Shawnee Tales
Nov 2011
by Linda Romberg
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First of all, what happened to October???? Seems to have flown by, the holidays will be upon us before we know it. Good time to watch Ebay as I think sellers hold on to really good items for holiday gift sales.
Heard from a collector who shared his story of how he began collecting - I love these stories - to me it is the bond that brings all of us together besides the pottery itself.
Having recently lost my Mom, this brought tears to my eyes. This hobby is all about the memories!
His story...................
Me, I'm strictly a Shawnee guy.
I have been collecting for about 15 years??? When I started, I collected everything under the sun....from planters, to salt and pepper shakers, to well...you name it. I soon realized I'd go broke if I didn't become a little more "specific".
My story on how I got started collecting, I'll share it with you!
I remember the first piece of Shawnee I bought, was with my mom. We were out doing our usual Saturday garage sale stuff and we stopped at this farm just outside of the town that my parents lived
in. There was the usual stuff outside for sale, but next to the clothes line
there was a little sign stuck in the ground that had an arrow pointing around to the back, and it said "antiques". Well my mom nearly ran me over as we both headed to the shed in hopes of finding "all of the good stuff". Inside of the shed were 2 card tables filled with glass items, depression glass, milk glass, carnival glass, etc. And as if in unison we each spotted, and grabbed for a cat creamer that we saw on the back of the table. There they were....two identical Puss and Boots creamers with the factory stickers still in tact. My mom had one in her hand, and I had the other in mine. And again, as if
still in unison, we flipped them over to see the price tag.....$5.00/FIRM. The lady sitting in the folding chair looked at us and said "Sorry, those are $5.00 each and I can't go any lower in price." So mom bought one, and I bought the other.
That summer I went to every library I could find and checked out every book on Shawnee pottery that had ever been printed. As I began to flip through those colorful pages and see all of those beautiful pieces, I knew I was hooked! And after that every auction I went to, or garage sale, I had a book with me, and became a man on a mission. I picked through box after box in hopes of finding another Shawnee piece.
That year for Christmas as my dad was handing out presents...there seemed to be one lone package under the tree without a name on it. My dad asked my brother and sisters if they had brought it with them, and they said they did not. He then asked me, and I assured him that it was not one that I had bought for someone. He then turned to my mom and asked her. And she said...well, I think Santa brought that last night for Brad. So my dad handed me the package and said...well, you better open it then. As I opened it, I looked at my mom, and she just sat there smiling. Inside was the other Puss and
Boots creamer that she had bought at that sale. Tears began to well up in my eyes, and I looked at her
and she simply said....I think those two little kitties should stay together. And those 2 little kitties are the pride of my collection.
My mom is now in a nursing home with Alzheimer's and those wonderful years are behind her, but every time I look at those two little happy kitties sitting on my shelf I think back to a happier time.
And yes, I forgot to mention, I am probably one of the biggest momma's boys you'll ever meet. ...I'm the baby of the family, and my brother and sisters always used to tease me that I was "mom's favorite". So as you can see, Shawnee runs very deep with me, and every piece I buy there's a little voice in my head that says...."Look momma, we got another piece to go along with those little kitties".
So that in a nutshell is how I began to collect my Shawnee!
I wish more of you would write in and share your story and pictures of your collection. I treasure all the wonderful friends I have met through Shawnee - they go way beyond the pottery! Many of you (you know who you are) have helped me spend my money on things I didn't even know I needed - LOL.
Buying a LRRH cookie jar that has the same decals as the Shawnee milk can shakers which is also on some of the animal figurines - in fact it is the hardest decal to find on the miniatures - two sold on Ebay this past month. Each sold for $350.
If you have noticed, there have been a lot of listings of the Supnick Commemorative jars on Ebay. My suggestion to collectors is to buy the jars you truly love BUT do not confuse these jars with authentic Shawnee pottery. Some of the new collectors do not know these jars are produced to "copy" some of the harder to find Shawnee jars. Invest your Shawnee dollars wisely.
Are there readers who would like us to list items for sale or include reader's email addresses who have items for sale or trade? I am willing to run a wanted list for parts and sale list if there is interest. I have put together a short list of items I plan to sell - it has been years since I listed on Ebay so will have to venture out into that venue. I used to keep a list of items wanted and am still willing to do so for those of you that would like to let me know, I get emails from readers requesting pieces and would love to hook up buyer and seller together, for parts or complete pieces - loved the days when we got Pam Currans newsletter, the phones would start ringing and it was so much fun!!!!
Enjoy the upcoming holidays - hope to hear from some of you about how you started collecting or stories about your favoriite piece or a spectacular find!!!!
Doug's Corner
If you have a plain base for a muggsy cookie jar, I have a reader looking for one. Keep in mind that some "married" jars aren't perfect fits. Then again - life ain't perfect. Email me for their address.
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