Roseville Pottery - Shape Number and Pattern Index Pages

We often get questions from Roseville pottery collectors trying to identify a pattern name by the shape  number on the bottom of their vase.  We now have an online resource to provide some assistance to Roseville collectors in matching up shape numbers with a pattern name. 

It is definitely still a work in progress, but collectors can now browse the majority of the documented shape numbers for each Roseville pattern.  Look here for the index of shape numbers for Roseville pottery patterns. 

To review Roseville pottery marks, in 1936, Roseville began using a die-impressed Roseville and the corresponding shape number and size in script. For example Roseville 747-10 would refer to a Roseville Pinecone vase that would be approximately 10" in height. 

Beginning in 1940, the pottery started marking pieces with a raised Roseville USA mark along with the corresponding shape number and size.  Earlier middle period Roseville produced between 1927 and 1935 would have been marked with only paper or foil labels and sometimes with the corresponding shape number and size in red or black crayon.

Additional Roseville Pottery Resources:

Shop for Roseville Pottery
Roseville Pottery Marks

Greg Myroth - JustArtPottery.com
6/19/09

Roseville Pottery Auction

I recently attended a large Roseville Pottery live auction in Indiana and was pleasantly surprised to see that prices seemed strong across the board for a wide variety of patterns.  The auction contained many, many damaged and repaired pieces and mostly later floral patterns such as Apple Blossom, Silhouette, Magnolia, Bittersweet, etc.  The number of higher quality, middle period Roseville patterns was limited.  Still the auction was well attended and prices remained strong throughout the day.

A few of the auction results for mint condition pieces are noted below:

• Roseville Silhouette Red 710-10" Basket, $400
• Roseville Silhouette Green 709-8" Basket, $320
• Roseville Bittersweet Grey 886-12" Vase, $275
• Roseville Silhouette Red 729-12" Bowl, $230
• Roseville Pinecone Green Hanging Basket, $400
• Roseville Artwood 1052-8" Yellow Double Vase, $150
• Roseville Pinecone Blue 632-5" Jardiniere $400
• Roseville Pinecone Blue 712-12" Vase $1025
• Roseville Zephyr Lily Blue 393-7" Basket, $175
• Roseville Snowberry Blue 1BK-8" Basket, $200

Greg Myroth - JustArtPottery.com
6/16/09

Roseville Pottery - Shop By Pattern

Now Roseville Pottery collectors can shop Just Art Pottery for their favorite pattern without having to browse through patterns you may not be interested in.  Links to the new categories are below.  We have maintained the same grouping for patterns A-E, F-L, M-R and S-Z but if you go to the pattern name you will find specific categories for every Roseville Pottery pattern.

Roseville Pottery Patterns A-E
Roseville Pottery Patterns F-L
Roseville Pottery Patterns M-R
Roseville Pottery Patterns S-Z

Greg Myroth
JustArtPottery.com

Roseville Pottery - Pinecone Modern

The Pinecone Modern pattern was introduced by Roseville Pottery in 1953.  The pattern included 51 shapes including baskets, bowls, planters, vases, ect.  The easiest way to identify the Roseville Pinecone Modern pattern is by the shape number.  All Pinecone Modern pieces are in the 400 series.  Roseville chose to renumber the Pinecone Modern pattern even though numerous shapes were reissues from the identical, original Roseville Pinecone line introduced in 1935. 

Most Pinecone collectors actively seek the 400 series Modern pieces with the same level of interest as original Pinecone.  In fact, many collectors find the green version of Pinecone Modern more attractive than the original green pinecone primarly because of more vivid coloring and less glaze runs and drips with the later version.

Due to the short period of production for Pinecone Modern, many of the 400 series shapes are harder to find that the original forms.  Roseville produced Pinecone Modern from 1953 until the factory was sold in the summer of 1954. 

Pinecone Modern is marked with the raised molded Roseville USA mark and with the shape number and size. Some examples are also marked with a die-impressed or raised "Pine Cone".  Examples of some of the variations of bottom marks are shown below.

 

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Shop for Roseville Pinecone
Roseville Pottery Marks

Roseville Pottery - Carnelian II Marks

A new Roseville pottery collector recently emailed us asking why some examples of Roseville Carnelian II have glazed bottoms while others are unglazed.  As usual, there is no hard and fast rule about this but some of the inconsistencies are explained by the fact that a significant number of Roseville Carnelian II (glazes) vases were actually Carnelian I (drip) vases to start with.

Roseville Carnelian I (drip) wasnʼt real popular with collectors and as a result many examples of Roseville Carnelian I (drip) were reglazed and refired as Carnelian II (glazes).  So the majority of the Carnelian II (glazes) examples with glazed bottoms and Rv stamp marks were actually originally produced by Roseville pottery as Carnelian I (drip).  Examples have also been located with the blue Rv stamp from the Carnelian I (drip) period and after being reglazed subsequently remarked with a Roseville paper label.

Example of a Roseville Pottery Carnelian I (drip) vase and a Roseville Pottery Carnelian II (glazes) vase are shown in the photos below. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second set of photos show examples of typical bottom markings on Roseville Carnelian I (drip) and Roseville Carnelian II (glazes).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last sets of photos show examples of Roseville Carnelian I vases that were reglazed and refired as Roseville Carnelian II (glazes) vases.

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

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

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

Roseville Pottery Historical Marker

Roseville Pottery collectors may be interested in this video of the dedication ceremony of a historical marker commemorating the site of the original Roseville Pottery Company in Zanesville, Ohio. The historical marker was dedicated on July 17, 2007 during the annual Pottery Lovers Reunion in Zanesville. 

Our friend and Iowa Art Pottery Association president Ted Priester presided over the ceremony. The video includes remarks by the Mayor of Zanesville, our friend and president of the American Art Pottery Association, Arnie Small, our friend and president of the Pottery Lovers, Joe Tunnell and Ohio Historical Society curator, Stacia Kuceyeski. The video runs about 10 minutes and provides some interesting information on the original Roseville Pottery works, the American Art Pottery Association and the City of Zanesville.

Learn More About Roseville Pottery

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Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Roseville Pottery Middle Period Patterns

Most Roseville Pottery collectors define "middle period" Roseville Pottery as the lines that were produced between 1920 and 1938. This time line for middle period Roseville patterns covers the years of the company presidencies of Russell Young and Anna Young.

The following Roseville pottery patterns are from the middle period of production and are organized in order of the year each line was introduced by the pottery.  Mark Bassett's Introducing Roseville Pottery provides the most accurate information regarding the year each pattern was introduced. 

Roseville Pottery middle period patterns introduced between 1920 and 1930

• Dogwood I (textured)           
• Rozane Patterns
• Sylvan
• Vista
• Rosecraft Colors
• Imperial I
• Lustre
• Volpato
• Corinthian
• Florentine
• Juvenile
• La Rosa
• Rosecraft Hexagon
• Victorian Art
• Dogwood II (smooth)
• Carnelian I (drip glazes)
• Rosecraft Panel
• Lombardy
• Tuscany
• Normandy
• Cremona
• Dahlrose
• Futura
• Carnelian II (mottled glazes)
• Savona

Roseville Pottery middle period patterns introduced between 1930 and 1938

• Imperial II (glazes)
• Earlam
• Ferella
• Sunflower
• Montacello
• Windsor
• Jonquil
• Baneda
• Blackberry
• Cherry Blossom
• Tourmaline
• Artcraft
• Falline
• Wisteria
• Laurel
• Topeo
• Luffa
• Russco
• Pine Cone
• Velmoss
• Morning Glory
• Orian
• Clemana
• Primrose
• Moderne
• Moss
• Thornapple
• Dawn
• Ixia
• Poppy
• Teasel
• Fuchsia
• Iris

Greg Myroth - Shop for Roseville Pottery

Roseville Jardiniere and Pedestals

Our friend Tom recently contacted us with some comments and questions regarding Roseville jardinieres and pedestals. The following is an excerpt of Tom's email:

I have loved and collected Roseville for a long while now. I have never been able to determine something about the Roseville jardiniere and pedestals. Especially as regards the middle period jars and peds, sunflower, blackberry and wisteria. If you consult the references (and I have all the ones you mentioned in your latest excellent article!), you will get conflicting information. Some list an 8 inch, 10 inch, and 12 inch jardiniere and pedestal. Some only list 8 and 10 inch jar and peds and a solo twelve inch jardiniere only. Having never seen the twelve inch jar in sunflower, blackberry, or wisteria I am wondering if it has its own pedestal that is larger than the ten inch jard's pedestal. Or if it was made without a matching pedestal like some of the smaller jardinieres? Or does the twelve inch jardiniere have the same base size as the ten inch jar? Or does it have a bigger base but still is able to sit on the ten inch jard's pedestal. In other words is the ten inch pedestal interchangeable with a ten OR a twelve inch jardiniere? I would like to get the largest jar and ped in the middle period patterns, but would love getting to the bottom of this question before seriously starting purchasing. I have a perfect ten inch jar and ped in the blackberry pattern and love it. But, I am thinking i have seen a larger set about twenty years ago. Or, was I just imagining it?

Tom brings up some very good questions; most of which I can't definitively answer.  And he is correct in stating that the available Roseville reference books contradict one another regarding jardiniere and pedestal sizes for various middle period patterns. 

I believe that I have seen 12" jardinieres in the Sunflower and Blackberry patterns but not in Wisteria.  I don't know the answer to the question of if the 12" jardinieres had their own pedestals or simply used the larger 10" pedestal.  My suspicion is that the 12" jardinieres were made without a matching pedestal.

I do not believe the 12" jardiniere has the same base diameter as the 10" jardiniere.  However, in my opinion, it is likely that 12" jardinieres were sold by Roseville with the larger pedestal.  I believe this because over the years we have purchased several estate collections with relatively odd sized Weller and Roseville jardiniere and pedestals where the family indicated the sets had been together since they were purchased in the 1920s or 1930s.  Some of these jardiniere and pedestal sets were so rare that I find it very unlikely the original owner married the pieces together later.

I'm sure some of our experienced Roseville collectors can help shed some light on these jardiniere and pedestal shape and size discrepancies.  Clearly the Roseville factory stock pages are incomplete and the available reference books inconsistent.

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery