Rooster Plate - Made in California | ||
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Posted 7 years ago
ho2cultcha
(5051 items)
but by who??? a mystery california plate with a very nice Rooster handpainted on it. there were a few of these for sale at my favorite junk shop. the others were 10 each, but this one was a dollar because of a couple little issues. i want to know who made it before i shell out $10 for a california plate.
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Perhaps Metlox? Search “Metlox rooster plate” and see what you think. I see a lot of similarities to their Poppytrail dinnerware line, the rooster looks slightly different (no raised leg) and there’s no edge decoration on your plate. You mention “hand painted”, do all the plates decorations differ slightly? Pretty sure Metlox used decal designs on their dinnerware line. Perhaps your plates predated the production line of dinnerware?
I have puzzled over this mark for years and really have no definitive answer. It is usually seen on monochrome coupe shape plates and platters. This pattern is clearly a derivative from the Metlox pattern but it is not Metlox. I have long felt this mark was associated somehow with Haldeman but I have no verification.
It looks a lot like Orchard Ware hand decorated California Rooster Country, but it could be a jobber line for a department store, by Metlox, or another company, because the Red Rooster pattern was so popular at that time. I have several of these, and never really knew who made it. Roosters, and chickens are always good wall hangers though! :^)
i found the info. This plate is an early Metlox plate - unofficially called the 'skinny rooster'. it might be decal - i don't know because i have only one of them.
the other metlox roosters were based on this one.
The Metlox rooster was designed by Mel Shaw and unchanged for its thirty year production run. Aside from the previously mentioned raised leg, the colors on this rooster are rearranged from the Metlox design indicating, to me, this was not likely done by Metlox. As you might infer from the thirty year run, this was a tremendously successful line for Metlox and it inspired many imitators (example - the mentioned "Orchard Ware" by California Ceramics). Also, Metlox was rather meticulous about marking their items and almost everything has at least a shape number. Every plate I have seen has had a full backstamp with the company and pattern names included. "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Metlox Potteries" by Carl Gibbs, Jr. has no mention of this vague mark or of your mentioned design development. As I've said a couple times, this was (and still is) an appealing design for a long time, so as a plate or wall decoration it is every bit as valid as a piece of Metlox but I'm going to need further convincing to believe this was made by them.
OK here's a link to a Metlox Skinny Rooster platter for sale on Ebay, the Metlox mark is there and apparently made for A & P Markets:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/VTG-Rare-Metlox-Poppytrail-Premium-Skinny-Rooster-California-Pottery-Platter/232613539454?hash=item3628d8ee7e:g:VV0AAOSwiONYO6mD
Great job Pete, and one to mark in your Metlox book, like I have artfoot! :^)
You can mark this one solved to Pete! :^D Thanks for posting this, and for all of us, but mainly you Pete(ho2cultcha), for solving it too! :^)
Admittedly I've been out of the loop for a while so I won't rule out this information but I wish they would have pictured the backstamp. Thanks Bill.
I have always been fixated on identifying markings. A quick check with the folks at metloxnuts.com seemed to imply they were also ambivalent about this "Made in California" mark. It could be that there were more than one supplier of A&P premiums. http://www.metloxnuts.com/other.html
artfoot, the ebay link that I posted has a photo of the bottom of the platter with the Metlox mark, so for me that's it! :^D
Did you talk to Metlox Nuts, or go to the site, because the site is 10yrs past last update, someone should have this info. Jack Chipman, the author California Pottery, has been doing his artwork, and less into the books anymore, so I don't know, maybe CW knows! :^)
Sorry (artfoot)Harry, it's hard for me to remember everyone's name! :^)
Here's one more link to Replacements.com :
https://www.replacements.com/webquote/metmet11.htm
Listed as met11, in their Metlox Patterns section! :^)
Thanks again Bill - This time Replacements doesn't show the backstamp but I rechecked the first link and this time it loaded a nice, round Metlox backstamp. I'm willing to accept that Pete's plate may have been made by Metlox. I'm hoping that it was. Like I said, I like the marks and if this proves to be Metlox it will answer a question I've had for years. I think I need to see what I can find out about A&P premiums.
You are very welcome Harry! :^D I was able to find a selection of pieces in this Metlox pattern, on different Pinterest pages, and might post them together, on my CW page, with a little information about them. I'll work on it, and post it when I get it all put together! :^)
Here's a link to the post that I promised! :^D
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/242495-a-selection-of-vintage-metlox-pottery-s?in=activity#comment-1135028
Thanks Pete for posting this Skinny Rooster plate, and I hope my post helps, Harry! :^)