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......

It was a long day....

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We had the opportunity to pick up some Hycroft pieces recently, now we usually pass up on almost every Hycroft piece we see just because they are quite plentiful and we had to decide what we really wanted to collect.  But in this case there were several very unique pieces that we had never seen before and a couple we had seen photos of but never seen for sale. 

So I went for a drive, picked my Dad up along the way and went for a road trip.  Some of the pieces we brought home are one of a kind made by an employee of the factory and are marked with a family name.  What was really quite interesting was to get the history of the pieces from the son explaining what they were, about when they were made and the personal significance behind the piece.  They stated that they "broke lots of plates" on Saturdays going to the factory.

 

We have not finished researching and determining which company made some of the pieces but it is very interesting trying to track down where they were made.

And a couple new teapots.......I love the teapots!!

And the Search Continues.....

One Vase....Two Vase....Same Vase

The fun we have had so far this summer!!!!  In May we had a friend stop for a quick visit and drop off a couple of pieces of Medalta that he had for us and what beauties they are!

Then in June more friends stopped in for iced tea and a visit and had a couple more boxes of Medalta for us.  The people we have met along way have become friends and it is so enjoyable to sit and share stories and the history behind the pieces.  We did find a few very special pieces that we will share on another blog sometime in the future.          

In today's blog we have vase #61, Egypto according to "Know Your Medalta Vases" it was made around 1935-?.  There are 2 glazed vases in different colors and one that is cold painted.  Don't they look different?? The black painted Egypto is so dramatic and is a pleasure to look at.

The second vase is a #71 and again there are different finishes and in this vase there are a couple different sizes.  This vase, according to "Know Your Medalta Vases" was made about 1936-? and was made in 4, 6 and 8 inch sizes.  We have some with handles on and some without handles, some glazed and one cold painted.  Once again the black cold painted one is beautiful in every way.

When you have finished reading this blog, please leave us a little comment just so we have some idea who if anyone is reading the blog.  If there is something you have seen and would like more photos of in a blog post just let us know and we can certainly do that.

Once again the joy is in the people we meet along the way and the things we learn.  So many people have been so willing to share the wealth of information they have collected and for someone like us that have not been collecting for very many years it has been invaluable!

 











And the Search Continues....