| Reproduction.In most mid-century American | | | | or painting, there is no artistic skill |
| collectible pottery circles, the word | | | | needed to turn out a duplicate. Scratch the |
| reproduction draws immediate, passionate | | | | original manufacturer logo on the underside |
| responses, usually negative. A quick read of | | | | before you fire it, and you have a |
| posts on the larger cookie jar collector | | | | counterfeit.You see the results of this ease |
| forums will reveal a loathing of ceramic | | | | all over the auction website eBay, where |
| reproductions that has no parallel in any | | | | hundreds of counterfeits of simple pottery |
| other area of art.However, most of those who | | | | designs can be found every day. The easier |
| express the strongest feelings about | | | | the piece is to duplicate, the more numerous |
| reproduction pottery are using the word | | | | the counterfeits. One prominent counterfeiter |
| "reproduction" when they really mean, | | | | is known to say that his favorite piece to |
| "counterfeit". A counterfeit is a | | | | make is the McCoy "Mammy" cookie jar because |
| reproduction deliberately mismarked for the | | | | it is so "easy" to paint. A quick scan of |
| sole purpose of confusing the prospective | | | | eBay will show his statement to be true. On |
| buyer into believing it was made by the | | | | most days, there are more "fake" McCoy Mammy |
| original company.Properly, permanently | | | | cookie jars for sale than genuine ones.The |
| marked, reproductions pose no threat to | | | | main counterfeiters in the collectible |
| collectible ceramics. They can never be | | | | mid-century pottery world are well known. |
| confused with the original items, even if | | | | None of them are actually artists, and they |
| they are passed from consumer to consumer. | | | | have concentrated on counterfeiting |
| Counterfeits are, rightly so, the scourge of | | | | mass-produced simple designs because of their |
| any collectible circle.Reproductions have | | | | lack of mold making and artistic skill. You |
| always coexisted with art and collectibles. | | | | see very little counterfeit Roseville |
| Any desirable painting, sculpture, piece or | | | | Pottery, for example, since the original |
| style of furniture, doll, textile, mosaic, | | | | glazing techniques and color application |
| piece of jewelry, ancient treasure, or | | | | processes are simply outside the skill level |
| ceramic piece that is outside of current | | | | of the current counterfeiters.Simplicity is |
| copyright protection is a candidate for | | | | why McCoy Pottery and the Hull Red Riding |
| reproduction, if for no other reason than to | | | | Hood line have drawn the attentions of the |
| satisfy the market demand for items that are | | | | counterfeiters to an extreme. As they branch |
| one of a kind or outside the budget of the | | | | out for new material, they have recently |
| masses.Most collector groups have to wrestle | | | | turned their attention to Watt Pottery, which |
| with education about discerning original from | | | | produced simple bowls and pitchers with |
| reproduction, especially vintage | | | | relatively easy to reproduce folk art style |
| reproductions of their art form. In | | | | motifs.Even if the current counterfeiters |
| furniture, for example, reproductions of many | | | | were stopped, there will always be someone |
| period styles are now as collectible as the | | | | else with a bag of plaster to take their |
| originals they copied. Serious collectors of | | | | place. Early to Mid-century American pottery |
| period originals have to be very educated | | | | has only become really collectible in the |
| about discerning examples from the era they | | | | last 15-20 years or so, but as it gets more |
| specialize in from later made reproductions. | | | | valuable and desirable, the skill level of |
| Thousands of dollars are often at stake, so | | | | the counterfeiters will surely rise. As the |
| very few people take up collecting antique | | | | potential for profit rises, counterfeiting |
| furniture, jewelry, or paintings | | | | this type of pottery will attract those with |
| casually.Mid-era collectible ceramics present | | | | more experience to offer the task. |
| unique challenges for collectors. The | | | | Ironically, this will probably be a good |
| originals were often mass-produced under | | | | thing for the genre, as collectors will be |
| low-tech conditions with inexpensive | | | | much more careful about their purchases if |
| materials. They were often colored with | | | | there is considerably more money at stake for |
| simple designs or solid finishes, ideal for | | | | each piece.For now, it is incumbent on the |
| quick, easy turnaround in a factory. While | | | | potential collector to take on collecting |
| there were smaller pottery companies, like | | | | mid-century pottery products with a margin of |
| the Helen Hutula Company of the 1940's, whose | | | | wariness and commitment to research and |
| complex cookie jars have never been | | | | education. While that may not seem "fair", it |
| reproduced, there were also large | | | | is reality. Collecting ceramics from any |
| manufacturers, like the McCoy Pottery | | | | manufacturer whose originals were |
| Company, who have drawn more than their share | | | | inexpensive, mass-produced, simple designs |
| of interest in duplicating their ceramic | | | | must necessarily be considered "High Risk" |
| products.The designers at McCoy Pottery | | | | for fraud.StoryBook Ceramics creates |
| turned out hundreds of simple, utilitarian, | | | | reproductions, not counterfeits. Our |
| designs that required very little artistic | | | | reproductions are properly marked, |
| talent to produce. For a factory setting, | | | | permanently, to forever designate them as |
| this was desirable, since it allowed for the | | | | StoryBook Ceramics products. We have |
| easy, uniform creation of the pottery without | | | | reproduced many of the expensive, complex |
| requiring teams of specialized artists that | | | | examples of mid-century pottery for the first |
| could be costly to train and maintain.From | | | | time, making them available to budget minded |
| the vantage point of a counterfeiter, | | | | collectors. Our items are specifically |
| however, the simplicity of the original | | | | designed to pose no threat to any |
| products is their weakness.Anyone with a | | | | collector.We take the responsibility of |
| cheap kiln, a bucket of slip and a bag of | | | | creating reproductions seriously, and we take |
| plaster has the potential to create a | | | | educating people about the dangers of |
| "knock-off". The process of creating a | | | | counterfeits seriously too. Understanding how |
| plaster mold from an original piece of | | | | counterfeiters think, and what products and |
| pottery isn't terribly complex. There are | | | | manufacturers they target is one of the best |
| better and worse ways to go about it, and the | | | | ways to avoid being victimized by them. It is |
| complexity of the piece is a huge factor in | | | | our hope to rehabilitate the notion of a |
| the success rate, but for a simple item, like | | | | legitimate ceramic reproduction, while |
| a bowl, vase or simple planter, even a first | | | | simultaneously educating collectors about the |
| timer has a reasonably good chance of making | | | | inside workings of those who produce |
| a workable mold with minimal effort.Once a | | | | counterfeits.Remember, "repro" is not a |
| mold is made, the rest is simply process. | | | | four-letter word.... but "fake" is. |
| Unless the original piece had complex designs | | | | |