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FRANKOMA POTTERY MAYAN DISHWARE

Frankoma Pottery Mayan Dishware


If you have a flare for the southwest and enjoy natural earth tone colors, you would love Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware to grace your dinner table and enhance any meal. Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware is a southwestern line of dinnerware that was founded by John Nathaniel Frank. John Frank opened a pottery store in Norman Oklahoma and combined his name and the state he lived in to form Frankoma Pottery in the early 1930’s. It was an art teacher’s life long dream to have his pottery in every home. He moved his family and business to Sapulpa Oklahoma. After a fire that burnt his business to the ground he had to start all over again. His business really started to boom when he introduced Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware in 1947. Frankoma pottery Mayan dinnerware has many lovely pieces for the whole world to enjoy.

What makes Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware unique from other Frankoma lines of pottery is its Mayan-Aztec design and wonderful colors. The colors used by Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware include wonderful earth tones such as Prairie Green, White Sand, Desert Gold, and Onyx Black. The colors that inspired many of his pottery line are the colors found in nature. A little bit of Oklahoma is in each and every piece of pottery. The vintage pieces can be identified by the Mayan Sequence around the edges of the pottery and by its trademark of random brushstrokes. It has the look and the design of the Aztec from a time long ago.

The most valuable Frankoma Pottery, the Pot & Puma, was made 50 years ago and can be identified by an “O” on the bottom of the pottery. The Pot & Puma is a trademark to represent both the artistic and also the sculptures of his craft. In order to find out the age of the pottery, look at the unglazed bottom of the pieces of his pottery. A light tan color, or Ada clay, is an indicator of pre-1955 pottery. A brick red or reddish color, know as Sapulpa clay, is post 1955 pottery. An easy way to identify if your pottery piece is a Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware is by the stock number on the bottom (Only for pieces made after 1955). The stock numbers begin with a number, which identifies the different style of Frankoma pottery, followed by one or two letters. If the stock number begins with a 94, the piece is the Wagon Wheel pattern; if it begins with a 4, the piece is Lazybones pattern; if it begins with 5 it is Plainsman; if it begins with a 6 it is the Westwind pattern; and 7 is the Frankoma pottery Mayan-Aztec pattern.

To find your own Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware, you have many choices. The vintage pieces are available on many auction sites that have antiques or collectibles. Many other pottery replacement websites also carry an inventory of Frankoma pottery Mayan dishware. For new pottery, Frankoma Pottery has a website where orders can be placed and pottery can even be custom designed. The new pottery pieces are all dishwasher safe, microwave save and oven proof. It is even used by celebrities like Food Network’s Paula Deen.

The earth has many beautiful secrets hidden within it. Thanks to John Frank and his Frankoma Pottery Mayan dishware, we now have the ability to bring some of this beauty into our homes. If you like to enjoy the natural beauty of the earth, especially the warm tones of the southwest, you must have Frankoma Pottery Mayan style dishware gracing your table. The unique style and colors will brighten any kitchen and add some visual spice to any meal!

DALVEY PLAYING CARDS

DALVEY PLAYING CARDS

Dalvey is a well-known company. Dalvey is a name that stands for the utmost quality and craftsmanship. The Dalvey playing cards are very unique in appearance and styling. It is also one of the most exquisite accessories to own or to give as a gift that will last a lifetime. I have only seen the Dalvey playing cards once, while I was traveling on a trip. The playing cards were very odd looking at first glance because of their round shape and many markings around the edge. I soon discovered they were made to look that way. The Dalvey playing cards were kept in a beautiful stainless steel case made of the finest quality. When the case was opened and the cards put away, I noticed an atlas on the inside top of the case lid. I wondered if it was a trademark for a world class product.

The Dalvey playing cards are derived from all ages of history and many cultures around the globe. Cards can be traced back to China. It was thought that sometime in the 10th century, the playing cards were used for entertainment and passing the time. The earliest versions of cards were very different from that of cards today. Many cultures around the world had a hand in the evolution of the Dalvey playing cards. Some of the characteristic of the playing cards came from Europe, Italy, Germany and France. The early European cards had a fifty-two card count in the deck. They had four suits, but had very different symbols on the cards. Europeans also used royalty for the figures used on the highest cards in the deck.

The Italians had a playing card that was hand painted with the utmost detail. The cards were very expensive and required a vast amount of time to make. The shape of the cards where round very much like the Dalvey playing cards. The cards resembled a small, precisely hand painted saucer. The circular shape of the cards aided in the ease of holding a large amount of cards, as well as ‘fanning’ them out, so they can only be seen only by the viewer. The hand painting of the cards later became a problem due to the rough texture on the cards. They were hard to shuffle and pass out to the other players. Later in time, the Germans figured out how to engrave the cards for manufacturing to produce vast amounts of the playing cards, which in turn, lessen the cost of the cards. The cards were printed on paper and were tested for their durablity. The plastic coating on the cards came at a later time. The German cards had symbols of acorns, bells, leaves, and hearts that were later made into hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades, just like the Dalvey playing cards of modern times.

The Americans soon discovered the playing cards. The cards begin appearing in all parts of the country. The Americans’ contribution to the deck was adding the joker. Maybe it was for one more chance to get that better hand in poker. Many of the card games that we still play today originated from games from centuries ago. The Dalvey playing cards are very similar to the round cards that were used by early travelers. Their circular shape and elegant travel cases helped the travelers carry their cards with them on long and short journeys alike. The round shape also helped in the ease of picking up the cards if they were dropped on the floor or table. The card game of poker is the game that comes to mind when we think of American card games. One can just picture a group of men sitting in a saloon with a hand of cards. This could have been the earliest version of the Dalvey playing cards. There are so many different card games to choose in playing. Anyone can vision a time when cards playing was a way to past the time and enjoy the company of others. One can also vision children playing cards on a wooden floor, which helped offset the time when chores were not needed to be done; however, they always had time for a quick game of rummy before lights out.

With all the centuries and cultures adding to the development of the playing cards, the Dalvey playing cards are truly a world-class card. We should have no doubt in our mind that the Dalvey playing cards will continue to be cherished for many, many years. To sum it all up, the Dalvey playing cards have a certain style and charm, which plays a part in the HAND on my HEART and is a DIAMOND in my eye that will SUIT me for a lifetime.

VINTAGE REDWING CROCKS

VINTAGE REDWING CROCKS

The vintage Redwing crocks are a very collectible item to have in your treasure cove of antiques. There usefulness today is as plentiful as in years gone by. Many Redwing collectors use the vintage Redwing crocks for planters, kitchen utensil holders, umbrella holders and of course to make pickles and a vast array of other uses for this distinguished crock. The vintage Redwing crocks of long ago were used as mainly storage for foods that had to be kept for a lengthy period of time. The knowledge of refrigeration and preservatives was not even known about when the vintage Redwing crocks were being used for food storage. The crocks where often put in the cellar to help keep food from spoiling. The vintage Redwing crocks come in many different sizes and styles. The Redwing crocks have withstood many hardships of use and abuse and are still very plentiful to find in many collectors’ homes. This heavy clay pottery will be here for many more years to come so that we can past them down to our children to cherish.

The Redwing Stoneware Company in Redwing, Minnesota started in 1877. It was one of the largest pottery and ceramic plants in the area. In 1883 another stoneware company started to make pottery and it was the Minnesota Stoneware Company, and then in 1892 yet another pottery company was formed and it was called North Star. Three pottery companies in the area were just too much competition for the pottery business. The three companies decided to merge into one unified pottery company in1894 and they were called Union Stoneware Company. Even though the three companies united in business they still retained their own business names under the Union Stoneware Company. North Star closed shop in 1896 and the other two united as one and became the Red Wing Union Stoneware Company. Red Wing Potteries, Inc. was the final name change for the company in 1936. The vintage Redwing crocks have several different markings on them that changed with the history of Redwing. The vast majority of the Redwing crocks have “Red Wing” written on them as an identifying mark. Other Redwing crocks may have the name Union Stoneware Co. and Minnesota Stoneware Co. as a mark. “RWSW Co.” was yet another type of mark that was found on many of the vintage Redwing crocks. The one mark that is truly the mark of a vintage Redwing crock is the stamped “wings” that is so familiar to all that collect antiques crocks.

Salt glaze was a very common glaze used on the antique Redwing crocks. It is one of the earliest glazes used on many of the potteries found in the history of the crock. Salt glazes came from Germany in the early 1500. The rock salt that was used on the clay reacts with the silica in the clay and the high heat of the kiln seals the crock. The crocks are then water tight and will not leak or become porous. The vintage Redwing crocks made before the 19th century are some of the best example of the salt fired or the salt glazed method. The cobalt slip was a way of applying a decoration to the “green ware” before the firing of the crock. A slip is watered down clay that is very thin and can be applied like a glaze. The slips on the inside of the crocks made a smooth and easily cleaned surface. The salt glaze used on the vintage Redwing crocks made an orange peel like texture that varied to some degree by the amount of salt that was applied. The different clays used to make the crocks also made a slight change in the coloring of the crocks. All of theses characteristic make the vintage Redwing crocks so popular with collectors of today.

The vintage Redwing crocks will always have a heritage in the history of crocks. They were made for everyday use in the early homes of long ago and have also earned a place in homes of today as collectors seek to find them. As you look at each crock you have to wonder what tales could be told about the history of each vintage crock. A treasure worth hunting to find and displaying in your home can only be a vintage Redwing crock and that is “NO CROCK”.

MARSHALL POTTERY BUTTER CHURNS

Marshall Pottery Butter Churns

Part of the fun of collecting an antique such as a Marshall Pottery Butter Churn is the rich and storied history you'll uncover as you begin your search. Marshall Pottery Butter Churns pre-date the rise of electricity and are a window back to simpler times when you didn't go out and buy your groceries but instead made them by hand. Marshall Pottery Butter Churns are not only works of art but testaments to expert craftsmanship that will be a welcome addition to your treasure of collectibles. While simple in its design, form and function, the charm of a Marshall Pottery Butter Churn isn't easily matched as you'll soon discover.


Marshall Pottery Butter Churns date back to the late 19th century when W. F. Rocker, a Kentucky native, moved to the East Texas town of Marshall to found Marshall Pottery Works. One of the reasons he chose this part of the country was because it was rich in the two ingredients needed to produce pottery: white clay and water. A man by the name of Sam Ellis bought the company from Rocker years later, expanded its production line and put his family to work making canning jars, crocks, syrup jugs, and of course, Marshall Pottery Butter Churns. Marshall Pottery Butter Churns belong to the family of hand turned pottery. Molding clay from a spinning wheel then firing it in a kiln goes back hundreds of years. Today, the process of making pottery has been modernized and updated with new processes and technologies, but this age-old practice of hand turning pottery is what the company became famous for. Marshall Pottery passed down the tradition of making pottery from master to apprentice and its Marshall Pottery Butter Churn is no exception. Still open to the public and operating out of East Texas today, Marshall Pottery and its skilled artisans are transforming the white clay of the region into treasured heirlooms.


At the height of its use, no one probably thought of a Marshall Pottery Butter Churn as a work of art. They were a simply a necessity in the making of butter, mostly on rural family farms. Churning is the process of shaking up whole mile (or cream) to produce butter. In essence, butter is the fat of milk. From the middle ages until the Industrial Revolution, this was accomplished by placing the milk into a container then agitating it by hand. Many configurations of churns have been used throughout history: end-over-end churns, the barrel churn, and the Scottish churn which employed a plunger, often called a dasher, to be moved vigorously up and down by hand. Like other churns, Marshall Pottery Butter Churns were crafted to physically agitate the cream until it was broken down to form fat or butter grains. Butter was then made from the cream that had been separated and then cooled. The creation of butter was an arduous task, requiring sturdy craftsmanship that Marshall Pottery Butter Churns provided.





By the 1950s and the advent of electricity, the need to make your own butter was pretty much relegated to the pages of history. Large company creameries took over the process, and instead of churning your own butter, now you simply buy it at the local grocery store. But the butter churn's obsolescence is what makes Marshall Pottery Butter Churns such highly prized collectibles. Because they are no longer used in the making of butter, Marshall Pottery Butter Churns are sought after treasures that harkens back to the days of the American pioneer. While some collectibles appeal to the eye, you'll find that Marshall Pottery Butter Churns most definitely appeal to the heart.

VINTAGE BULLARD HARD HATS

Vintage Bullard Hard Hats

The art of collecting is all about finding those rare treasures that catch the eye when a guest enters your home. Vintage Bullard Hard Hats are just such a unique item. Vintage Bullard Hard Hats are like a time capsule that will accent your home and won't go unnoticed. Vintage Bullard Hard Hats make a bold statement and have a rich history that represents a real slice of Americana that will become a savvy collector's most prized possession.

You can trace the history of America's growth as a country with a vintage Bullard Hard Hat. A hundred years ago, the hard hat didn't even exist. The steel helmet Edward Bullard, the founder of Bullard Hard Hats, brought back home after serving in World War I was far more than an interesting keepsake. In fact, his war-time headgear would become the inspiration for a revolution in worker safety. For two decades, starting in 1898 and based out of San Francisco, Edward Bullard's father had been selling his wares to brave men working in gold and copper mines. The miners would wear leather headgear that looked more like caps professional baseball players wear. Obviously, they didn't provide much protection from falling debris. But in 1919, Edward Bullard found inspiration, patenting a “hard boiled hat.” Thus, the Bullard Hard Hat was born. Later that same year, the U.S. Navy asked the Bullard Company to develop protection for shipyard workers. As you can see, vintage Bullard Hard Hats roots run deep.

Bullard Hard Hats also played an important role in the building of one of America's most significant landmarks: San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in 1933. This was the first construction site in America that required all workers to wear hard hats, taking the workplace to new heights of worker safety. Later, in 1938, Bullard designed and manufactured the first aluminum hard hat that would become the benchmark for head protection. In the 1940s, the aluminum construction was replaced by fiberglass. Then in the 1950s and 1960s, Bullard Hard Hats began using thermoplastics which would replace the fiberglass design because the groundbreaking material was less costly and better suited to modern day construction sites. In 1982, Bullard Hard Hats changed again. One of Bullard's major clients, Bechtel Corporation, felt that the hard hats didn't have the proper suspension for often dangerous fieldwork. Bullard Hard Hats introduced a revolutionary new industrial helmet, marking the beginning of a new age in protection and safety. Owning a vintage Bullard Hard Hat will transport your home back in time.

Don't worry; vintage Bullard Hard Hats aren't just a one-size-fits-all collector's item. They are well worth your time to seek out because they often differ from one another, embodying unique and personal touches as well. Many construction workers throughout the years have decorated their hard hats with stickers commemorating job sites and union memberships as well as distinguishing which hard hat belongs to whom. Vintage Bullard Hard Hats have become an iconic image of the American construction worker, with its long, storied history tracing America's transformation into the modern age. Never dull, a treasure hunter will find that vintage Bullard Hard Hats also come in a variety of colors, signifying different roles the person wearing it may have held. The color white is for supervisors. Blue for technical advisors. Red for safety inspectors. Yellow for workmen. Green can signify workers who are new to the job. Having a vintage Bullard Hard Hat on display will set off any room or shelf and quickly become one of your most talked about treasures.