A Thing of Beauty

I read recently that Haeger Pottery is closing its doors after 145 years in business.  This makes me a little sad, because I own several vintage Haeger vases that are beautiful and fresh every time I bring them down from the shelf.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/elgin-courier-news/news/ct-ecn-east-dundee-haeger-closing-st-0406-20160405-story.html

This is my vase closet, and , as you can see, I enjoy collecting vintage pottery vases.

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article on a young writer’s Jasperware (or Wedgwood) collection , which she dubbed “granny chic.”

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fancy-old-lady-allure-of-wedgwoods-jasperware-1460042312

I agree – vintage vases have a breath of nostalgia about them, but they do make flowers look grand.

If you have even a small interest in collecting a few beautiful vases, you don’t have to look very far.  Every antique and resale shop around has shelves full of them, low-priced and pastel pretty.

I would guess that most of the vases you see don’t have markings on the bottom.  They’re from random pottery companies that mass produced them.  But there are a few good names worth noting.

This is my Royal Haeger deer vase.I have two identical ones, and they’re great placed at both ends of the dining table, or in various arrangements during the holidays.  This is the Haeger logo you should look for.

Red Wing is another company that creates beautiful ware.  Based in Minnesota, Red Wing began making stoneware in the early 1800’s, and still features crockery, dinnerware, pitchers and bowls.  I have several of their finer glazed vases from the 30’s and 40’s with a logo that looks like this. Weller is a name that makes my collector’s heart jump.  Gorgeous designs and colors. I’ve kept this one, although it was badly damaged, because it’s such a good size for large bouquests.  Weller pottery started producing in the late 1800’s, and continued into the 30’s.  Finally they closed their doors in 1948.

I’m not pretending to offer a good history of all of these companies and their products.  There are thousands of books that do that.  And if you’re interested, just Googling a pottery name usually gives a detailed history of the company and a few photos.

I don’t have any Roseville at the moment.  I do like the darker tones, but it is pricier than many of the other brands, and hurts more when you chip or break one of your pieces.  Smaller Roseville vases sell for anywhere from $65 – $150, so they won’t break the bank.If you’re thinking of collecting for an investment, you should probably consider something else.

Some of my other vases are nameless, but I don’t love them any less.These nameless horses (I have two) are some of my favorites.  They look great with sea grasses and pine boughs in the winter.  And there are some brands I rarely see in the stores.  Just saw this Miramar.  California ware doesn’t seem to make it to these parts as often.  Bauer I’m not that familiar with , same for Stengl and Denby.  McCoy is too commonplace, so I choose not to give it shelf space.

In addition to flower vases, I also enjoy collecting large garden pottery.  Taller, heavier – they’re sometimes used as umbrella stands.  Monmouth Pottery is a name I see on many of mine,and there are colorful anonymous ones.These look great in hall corners or flanking fireplace mantles.

When I do find something special, unusual in shape or color, I have to gift a bouquet to someone in one of my cast-offs.  I truly don’t have any more shelf space for this collection.  So the rule is “one in, one out.”

Any takers?