Merry Christmas One and All...

Another year has almost come to an end and I am sure most of us are celebrating Christmas with friends and family.  Growing up my family owned a small business and I remember my Dad looking at things to hand out to customers at Christmas, this would start in about September in order to get them in time.  Some years it was pens or calendars other years it was hats or ashtrays but there was always something to give away.



I am sure these cake plates were also made to give away to customers at Christmas.

Beginning in 1929 and continuing through to 1939, Toshach’s gave an advertising item to each of the families in and around Drumheller.  Each fall, in time for Christmas, his children helped deliver the premium to the door of his many customers.  I do not know what all the gifts were, or even if they were all pottery pieces, but most were.  Some were made by British firms including a bowl and a calendar plate, but Medalta made a good number of them.  




These included: 2-pint ship shape pitcher with scene of coal tipple for 1934; teapot with Toshach’s shoes slogan for 1935, 

mixing bowl shoes slogan for 1938; and, the diamond- shaped pitcher for 1939.

Medicine Hat Potteries produced a few with Season's Greetings such as the S.E. Gust store pitcher 

From our home to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2018, may you have good hunting and find many treasures!

The last word is a song by The Hunter Brothers from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.

And the search continues.........

(This blog has information on the items produced by Medalta.  The information is copied with the permission of the writer.  The photos are from our own private collection. )

Itty Bitty.......

This blog has information on the miniatures produced by Medalta.  The information is copied with the permission of the writer.

The photos are from our own private collection.  I have only included the information for the pieces that we have in our collection so as to show a photo of each piece.

Medalta had a long history of producing miniatures, starting at least in the early 1920’s and going right through until the plant closed in 1954.   Some have claimed that the miniatures were salesmen’s samples but, if so, there is no mention of the practise in any of the Medalta papers.  We do know that Medalta used its miniatures to promote the plant, giving them away to people visiting the plant and selling them as souvenirs to those that wished them, Many of the miniatures are marked with a Medalta stamp on the side or with the phrase “Compliments of….”





It just might be that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Devonshire and Governor General Lord Bung of Vimmy all received a miniature crock or churn when they visited the plant in 1919. Perhaps somewhere in an English museum, or perhaps even the Royal collection itself,
lies one of these little miniatures!






In total, Medalta made seven different miniatures.  All but the miniature Fez were used to promote the plant, while the story for the fez is that it was made to give to the delegates of a Shrine convention held in Medicine Hat in 1949.

The seven different pieces are listed below, along with their size and the approximate number of each recorded so far. Item size # seen   
                                                       churn 3.5 to 3.75" high                    8 
                                                       chamber pot 1.38 to 1.5" high         13
                                                       butter crock 1.5"  high                     1 
                                                       crock 2.5" high                                14 
                                                       shouldered jug 3.75 to 4.0" high     54 
                                                       round top jug 3.38" high                 1 
                                                       saki cup 1.5" high                           1
                                                       fez 1.13  high                                   5


Churn

The  churn is perhaps the most prized of the miniatures, not only because it is early and hard to find, but also because of its graceful shape.  As to its date range, it is my guess that it was not made for many years, probably no later than 1930.

Chamber Pot

The chamber pot appears to have had a fairly lengthy period of production from about 1920 to at least the war but even so it is fairly hard to find.  The advertizing samples which have been seen include ones named to the Grand Council U.C.T. (also found on a jug), Marshall’s Books (located in Medicine Hat) and the Belleville Pottery Company in Ontario.  I do not know the date of the Marshall’s miniature but the other three were ordered in the second half of the 1920s.  The reason for extending the production date to the war years is that a letter dated April 1940 mentions the miniature chamber referring to it as a “pispot.”

 Saki Cup or Unhandled Chamber Pot

Once again I have recorded only one sample so therefore I cannot say much about it. It was marked on the bottom  with stamp no. G.14 and it was a dark wine in colour.  It likely dates around 1940 and perhaps it was intended to be used as a saki or Chinese tea cup.

Fez

The miniature fez or Shriner’s hat was likely a special order made only for the 1949 Shrine convention held in Medicine Hat. It was chosen as a memento of that occasion due to one of Medalta’s senior staff members being an active Shriner.

Shouldered Jug

After the pottery changed hands in 1924, with the name changing to Medalta Potteries Ltd., miniatures started to be

produced for anyone requesting them.  You can find orders for jugs placed by the I.O.O.F, National Hotel, Charles Baker, Grand Council - U.C.T. and the Athabasca Hotel (2 varieties Get the Broom & a bear design).

Some of the largest orders for miniature jugs during the mid to late 1920’s were placed by the Medicine Hat Pottery Company in Toronto.  They were the agents/distributors for Medalta’s products in the Toronto area from around 1925 to 1938.  The similarity in name to the pottery located in Medicine Hat led many collectors to pass on the opportunity of acquiring one of these jugs as they did not realize they were made by Medalta.  You can find the Medicine Hat Pottery Co. jugs with 2 different Toronto addresses and a variety of different layouts.  So far I have recorded at least four different varieties.

There is not much evidence of jug orders from 1934 to 1947, but in the late 1940s and early 1950s Medalta started making them again.  By this time Medalta was using its white burning clay rather than its grey stoneware clay.  The samples you can find include the Never Drink Water scene (a boy urinating into a pond) and the Cattle Country (saddle) and Mountain Trails (white-tailed deer) series.  In these series dating to the early 1950s, the miniature jugs were used as vinegar holders.

As a new collector it very exciting to find our first miniature piece to add to our collection.  We still have a few pieces to add in order to one of each of the miniatures produced by Medalta but the shelf is starting to fill up, the good thing is that they are small so the shelf will hold many of them.

Like always the fun is in the stories we hear and the people we meet.

And the search continues....

Baby Sleigh, Donkey, Deer and More

This blog has information on the planters produced by Medalta.  The information is copied with the permission of the writer.

The photos are from our own private collection.

Whether it was Medalta or Medicine Hat Potteries that first came out with the animal and bird shaped planters may never be known, as the records from both companies are too few and far between. The majority of the Medicine Hat Potteries' records are still missing (the Friends of Medalta Society have a few but they take up less than two lineal feet) and the Medalta records are all but missing for 1938 and 1939 when these figurines first appeared which was also the formative years of MHP as most of you know.  I suspect that it was MHP which led the way, forcing Medalta to quickly follow suit, but admittedly I have no proof to offer at present other than to wonder why they were not introduced earlier if it was Medalta's own idea. This article is about Medalta's figurines only as I do not have the space to illustrate the products of the other companies at this time. The competition's products will have to be shown in a future issue but for the record Alberta Potteries (Yuill) made a rabbit which was very similar to Medalta's, and Medicine Hat Potteries made two different elephants, a dog, a monkey and a leaping rabbit.  Medalta made seven figurine planters in total including a swan, shoe, baby sleigh, rabbit, donkey, elephant and deer. My definition of a figurine planter, by the way, is a piece with an opening large enough to take a small plant such as a cactus or perhaps a violet.  Solid figurines such as the buffalo shown under Hall's Auction will be examined separately sometime in the future What was the sequence in introducing the planters?  The swan apparently was the first 'animal' shaped planter introduced by Medalta. According to Ed Phillipson, he introduced it in 1938, and if you have a copy of the reprinted Medalta 1939 catalogue you will find it illustrated there on page 9. While I am not positive that the shoe was next, I suspect that it was. Regretfully I never asked Phillipson about it, and the notes from the Medalta papers are mute on when it was introduced. However, my guess is that it was introduced around the same time as the swan, and the Medalta stamp found on many of the specimens supports an introduction date of 1938 or 1939. The baby sleigh planter likely came next as we can date it firmly to the period when Medalta took over the P.I.E. vase moulds (Provincial Industrial Enterprises) in late 1939 or early 1940.  Next came the rabbit, donkey, elephant and deer shaped planters assigned style numbers 123 to 126 respectively. Only a few of the Medalta letters mention the figurine planters but they, coupled with style numbers higher than 126, show that the 123 to 126 series were available by 1941.  I believe that they were introduced in late 1940 or early 1941.  One reference that I have dated April 8, 1941, mentions bunnies and donkeys being in the kiln, so we know that they were designed by that time. You usually find the figurines finished in solid glaze colours, but some have been recorded in variegated glazes and the swan can be found in a matt lacquer finish.  For the record, I have recorded the following colours but I am sure that many of you will have colours not listed here.

• Swan, no style # (about 7" long x 5.25" high): glossy white, matt white and turquoise blue, beak and head may be accented in yellow and black 






• Shoe, no style # (about 6.25" long x 3" high): white, medium blue, turquoise blue, marbled orangebrown/cream, pink and maroon 








• Baby Sleigh, style # 89 (about 6.75" long x 6" high): pink, white, cream, turquoise blue and pinkish-mauve 








• Rabbit, style # 123 (about 8.25" long x 3" high): light blue, turquoise blue, white, pink, pale yellow and cream 






• Donkey, style # 124 (about 6.25" long x 7" high): grey, cream, turquoise blue and white, eyes and mouth may be accented in red and/or black 











• Elephant, style # 125 (about 7" long x 5.5" high): pink, white, blue and marbled blue/browns 







• Deer, style # 126 (about 7.5" long x 6" high): grey, cream, yellow, white, turquoise blue, white, pink and pale yellow 






One last comment that I would like to pass along is that the shoe planter came in pairs, but for what it is worth I have great difficulty seeing the difference.

I have included the information for the swan and the rabbit without a photo, currently the swans we have are Medalta 1966 and the rabbit we have is not marked.

And the search continues......

Monkeys, Cats, Elephants and more......

Today's blog is information copied with permission of the writer.

The photos of figurine, planters, vases shown here are Medicine Hat Potteries and all have the "Little Chief" stamp.



C-104 Monkey vase. The monkey with a silly grin on his face and one hand above his head stands about 53/4" high x 7" long. The C- number has not yet been recorded on any specimens.






C-105 Horn and Hoof vase. I was advised that this vase was designed by Jack Fuller (see newsletter no. 8 for some information about Fuller) but, if his signature is anywhere on the piece, I cannot find it.  It stands about 81/4" high and is usually glazed in brown & cream tones, oftentimes a very dark brown. The C- number has not been observed on any specimens.







 This leaf shaped vase with a berry-like cluster at the top is about 91/2" high x 41/4" wide. There is another vase with just the number 107 impressed in the back (the one on the right in this picture) and my guess is that it is later in date, perhaps coming out after the Great War and perhaps replacing the earlier design.  This wall vase measures 101/2" high x 51/2" wide.  Its colour range is somewhat wider as I have recorded two tone glazes and a speckled grayish-purple glaze.





C-110 Streamlined Hare vase.  While no examples have been found where the Cnumber is impressed in the item, there can be no mistaking this vase with any other.  In the past I have referred to this item as the leaping rabbit planter but now we know what MHP called it.  It stands about 41/4" high and is about 93/4" long.




C-103 Cat vase.  This figurine planter is quite stylized for a cat with its relatively long face. I, and other collectors, have always referred to it as the dog shaped planter. We probably thought of it that way due to its face and relatively short stubby tail. It measures about 61/4" high x about 6" long.  The C- number has not yet been recorded on any examples.

C-102 Elephant vase. MHP actually made two styles of elephant planters, one standing upright and the other standing on all fours.  At present I do not know which one was assigned this style number. The upright elephant stands about 7" high while the one standing on all four feet is about 51/4" high x 8" long.  Neither style has been found with the Cnumber on it. The vertical elephant, with his front legs behind his back, is quite tippy and I suspect that most specimens got broken.  It is certainly ten times harder to find than the one standing on all fours.



C-108 Modernistic floral vase.  This vase with a squarish base and stepped flower holders expanding to the top measures about 83/4" high x 43/4" wide.  Some specimens have the number "108" impressed in the back but not all do and, even though there is no Cprefix, I think this is the correct identification.  A similar vase, but a wall one, is also found and like so many of MHP vases it has no number on it





There are a couple others listed as well but as I did not have photos of them so at some point I will include them on another blog.  Like everyone I have a couple of favorites....I love the monkey and the upright elephant.  The monkey just looks like fun and the upright elephant makes me think of a Disney animated movie!!

And the search continues......

Fishing and Pottery

Another adventure is in the memory bank for this year!


We had a "bucket list" vacation this year and can not wait to go back and do it again.

Our road trip started with us watching the highways to make sure they did not get closed because of forest fires before we got to where we wanted to be at the end of the day.  We took our time and drove down through southern Alberta and British Columbia all the way to the end of this great country we call Canada. 

Of course we made some stops along the way to look for pottery and we did find a few pieces that we brought home.  We stopped and visited some friends along the way and shared some stories, poked around in little places that caught our eye to see what we could find and talked with lots of friendly folks along the way.

We took the ferry across to Vancouver Island and explored a little bit.  It is sad to see that all the little antique stores are closing.  Three years ago we were on Vancouver Island and in one small town there were 3 antique stores and this summer the last one was closing so there will be none.  Technology and the internet have been hard on some of those small businesses, the world is at our finger tips and I don't think anyone realized how hard it would be on some of the small businesses like the antique stores. 

Our next stop was the west coast of Vancouver Island in the community of Ucluelet where we spent a couple days on the ocean fishing.  What amazing days those were!  The scenery was breathtaking, the fishing was awesome, the company was the best  and we can't wait to do it again.

 So on this trip I think the fishing adventure was the highlight, we added a few more really nice pieces to our collection but it was definitely the days on the ocean that we will remember forever!


And the Search Continues....

Another Adventure is in the Memory Bank....

We are home from another adventure........

He had a "bucket list" adventure checked off the list and I am not sure who had more fun him or her!!!

We drove out to Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island in search of a mighty Chinook Salmon and we found them!  




We had a leisurely drive to get to Vancouver with frequent stops to treasure hunt along the way.  We saw mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, orchards, vineyards and a whole lot of very dry landscape along the way. 

We had a short visit with some friends in the Okanogan and a quick visit with a special auntie and uncle before heading to the ferry.  We had a visit with another friend on the island did a little treasure hunting and then we followed the windy road to Ucluelet to find the treasure at the end of the trail.
















The real treasure hunt on this road trip was found in the time spent together in the deep blue sea on a big boat with some sharp hooks and the gentle sway of the ocean.

 There will be another blog with photos of some of treasures we came home with but for now the long fast drive home has us sitting and relaxing for a few days before returning to real life.




The search continues......