TREASURE HUNT!
Collectible Pottery & Earthenware

   For over twenty years, Kobey's has been a bargain hunter's paradise. In every Treasure Hunt installment, we feature unique or collectible items with low price tags found at Kobey's garage sales. Usually our treasures are worth much more than you'll pay at the swap.

   Solid color mix and match ceramic and earthenware dishes featuring simple, modern and art deco designs are experiencing a renaissance. For example, the home designer Martha Stewart has created a simple, pastel line which can be purchased very affordably at K-Mart.
   Retro styling is strong right now. For those who want the real thing, original vintage pottery is widely sought after and can fetch a hefty price.
   Fiesta® , Fiesta Ware, J. A. Bauer Pottery Co., Eva Zeisel and Catalina Island Pottery are some names to look for. Individual pieces can go for many hundreds and collections a lot more. However, if you know what to look for, you could run across a bargain.
   Artist Andy Warhol gave the Fiesta Ware line more than its share of its fifteen minutes of fame. The bright, solid color pieces can be extremely valuable. The orange tumbler to the right sold with a collection of 70 other early pieces for over $3,000.
   A little detail about each maker:
   Fiesta® is still in production by the Homer Laughlin China Company, founded in 1871 by its namesake. Fiesta was first designed by Frederick Hurton Rhead in 1936. Items featured art deco styling and bold colors. The original six colors were red, yellow, light green, cobalt, ivory and turquoise, introduced in 1937.
   The J. A. Bauer Pottery Co. began in the late 19th century in Paducah, Kentucky making redware. It closed in 1962. Highly collected pieces come from Bauer’s second factory opened outside Los Angeles in 1910. In 1916 Bauer introduced a line of molded and hand-thrown art pottery vases and bowls mostly in a green matte glaze. Bauer later produced highly popular “Ringware” with ringed or "ruffled" pattern of concentric circles.
   Although it cost just change at the time, Bauer pieces are now some of the most valued ceramics out there, worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
   Catalina Pottery was the brainchild of William Wrigley Jr. of chewing gum fame. He wanted to create a self-supporting community on the island by producing ceramic tile, objects and dishes from Catalina’s clay and mineral deposits. The operation lasted only ten years, from 1927 to 1937.
   Pacific Pottery’s Hostessware line, produced around 1932, is similar in styling to Fiesta, also made in solid, bright colors.
   Other valuable pieces are actually created by individual artists such as Eva Zeisel who designed lines for Sears, Roebuck and Noritake. Always look for stamps, marks or signatures on the bottom of the piece to verify authenticity.

Do you have a treasure finding story to share with us? Call (619) 523-2700 x318 or write: Kobey's Magazine, Attn: Editor, P. O. Box 81492, San Diego CA 92138 or email: liz@kobeys.com