CUPBOARD LOVE

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/03/2011 (5469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buyers beware.

Last month, the Red Wing Collectors Society warned people to be on the lookout for counterfeit pottery. Crocks that are crocks, if you will. (One of the items mentioned on the RWCS’s list of must-to-avoids is marked “Hudson’s Bay Co., Winnipeg.”)

“The problem isn’t incredibly widespread, but it’s certainly something to be aware of,” says Rick Natynski, editor of the organization’s bi-monthly newsletter. “Fakes have been around for 20 years or so, but they’ve only been showing up more frequently within the past five (years).”

Why the sudden influx of phony flagons? Maybe it’s because opportunists discovered ‘thar’s gold in them thar hills,’ after somebody paid a whopping $67,500 for an über-rare, 110-year-old Red Wing jug in 2007. “It’s not uncommon for high-end, one-of-a-kind pieces to reach into the $20,000 range,” Natynski says, from his home in Pewaukee, Wis. “That being said, nice, desirable pieces can still be picked up for a few hundred dollars.”

Quick history lesson: In 1861, natural clay deposits were discovered on the banks of the Mississippi River near Red Wing, Minn. Within 20 years, the Red Wing Stoneware Company had become North America’s leading supplier of utilitarian objects like pots and churns. Production continued under a variety of names until 1967, when Red Wing Potteries, Inc., ceased operations.

The Red Wing Collectors Society was formed 10 years later. It currently has over 4,000 members, spread throughout Canada and the United States.

Here’s a situation you rarely see on home improvement shows like Divine Design or Color Splash. When Winnipegger Kelly Wilson moved into a new home five years ago, he was faced with a decorating dilemma: what to do with two metres of empty space that stretched from the top of his kitchen cupboards to that room’s cathedral ceiling.

“Yeah, that gap… is how this all started,” Wilson says, “this” being the dozens of Red Wing crocks, jugs and pots that have since spilled off of his cupboards and into his rec room. (Although Wilson wouldn’t dream of using his collectibles for their intended purpose — preserving food — they don’t just sit there looking pretty. One, for example, is home to the Wilson family’s snowshoes.)

Wilson, an executive member of the Manitoba Antique Association, concentrates primarily on Red Wing items that were produced for the Canadian market, especially Manitoba. Much like a bottler does nowadays, Red Wing potters used to field orders from all over North America. Workers would then stamp each item with the name of the business that requested it, before shipping it off to its intended destination.

Until recently, Wilson didn’t have a lot of competition outside of the province for objects marked “E. Brotman & Sons Wine & Spirits, Winnipeg” or “Wm. Ferguson Wholesale Liquor, Brandon.”

“Americans were never particularly interested in stuff from north of the border, but because they’re running out of things to buy at home, they’re starting to set their sights further afield,” he says.

Wilson sets his own sights on auctions and flea markets across Western Canada. Because of the high cost of shipping — and the fragile nature of century-old clay items — he tends to steer clear of sites like eBay, however.

“The thrill of the hunt is a big part of this hobby,” Wilson adds. “Every once in a while I’ll be at a garage sale, and spot one in somebody’s backyard, being used as a planter. I’ll be like, ‘So… how much do you want for that?'”

For more information on collecting Red Wing pottery, visit www.redwingcollectors.org. The RWCS will hold its 35th annual convention July 7-9 at Red Wing High School (“Home of the Wingers”).

Size doesn’t matter

Rick Natynski is familiar with stoneware collectors who have well over 1,000 pieces. He’s even heard of people who’ve built additions onto their homes to properly display their finds.

“Quantity is paramount for some people, while others are all about quality,” he says. “A lot of collections range from 150 to 300 pieces, but you can only have a dozen or so, and still have a great collection.”

Get on the bus, Gus

Next month, Kelly Wilson will host a bus trip to St. Paul, Minn., for anybody interested in attending “Minnesota’s Antique Spectacular,” a two-day event being held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, April 16-17. With over 1,000 dealers, the get-together is one of the largest of its kind in the American Midwest, and draws buyers and sellers from as far away as Chicago and Saskatchewan.

“There’s nothing like it around here, that’s for sure,” says Wilson, who hopes to have 45 people on board when he ships out on April 15. For costs and a full itinerary, contact Wilson at cccollector@gmail.com.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca