Roseville Pottery Wall Pockets - Top 10 Most Sought After

Eileen in CA. is a new Roseville collector and who recently asked "what are most collectible Roseville pottery wall pockets?"  We try to maintain want lists for customers and the most common requests from Roseville pottery collectors has historically been from collectors seeking to complete wall pocket collections.  So in answer to Eileen's question here are our top 10 most sought after Roseville wall pockets.

1. Roseville Tourist
2. Roseville Chloron
3. Roseville Baneda
4. Roseville Sunflower
5. Roseville Velmoss
6. Roseville Ferella
7. Roseville Wisteria
8. Roseville Blackberry
9. Roseville Orian
10. Roseville Pinecone (Bucket)

 

Shop for Roseville Pottery Wall Pockets

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Iowa Art Pottery Association

Our good friends from the Iowa Art Pottery Association have recently updated their website.  The Iowa Art Pottery Association (IAPA) is dedicated to the education, preservation, appreciation and acquisition of all ceramics both past and present.  IAPA began in August, 1999 when seventeen interested pottery collectors met to discuss the idea of a pottery club. The Association is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the aesthetic appreciation of art pottery.

Meetings are held in Wilton, Iowa which is geographically central to the Association's growing membership of pottery collectors. Members are encouraged to bring a favorite piece of pottery to the meetings for "show and tell". With education as a central focus of the IAPA, programs are presented by speakers who have in-depth knowledge about a particular pottery company or subject.  The Association also produces a quarterly newsletters which feature art pottery articles, insights and event updates.

Upcoming meetings will include discussions on the following topics: 

• August 3, 2008 - Art Pottery Dealer Signs and Advertising Pieces by Dave Johnson
• October 5, 2008 - Ephraim Pottery sponsored by Mark Latta

The Iowa Art Pottery Association welcomes new members who wish to learn about and engage in the enjoyment of art pottery. I can tell you from first hand experience there are some very knowledgeable pottery collectors (including a couple who really helped us when we were just getting started in the business!) involved in IAPA and if you ever have an opportunity to attend a meeting you will not only increase your knowledge of American art pottery but find great fun, fellowship and food!  I hear they have a GREAT potluck after each meeting.

Look here for more information on the Iowa Art Pottery Association.

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Roseville Pottery Shape Numbers

As we have discussed in previous posts, the bottom marks on Roseville pottery vary over the company's many years of production.  For new collectors the numbers that appear on the bottoms of Roseville pottery often add to the confusion of identifying Roseville pottery patterns.  Shape numbers and sizes were used by Roseville throughout the years of production and were sometimes noted on the bottoms of the pieces even from the earliest days of the pottery. 

For early and middle period Roseville Patterns produced prior to 1936, it is not unusual to find three digit shape numbers in red or black crayon on the bottoms of pieces. Starting in 1936, Roseville began using the die-impressed trademark "Roseville" along with the shape number and size.  Beginning in 1940 the Roseville mark, shape number and size were marked with raised lettering. 

If you have any of the readily available Roseville Pottery reference guides the numbering system allows collectors and dealers to identify a Roseville pattern, size and style of piece (vase, bowl, wall pocket, tea pot, umbrella stand, bookends, basket, jardiniere, window box, etc) simply by knowing the shape and size number without even seeing the piece. 

For the most part, Roseville maintained a consistent shape numbering system that is relatively easy to follow. The marks are typically 2 or 3 digit numbers which indicate the pattern and shape of the piece followed by a dash and a one or two digit number which corresponds to the size of the vase, bowl, etc.

For example, if you have a piece marked "Roseville 35-9"  and you have your handy Roseville reference guide you can quickly identify the piece as a 9" vase from the Roseville Bushberry line.  For unmarked middle period Roseville it is possible to find pieces marked with the shape number in red crayon.  An example of this is shown in the photo to the right. The vase is marked 621 in red crayon. This shape corresponds to a Roseville Cherry Blossom vase. 

A few notes on the size notations for Roseville vases, jardinieres and bowls. A vase will in almost all cases be 1/4" to 1" taller than the shape number would indicate.  For example a Roseville Pine Cone vase shape 747-10 is typically about 10 1/2" tall.   

For Roseville bowls and jardinieres the size measurement is taken from the inside diameter.  For example, a jardiniere marked 657-8 is a Roseville Bushberry jardiniere.  The 657 refers to the shape and pattern, while the 8 indicates it is 8" diameter. The 8" is measured from the inside rim to the opposite inside rim.  Similar to Roseville vases, the inside diameter of an 8" Roseville jardiniere is typically going to be about 8 1/2".  A Roseville console bowl marked 294-12 can be identified as being from the Moss pattern with an inside rim to rim length of just over 12".

Greg Myroth - Shop for Roseville Pottery

Rookwood Pottery - Journal of The American Art Pottery Association

Rookwood Pottery collectors will definitely want to check out the March/April 2008 edition of the Journal of the American Art Pottery Association.  The issue contains over 30 photos of Rookwood painted matte vases and a very interesting article by Kathryn Scott on how she got started collecting Rookwood pottery.

Ms. Scott's article discusses how she ultimately found a focal point for her pottery buying by collecting works decorated by Edward Timothy Hurley.  By developing a comprehensive collection of Hurley decorated Rookwood, she was able to parallel much of the history of Rookwood pottery itself.

There is also a discussion on why she choose to collect Rookwood pottery decorated by E.T. Hurley and how she has attempted to acquire examples from each year as well as vases that were representative of Rookwood many glaze lines. At this time, she is only missing examples from three years in the 1930s.  The article also includes over photos of over 50 Rookwood exampled decorated by Hurley.

Noted author Mark Bassett also provides a book review on Rookwood and the American Indian: Masterpieces of American Art Pottery from the James J. Gardner Collection.  Mark concludes that the book is recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, cultural diversity and for all art pottery lovers.

Just Art Pottery