I have a passion for Watt Pottery {more specifically the apple design}. I have loved this pottery for many years. When I was little, my Mom owned a bowl with the apple design. I remember that I always liked that bowl!
One day, I ran across some of this pottery at an antique shop and was stunned to see that the very bowl was tagged at $175! Of course, as soon as I got home, I called my Mom on the phone. When I described it to her, she immediately knew which bowl I was referring to. She also informed me that she thought it had gotten broken years ago. Oh, I was so sad! Then to my surprise, a few years later I was on one of my junking jaunts when I ran across a bowl in the apple design for $15.00. It had a small crack on the bottom, but not noticeable when sitting on my shelf, so it didn't bother me!!
At that time, I decided to do some digging into the history of Watt pottery, and this is what I found out...
The Watt Pottery Company was owned and operated by W.J. Watt and his family. Located in Crooksville, Ohio, they began in 1922 until 1965 {the year I was born} when there was a devastating fire. This ended the production of their pottery.
Here are the different handpainted patterns that were produced...
Starflower: 1951
Apple: 1952
Cherry: 1952
Silhouette: 1953
Rooster: 1955
Dutch Tulip: 1956
Tear Drop/American Red Bud: 1957
Morning Glory: 1958
Autumn Foliage: 1959
Double Apple: 1959
Tulip: 1961
During these years, many merchants would purchase the pottery as sales promotions having their company name on them. This was very popular advertising up into the 50's and early 60's. It was a very competitive market between the Watt Pottery Co., Western Stoneware Co., Red Wing Stoneware Co., and other midwest potteries.
Today, Watt Pottery can be found in a range of prices, making it affordable for most people to collect. However, as much as I love them, I am not willing to pay a lot for the pieces. I only had that one piece of Watt pottery so you couldn't really call it a collection...not until a few months ago...
At one of our Bunco nights, we were enjoying the evening at one of our babe's house. When I first walked into her kitchen, guess what I spotted...not a piece or two of Watt pottery...but a collection of Watt pottery....and YES...in the APPLE DESIGN! O*M*G I inquired as to where she found her pieces, and she informed me from a friend that was getting rid of her pieces. I almost hit the floor when she told me she $5-$10 a piece. What??? Watt??? Just as I was wishing I could find a deal like that, she said, "Oh, she has more if you are interested.". What??? Watt??? It took me all of two seconds to scream, "YESSSS!" And so, I now have 4 more pieces, all found at a ridiculously low price!
So, there you have it on the history of Watt Pottery, as well as, my personal story of how my collection came to be. Do you collect this kind of pottery? If so, what's your favorite design?
Sweet Apple Blessings,
Rebecca
3 comments:
Rebecca, I love your Watt story... was familiar with Crooksville pottery (but not Watt). This apple design is beautiful in its own simplicity... reminds one of times when things we much less complicated. You must be thrilled that you found several more pieces at a fabulous price! Sounds like this was "meant to be" your collection. :)
What a lovely story-I really enjoyed reading about how you came to love this pattern and I'm so glad you found several pieces very reasonably!
yes, my daughter in law inherited some Watt pieces and she had no idea what she had. I told her to take very good care of them. Around here they are quite expensive. So glad you found some pieces at a great price. :)
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