The Speckled Hen Cottage

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Could this be the tale of a collection renewed?

I've collected Ye Old Curiosity Shop, green transfer-ware dishes, by Royal, forever! My goal was to always find a tea pot. Well, about 10 years ago that happened. And five years ago I boxed everything up and put it in the garage. Why, you ask? Because I had met my goal. And I was ready for a change. That's about the time my new obsession started, white, English ironstone.

Then the other day when I was out junking and I found these four luncheon plates and a large serving platter. Now I could have the serving platter stored away...don't know...but the price was right and the heart strings tugged and pulled until I put all five pieces into the cart. And yes, I had that exact same platter...so now I have TWO! $3.60 was a small price to pay, there's no going back later and finding them still on the shelf.

12" Round Chop Platter

I have seen pictures of these luncheon plates on the net and in books but, never seen them in real time however. And what a thrill to hold and see it for the first time! The scenes are based on the writings of Charles Dickens. After all of these years I'm still enthralled when looking at one of the pieces, especially the ones with people in the scene.

Luncheon plate~~~

12" Serving platter~~~

Aren't they gorgeous??? Has my old collection come back???

Well, It never really totally left, that prized tea pot, a salt and pepper set, butter plate (no cover) and a couple of serving pieces have remained out in my kitchen corner cabinet. It took way to long to find that tea pot so it isn't getting boxed up this century.

I remember my mom getting these dishes when she got groceries at Safeway's. That was waaaay back in the late 50's maybe very early 60's. Some of the pieces were give-aways (coffee cups & saucers, small desert plates and small fruit bowls, you'll find an abundance of these pieces) with the purchase of groceries.

Other pieces were an additional price plus groceries. She had enough dinner plates for about 12 or more people (when all gathered we had a very large family). Mainly, her pieces were just the dinner service. I don't believe she had any soup bowls or serving pieces. Then one day that very same corner cabinet toppled over and all but a few pieces were broken.

Those intact pieces are what started my collection, I squirreled them away in my hope chest. Shortly after I got married in 1972, I went into the old H & H Furniture store, turned to the rafters junk shop and in a glass display case that held a little bit of everything I found soup and fruit bowls, dinner plates, bread and butter plates, coffee cups and saucers, and one prized vegetable bowl. I don't remember the exact amount of pieces, but it was a lot. The owner was asking about $50.00 for everything. And believe it or not I put them on lay-away, paid a little every month for three long months. When I got to bring them home I took in my own boxes and newspaper to wrap them in. The owner commented "that I was sure particular about those dishes" and left me to it.

Cereal Bowl

9" Vegetable Bowl

Like a lot of collectors I got obsessive about it so I wanted a dinner service for at least 12. And every serving piece I could find. Mostly I built my collection a piece at a time. I would add a piece or two every few months. And then every couple years I would go through and sort out any chipped ones...if I had reached the prerequisite 12.

I once bought a stack of 5 soup bowls at a garage sale to happily discover when I got home that two were actually the 9" serving bowls. My salt and pepper shakers came from an antique store in Canyonville, Oregon...there must have been a hundred different shakers on that small table. My butter underplate I got over 20 years ago in Drain, Oregon at the Painted Lady Antiques, a beautiful old Victorian home turned antique shop .

And on the rare occasions, I would buy a crazy amount of pieces I already had to many of just to obtain a prized piece. Like the time when I finally found the tea pot. One day I walked into my favorite antiques mall and lo and behold there on the shelf was a hodge podge of pieces...including the tea pot!!! The price for all 20 pieces (which included a half dozen dinner plates in pristine condition) was~~~ $65.00. I couldn't buy them fast enough, unfortunately, the lady who had the booth, set them out (didn't officially price them) and went to lunch. I waited by those dishes for over an hour until she returned. I would have waited all night!!!

Teapot Lid

I was at the point of admitting defeat of ever finding one without having to buy a extremely large set. All I really needed at that point was that gosh darn tea pot. They ran about $200.00 back then online...a serious purchase, but most of all I wanted to "find" it!!! And there it was in all it's glory!

The characteristic hinge and pull that adorn the rim of each piece~~~

They have a beautiful back stamp~~~Probably where I got my love of pottery back stamps!!!

The above pattern from Royal is different but very similar pattern and is often confused with and intermixed with the Old Curiosity Shop pattern as it is the same green. Notice that the edge design has old farm implements.

Did you know they made this pattern in "pink". I found this creamer at a junk store in Drain, Oregon. Of course I had to have it for my green collection!

Am I going out to the garage and lug those boxes in and unpack them??? Maybe, thinking on it. I use to use them on special occasions...the grand kiddo's would love using them now~~~but alas, not today!

I've also discovered a few more pieces I could add. The following pictures are from this link http://www.replacements.com/webquote/rylolcsg.htm

I don't have these lugged cereal bowls~~~but oh how I wish I did! Way cool coffee mug~~~

This covered casserole with the lock and keys has lots of appeal...totally need it!

No set would be complete without an OVAL platter~~~

Gravy boat with lugged underplate ....love this!!! Do you think it's worth the $125.00 to get both pieces? I would love to "find" it but I might have to concede on this one.