Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Look at the bottom of an item that may be Holt-Howard Pixieware. Without exception, Holt-Howard Pixieware is marked with a copyright circle, the year of manufacture, such as 1959, and the name "Holt . Howard" stamped in black; a period, not a hyphen, appears between "Holt" and "Howard" in the stamped name. Holt-Howard Pixieware copycats sometimes have no mark, but most display the name of one of the many Pixieware copycat manufacturers, such as Lefton, Napco and Davar.
Compare prices of possible Pixieware. Knowledgeable sellers know they have a copycat Pixieware piece, and honest sellers price it accordingly. As of 2011, for example, a genuine Holt-Howard Pixieware piece commands from $90 to more than $800. Copycat pieces with pixies and elves can be found at prices less than $20. A Lefton marmalade jar with a pixie decoration is valued at about $100. A Holt-Howard Pixieware marmalade is rare, especially in the United States, and easily sells in the $700 to $800 range.
Watch for a newer version of Pixieware. Made in the early 2000s for a limited time, the new version's items are genuine but not vintage Pixieware. The newer pieces are cookie jars inspired by the Pixieware line of the 1950s and 1960s, and they are marked "GHA." Holt-Howard ceased production in 1990. The newer pieces' limited production makes them desirable.
Examine the quality of suspected Pixieware. Holt-Howard Pixieware claims the top spot not only for being the original Pixieware but for high-quality paint, detailed lines and clever faces on the pixies or elves. Other manufacturers often paid less attention to such detail. When comparing genuine Pixieware and copycats side by side, the differences are readily apparent.