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Redware
Any American who ate a meal during the 1700s and early 1800s more than likely to eat from Staffordshire than eat i off redware plates and chargers. Red clay pottery had competition from glass, tin, pewter, stoneware, porcelain, creamware, pearlware, yellowware, and many other products. All it took to make the inexpensive earthenware was a clay, kiln, some glaze, a mold, and the abundant red clay found all around, as well as skill and knowledge. Full- and part-time potters cranked out dishes by the wagonload.
But by the 1850s, the drawbacks of redware began to dampen enthusiasm for it. It was extremely fragile and its lead-based glaze could be deadly. More practical ceramics, such as stoneware and yellowware, eventually became mainstays on American tables.
The once-abundant production of redware dishes means that there are many affordable examples in today’s antiques market. Mint-condition plates are the most desirable, but a few nicks and scratches normally do little to affect the price.
Design and color also influence a plate’s value. A few squiggly lines might raise the value slightly; a design such as a flower or bird would raise it sharply. And any sort of writing or human figure could make the plate worth as much as $10,000 to $20,000. Green is the most valuable glaze because it is rare, but plates also come in yellow, brown, orange, and black. Plates made by the Pennsylvania Dutch are the most treasured of all.
But by the 1850s, the drawbacks of redware began to dampen enthusiasm for it. It was extremely fragile and its lead-based glaze could be deadly. More practical ceramics, such as stoneware and yellowware, eventually became mainstays on American tables.
The once-abundant production of redware dishes means that there are many affordable examples in today’s antiques market. Mint-condition plates are the most desirable, but a few nicks and scratches normally do little to affect the price.
Design and color also influence a plate’s value. A few squiggly lines might raise the value slightly; a design such as a flower or bird would raise it sharply. And any sort of writing or human figure could make the plate worth as much as $10,000 to $20,000. Green is the most valuable glaze because it is rare, but plates also come in yellow, brown, orange, and black. Plates made by the Pennsylvania Dutch are the most treasured of all.
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, Aug 30 2009, 10:52 AM EDT
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