Natalie and Roseville - A Personal Journey

Back in 1984, I went to an antiques show at the local Convention Center. While there, I saw a cute, little, green vase with an Art Deco motif.

It wasn’t very expensive, I think I paid all of about $75 for it, but it turned out to cost me a minor fortune, since it led to a collecting mania which has yet to abate.

The pot was marked Roseville, U.S.A, 751-7. I knew some antique dealers, so I asked if they had ever heard of Roseville. One of them loaned me a book - Sharon and Bob Huxford’s Collector’s Encyclopedia of Roseville Pottery. It didn’t take long to discover that the piece I had brought home was Clemana, circa 1934.

Click on the photo for a larger View


While looking through the book at all of the other lines which Roseville had produced, I found myself saying "Oh, that one’s nice" and "That one sure is pretty." A collector had been born!

Fast forward twenty years -- I now have about 200 pieces of Roseville representing 6 different lines. I have been to the annual Pottery Show and Sale in Zanesville three different times, and have yet to come home empty handed.

Some collectors buy only a particular shape, such as baskets or wallpockets, in any Roseville line. Others specialize in a pattern, attempting to collect all of the shapes in that pattern regardless of color. (Most Roseville lines were produced in three color combinations.)

My own collecting style is to attempt to get every shape in a particular line in a given color. So, I have all 37 shapes in the turquoise color of the Silhouette line, all but two of the shapes made in pink Snowberry, all 13 of the Artwood shapes in the Gray/Burgundy color, etc. Since there were about 150 shapes made in the Pinecone line, I expect to be working on that one for the rest of my life!

I haunt the local auctions and antiques stores, most know me not by name, but rather by what I collect! And then there’s E-Bay—E-Bay has twice produced that last, elusive piece I needed to complete a line. What an awesome resource for a collector - - I no longer have to fly to Ohio - the whole world is in my computer!

My only advice to new Roseville fans is this: Be very careful, because the love of this baked dirt gets under your skin, and your blood starts pumping glaze! On the other hand, you meet some of the nicest people, so, ladies and gentlemen, START YOUR CHECKBOOKS!

This is Natalie - Anyone who has any questions is welcome to jump in and post them. We will try to answer them during the workshop, and, if additional research is needed, we'll let you know that, then come back and post to this thread when we have the answer.

I'm jealous 8>)

Best Books for Roseville

If you can only afford to have one book in your library, the one to have is
Roseville in All Its Splendor, by Jack and Nancy Bomm. The late Jack Bomm obtained permission from the Ohio Historical Society to photograph all of the original Roseville salesmen’s pages. Although a few copies of the pages have appeared elsewhere, Jack and Nancy’s book has all of them. If it was at the Historical Society, it’s in the book. Therefore, these pages are an excellent reference guide to the various shapes made in each line.

Mark Bassett’s book, Introducing Roseville Pottery,
contains some new information which Mark has researched. Some lines are identified in this book which were previously thought to be Roseville. Mark was able to authenticate them. In addition, his shape lists for some lines is the most complete I have ever seen. Bassett has many full color, crisp photos of actual pieces. His reference is excellent for seeing the actual colors and glaze treatments on the various lines. If you can buy two books, this is the second one to get for general information about Roseville. Book value prices are shown for items pictured in the book.

Randy Monsen has authored two books on Roseville. They are called Collector’s Compendium of Roseville Pottery, and there is volume I and II.

Volume I covers Futura, Falline, Earlam, Artcraft, Cosmos and Artwood. Volume II is devoted to Baneda, Cremona, Ferella, Laurel, Montacello and Wincraft. If you collect any one of these lines, Randy offers more in-depth information about who designed the line, the color and glazing process, and the history behind each line. Each book has a price guide included for the covered lines.


Understanding Roseville Pottery - This book, also by author Mark Bassett, contains detailed information about the pottery, its history, and newly discovered information about Roseville, including the historic timeline of the numbering system used on the various lines.

The two original books in my own collection were the Collector’s Encyclopedia of Roseville Pottery, Volumes One and Two by Sharon and Bob Huxford. For a long while, these were the most comprehensive books on Roseville, and they are still useful for seeing certain pieces in actual photographs.

Roseville Pottery for Love or Money by Virginia Hillway Buxton is useful for its list of decorator’s names and ciphers along with a short explanation about some of the artists. This was the first book purporting to show all of the various lines by Roseville. Although the original issue is out of print, there was a revised and updated book issued several years ago, and it may still be available from Tymbre Hill Publishing. The first edition books can sometimes be found at pottery shows, although they command hefty prices due to their historic nature. Buxton rates the lines for value, calling some lines "low" as in low in price, and also rates them for scarcity. My own experience has been that nice pieces in any line are hard to find, and the prices range only from moderately expensive to outrageously expensive.

There are some other books on the market, but for a beginning library, these will be more than enough.

Hi Donaray - Thanks for Joining us. My opinion is that if you're going to sell them, sell them "as is". If they are for your personal collection, then, by all means have them repaired. Professional restoration is somewhat expensive, and won't add enough to the selling price of a piece for you to recoup your investment. Natalie

Thanks, Ginger! Good to see you here!

Natalie is correct actually.
There are so few pottery repair artists that it is expensive and difficult.

I have sold any with chips right here on eBay and did very well