Small packages lead to good things

Good things, it is said, come in small packages. That's certainly the case with the two small art pottery vases readers ask about in today's What's It Worth.

Q. This little pottery vase was our grandfather's. It measures about 4 inches tall and is brown in color. It has eight sides and on the bottom is what appears to be a stamped mark of the letter "R." Can you tell us what this is? -- Chris and Dean in Walla Walla

A. What you have is a small "cabinet vase" made by the Roseville Pottery of Roseville, Ohio.

Roseville is widely collected today and very popular. Most of what is seen in the marketplace is from the company's later product lines, primarily with multicolor floral decorations.

Your vase is from the 1920s and is the brown colorway of Roseville's "Hexagon" pattern. Hexagon was made in all sorts of forms and sizes and in at least four different glaze colors. Brown, like this one, and green are most commonly seen.

The line also was produced in blue and black, both of which are harder to find. Blue seems most popular with collectors; like most thing in the world of antiques and collectibles. Collectors just like the color blue and something that is blue usually commands a premium price compared to an identical item in another colors.

Author Mark Moran includes several pages of Hexagon items in his book Roseville Pottery (2004, Krause Publications). He says the line was introduced in 1924. That was at the midpoint of the firm's production; Roseville was in business from 1892 until 1954.

Moran calls the Hexagon pattern an "Arts & Crafts inspired shape," recalling the design sensibilities of William Morris and John Ruskin, the Englishmen who lead the movement to popularity in the late 1800s.

This small piece is in the "art pottery" category. If perfect, you'd find it priced in a shop at between $200 and $250.

Q. I just fell in love with this tiny vase when we were at an antique show last summer. It's a deep blue with a light green interior and measures about 31/4 inches across the widest place. It probably doesn't show in the photo, but just below the rim, written in gold lettering is the name John D. Kendall. On the bottom, there is a stamped mark that reads "Smith Potteries, Oshawa, Canada." I only paid $3 for this, but I haven't been able to find out anything about either Mr. Kendall or the company. Can you help? Thanks in advance. -- Leonna in Kennewick

A. Your small art pottery vase is a beauty -- and a puzzler.

Most Americans don't realize there is a long tradition of pottery-making in Canada. From the Atlantic Provinces to the West Coast, there have been hundreds of large and small companies over the years.

Quite a bit of Canadian production is seen in our region, since we're a relatively short distance from the border. Most commonly found by collectors in eastern Washington are works from the many stoneware firms that made crocks, jugs and other utilitarian items in and around Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Work by such companies as Blue Mountain, Laurentian Art Pottery and Rainbow Pottery also are often found in Washington and Oregon.

The Province of Ontario, particularly the region around Toronto, has long been a center for Canadian pottery manufacturing. Oshawa, where this pot was made, is about 25 miles east of Toronto. Today, there still are a number of studio potters and small firms active there.

The history of who, what and exactly where the Smith Potteries were seems to be lost to us today. We could not find a single reference to the firm. We uncovered no information about Kendall, either.

This is an item where some assumptions have to be made and "best guesses" put forward.

From the design of your pretty little piece and the wear that was evident when we were able to inspect it, our best guess it was made some time "between the wars," as dealers say. That is, in the period between World War I and World War II; about 1915-45.

It is an attractive item, quite well crafted and has an "Arts & Crafts" look about it. Valuation is difficult without being able to reference sales of other, similar Smith Pottery items, but I'd say it was worth at least $25.

If other readers have encountered Smith Pottery pieces from Oshawa, we'd sure like to hear from you!

w Terry Maurer, a Tri-Cities personal property appraiser and antiques dealer, is a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. You may submit your antiques and collectible questions to What's It Worth by e-mail to whatsitworth@@clearwire.net