by Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Helaine and Joe: My mother received this vase when she was 20 to 25 years old. She is now 98. Her father brought it to her from New York. It has no markings and any information you can offer would be appreciated. --J.I., Evansville, Ind.
Dear J.I.: Unmarked pottery can present something of a challenge to collectors, but there is absolutely no doubt who made this particular piece and when. This beautiful vase was made by the Roseville Pottery Company, which was founded in Roseville, Ohio, in 1892.
Their early wares were mainly utilitarian, and often they were sold door to door by peddlers trying to meet the everyday pottery needs of households on their routes. The company moved to Zanesville, Ohio, in 1898; and in 1900 began making the art pottery that is now widely sought by enthusiasts.
Starting in the second decade of the 20th century, Roseville began moving away from the entirely handmade art lines toward producing a huge variety of "commercial art wares." These were basically molded items that were hand-finished to some extent, and they became the focus of Roseville's production until the company closed in 1954.
Many of the early utilitarian and art wares produced by Roseville were never signed, but the vast majority of all the "commercial art wares" were. Some, however, were marked with a removable label and these generally disappeared after the object it was attached to got cleaned for the first time.
The vase belonging to J.I. is from a very attractive Roseville line called "Jonquil," introduced in 1931. The only way this line was ever marked was with a small gray and black aluminum foil sticker.
Many of the "commercial art wares" that Roseville made came in a wide variety of forms, and often a range of background colors such as blue, green and brown. "Jonquil" is something of an exception because it came in only a small range of shapes and the brown, green, white and gold color scheme always stayed the same.
Most "Jonquil" pieces are vases, but Roseville did make candlesticks, bowls and an unusual crocus pot with an attached, saucerlike underliner in this pattern. J.I. failed to tell us the size of his mother's vase, but checking the Roseville catalog, this piece appears to be one of the 8-inch-tall models.
If this question had been asked a year ago, we might have said that the insurance replacement value for this vase was about $300. But the value now is between $500 and $600.
(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of Treasures in Your Attic. Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.)
Resources Treasures In Your Attic
by Joe L. Rosson, Helaine Fendelman (ISBN: 0060198273)
Subtitled: An entertaining, informative, down-to-earth guide to a wide range of collectibles and antiques from the hosts of the popular television show seen on PBS stations.
(Harper Resource, April 2001)
Order this
title.
Treasures In Your Attic
c/o WSJK/WKOP-TV
1611 E. Magnolia Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37917
Phone: 865-595-0220
Fax: 865-595-0300
Email:
elaine_tomber@wsjk.pbs.org
URL:
www.treasuresinyourattic.org
)
