American Made and Loved, Vintage Homer Laughlin China

Image by chloeev via Flickr

I wanted to write about one of my favorite dinnerware makers and I thought about what I really liked about Homer Laughlin. I think the first thing that comes to my mind, is the fact..Homer Laughlin quality in their Vintage China rivals some of the oldest china and porcelain makers in the World.  Their quality, workmanship, and decor is as collectible today as some of the finest you can find from the celebrated English, German and Japan wares.

I first wrote about Homer Laughlin back in 2008 in my store blog at www.DreiKatzenMedia.com as one of my favorite makers. A little about Homer Laughlin:

Welcome to a Homer Laughlin Lover’s world! When I first laid eyes on Homer Laughlin china, I knew it would be a forever affair. Homer Laughlin china and pottery really stands out when you find it in estate, garage and flea market sales. Their patterns, quality of their ceramic and overall collectability stand way out above the rest of the other china makers. There are thousands of collectors around the world of Homer Laughlin pottery.

One of the most famous patterns of theirs that immediately come to mind is Fiesta. Fiesta is still a very highly collectible pottery and all indicators are that it will be for generations to come! But Fiesta ware is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. There are literally hundreds of patterns. Another very highly collectible vintage pattern is Eggshell Nautilus, especially the square shape plates. The Homer Laughlin makers were definately ahead of their time in thinking about future owners and collectors of their dinnerware. In the very beginning they came up with a way of dating and tracking each item back to the original factory where it was made. This was at a time when most factories were just marking their items with USA as a makers mark. Many of these items are just ‘unknown’ makers today. With Homer Laughlin marking their items so well we are able to date each piece, sometimes not only to just a year, but to a month of when it was made.

www.hlcca.org There are several charts available to use for reference. Kovell’s has a good one available in their China & Pottery Marks book. To get an idea of how to figure the year of your Homer Laughlin china, check out this site: http://www.mygrannysatticantiques.com/html/homer_laughlin_china.html Also, for more reference on Homer Laughlin, go to the Homer Laughlin Collector’s club: www.hlcca.org You can also read more history of the company from the Homer Laughlin web site: www.homerlaughlin.com You can also find more Homer Laughlin dinnerware and collectibles for sale in my eBay store: Drei Katzen Media Have fun learning and collecting!

Presently I have their Eggshell Georgian Patterns up for bid on eBay – Cashmere and Countess. These patterns are very similar to each other and sometimes will fool even the most ardent collector if mixed together in a lot, which they usually are.  People who started out with one pattern, may not have found the item they were seeking in it and purchased the piece in the other pattern. Sometimes without even knowing!

These patterns were Homer Laughlin’s answer to the Continental pattern ‘Spring Garden’.  If you have studied vintage dinnerware patterns, this one will come to mind.  It is a floral pattern of pink roses, has a light green band that goes up to the center verge line of the plates.  Several countries had their own pattern of ‘Spring Garden’ and today you will find collections with pieces from nearly all countries!

If you would like to know more about this wonderful maker of china, I encourage you to go to www.hlchina.com

You will find their new lines of china as well as a history of the company.  Please remember, the outlook for Homer Laughlin china is very good in the collectors market. Known for high collectibility, you will not go wrong starting a collection of this quality china for your family!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fiesta 24 Ounce Gusto Bowl Turquoise – Gusto Bowls.pdf (slideshare.net)
• Treasures: Plates as American as apple pie (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Porcelain and Pottery Keep Collectors Spellbound (nytimes.com)
• Dinnerware That’s Taking It To The Streets (apartmenttherapy.com)

Advertisement