Shawnee Tales
Nov 2015
by Lin Romberg
Fall is finally here - lots of flea markets and antique festivals - a good time to shop for special holiday gifts for your collecting partner or even yourself. I have always found that in November, dealers and even collectors put up special or rare pieces up for sale in hopes of finding a buyer for a special gift. If you are looking for something special put the word out and your eyes open.
We had a collector share a lot of pictures of their collection - always appreciate those who share - we love seeing how collectors display their items as well as what they have! Enjoy!
I wonder why Shawnee didn't make any holiday pieces? Closest pieces I have in my collection for the Thanksgiving holiday season would be the air brushed chanticleers and the white gold corn serving pieces.
One obviously not Shawnee but Halloween and Thanksgiving themed.
Next month I am going to try to cover wall pockets and hoping to have readers send in some pictures and displays of their pieces. So often readers tell me they think they have nothing to share but that isn't true - we all appreciate this beloved pottery and it sparks an interest where there might have not been before. Please keep that in mind.
Doug's Corner
I had a conversation with a reader this month that started with a question of identification and continued with sharing thoughts on pottery.
The initial question was about the maker mark and manufacturer. of course I didn't have the correct answer to either.
In part it went like this -
Good morning, Doug! I receive your newsletter & you appear to have a vast knowledge of American pottery. I have learned a lot from your newsletter. I am an ebay seller & I have recently come across something I had never seen before (which doesn't mean much). I wanted to get your opinion on this large pottery ashtray. The impressions on the are reversed (mirror image). I would gather that the molds would have the impressions reversed, so the product doesn't. So what happened here? I've enclosed two photos.
I appreciate your input on this matter. Thank you so much,
i'm glad you find the newsletter useful.
i don't recall seeing this ashtray before. it appears to be late 50's- 60's.
my opinion? - very strange. for this to happen the mold maker had to use the wrong die to impress the mold. a die like this would have been used to impress the pottery as greenware. like you, i've never seen this before. although, i've attached a picture of the opposite condition on a shawnee vase. i've always led myself to believe this USA mark was done by hand. so how did this happen? maybe the pottery employees of the era had a strange sense of humor. would you mind if i use your pictures in a future newsletter?
Thanks so much for your quick reply. I was hoping you wouldn't mind me sending the photos. Please feel free to use the photos in anyway at all, in any forum. Perhaps one of your many readers will be able to shed some light on the topic, as well. Do you have any guess as to whom the maker is? Thanks again for all of your help.
there are many readers with more diversity in pottery than i. they often have the answers. we'll give them a chance next newsletter.
you know how some pieces just jump right out and say where they came from. i've looked at this one a couple times and just don't hear anything.
I understand about a piece 'speaking' to you. You get a feel for it. That's happens to me sometimes with art glass & glassware. Please be sure to add a note to your newsletter about how very appreciative I am of everyone's time & assistance. I'm going to go ahead and list it on eBay with the query. Someone in that audience might have additional knowledge. If I get any information, I will keep in contact. Please let me know if you get any responses.
In case you would like some additional specifics, the longest dimension is 11.5" and the widest dimension is 11" and it's 1.5" deep. There is a 5 mm x 2 mm paint flake on the narrow end, which is visible in the photo.
This piece was really dirty when I got it. It had a ton of old hardened grease (you know the thick yellow gunk that you can scrape off with your fingernail?) I was able to remove all of the grease, except for on the unglazed bottom feet. Although, I'm sure a little more scrubbing with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will probably even get them better looking.
I'm not sure how you clean your items, but I use the magic eraser on pretty much everything I sell on ebay (even bisque porcelain). The trick is to keep a low flow of water on the item as you gently rub the surfaces. Of course, it will take cold paint off, so you have to be careful. One of my pet peeves on ebay is people who don't clean an item before photos and listing. If an item is dirty, it's impossible to tell the true condition. I'm sorry! Enough of my rambling! Have a great day :)
it will be nearly 2 weeks before the next newsletter. the size info is helpful.
about the yellow gunk, the last owner's lungs probably look the same. i'll bet you bought it at an estate sale.
i've been known to put everyday glazed pottery in the dishwasher, usually does a good job.
i'll pass along your cleaning comments. i don't use names in the newsletter, for privacy you will remain anonymous.
i'm surprised how few people respond to questions, i have no idea why. we'll just have to see what we get.
Considering it's an ashtray, you would think this would be dirty from cigarettes, but it wasn't. I think it was used as a large spoon rest, because it was definitely cooking grease.
You would not believe how many gorgeous antique glass pieces I have seen ruined by a dishwasher. It's often on the bottom, where the water pools in a slight recess. If you have hard water, like I do, the dishwasher bakes the mineral deposits onto the glass. Straight vinegar soaked overnight won't take that off. I've even tried nail polish remover.
My guess on why people don't comment is insecurity. They may feel they don't know very much about the topic & that they don't have anything of value to contribute. People do get intimidated around 'experts' or those they perceive are 'experts'.
suggestion: after you show my piece, add a little blurb asking folks What is the craziest thing they've ever found at a thrift shop (which is where I bought this)
I'm curious if you get more responses.
Embossed ( raised)
Impressed into the pottery
OK readers, tell us something! Your answers won't be graded.
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Another note -
Hi Doug, I'm looking for a lid. Yesterday I was in a antique mall in Puyallup Washington and a dealer was in his booth when I found a gorgeous Jo Jo clown cookie jar bottom it had teeny little paint spot missing on his neck for eighteen dollars. I put him back because I thought the spot was a chip.I started to walk away and he said how about ten dollars . The colors are so vibrant with the gold trim I couldn't pass him up. After I cleaned him up I found a hairline on the inside bottom . What year were the Jo Jo's made ? Oh the thrill of the hunt!!!
Almost forgot, there is a number 16 on the bottom of the jar, do you know what that means?
The jar could be marked USA 10 or 12 as pictured in this link -
so be alert buying a lid.
Anyone with an extra GT Jo Jo lid, let me know. Contact Me
The hand-painted 16 is an inspector's number.
