday, 10/28, at 8pm.
Interesting to note that the two Nubian Centaurettes in Fantasia's Pastoral Symphony segment were seen in the 1940 original, but edited out of later re-releases because of the stereotypical racial depictions.

Clay Sketches Egret Vases - ends 10/25

Aren't these a pretty pair? Egret Vases by Clay Sketches...13 and a half inches tall and only $19.99. That's a bargain if the reserve isn't too high. I would think $100 to $125 each would be a reasonable value. These end Wednesday, 10/25. Clay Sketches was a Pasadena potter in the 40s and 50s.

Barbara Willis Did What?

Wow, what if somebody blamed this on you? What a glaze job...something I might have done in 6th grade arts and crafts class. So someone was selling this monster on eBay as a Barbara Willis vase. I saw that and thought, "Gee, no wonder she gave up pottery."
Not really. I love Barbara Willis pottery. I had the good fortune to own one of her vases once with a turquoise crackle finish. It was mine for awhile and I wish it still was.
Anyway, Barbara wrote this auction seller a polite email informing her that she didn't combine glazes and, oh yea, that drip stuff wasn't her style. To the seller's credit she added the email to the listing so we all could see. And kudos to Barbara for taking the time to email this seller and setting her/him straight.

New Arrival in the Blogosphere

I'm a big fan of California pottery...artware and dinnerware produced by California potteries in the middle of last century. I simply cannot walk by a piece of California pottery without picking it up and taking it home. And I have no problem blowing an afternoon surfing the online pottery sites looking at the latest offerings.
Unfortunately my monthly pottery allowance is rather miniscule, and there's no way to buy all the good stuff I see.
Which brings us to the purpose of this blog. When I find a nice piece of California pottery, not an everyday piece but something really sweet, I'll post it here. So you can see it too. And when I learn something new about a California potter I'll post it here. So you can learn too.