Skip to main content

Collector's Guides on Yellowware

If you're interested in yellowware and want to learn more about this beautiful pottery, I highly recommend buying the three books by Lisa McAllister on collecting this American, British and even Canadian pottery.  The Collector's Guides on Yellowware (vol. 1, vol. 2 & vol. 3) are well-researched, well-written and very informative.  All three volumes should be in one's library if collecting yellowware is a serious endeavor.


As much as I would like to call myself a knowledgable yellowware collector, I still have a lot to learn.  Thankfully I've taken a crash course on the subject by reading these books from cover to cover.  The three volumes are broken down into chapters which cover areas such as manufacturers, potter's marks, mugs, bowls, nappies, canisters, canning jars, pitchers, teapots, Westward Expansion pieces, toy pieces, mugs and cups, piggy banks and many miscellaneous pieces.  Helpful glossaries explain the proper terms used for describing and identifying yellowware.


McAllister gives us price ranges to serve as guides, but keep in mind that those are for pristine pieces.  Rarity, condition, among other factors, play a role in how yellowware pieces are priced by vendors.


While looking through the wonderful photographs, descriptions and in depth background on where and how yellowware was made, I have awakened a new appreciation for this pottery.  I can peruse through the pages of these books and know that if I ever encounter such and such piece, I will be confident in recognizing what it is and what its current value may be.  I can also dream of maybe one day owning this or that.


The importance of yellowware in the home during the 19th century and into the early part of the 20th deserves to be recognized whether or not you collect this pottery.  Let the Collector's Guides on Yellowware help you in your search for yellowware throughout the country.  Although I have had most of my luck in finding this pottery here on the east coast where I live, I have also purchased pieces on the west coast. 

Do you have your yellowware collector's guides yet?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei

A Tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and Friends

Martha Stewart led an intimate tour of her former Westport, Connecticut home and gardens for a few of my friends this past weekend.  From the photographs I've seen of that special day, it was an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime by those who were in attendance.  As much as I regret not going to this momentous occasion, my friends were kind enough to allow me to share their amazing photographs here on the blog. Let's take a tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and a few of my friends. Without the kindness of Jeffrey Reed, Dennis Landon, Darrin David, Anthony Picozzi and Colin Eastland, this post would not be possible.  It must also be stated that the fundraising event was graciously hosted by the current owners of Turkey Hill, the Bergs. Many thanks to the Berg family for opening up the property. Turkey Hill is the Federal style home that was purchased, renovated and landscaped by Martha Stewart and her then husband, Andy, back in 1970.  It was he