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How to Identify Red Wing Stoneware Marks

If you're a fan of Red Wing pottery, you have plenty of company. Red Wing Stoneware Co., which began producing stoneware in 1878 in southeast Minnesota, has fans around the world, collector organizations and at least two museums. A signed saltware crock brought $7,700 at auction in 2008 and a complete set of commemoratives from 1977 through 2001 sold for $11,735. A 60-gallon crock had a recent "buy it now" price on eBay of $5,400. Not bad for what enthusiastic collector and museum founder Louise Schleich has called the Tupperware of the 19th Century.

Things You'll Need

stoneware
Internet connection
Red Wing collectibles books

Instructions

- 1
  Do your homework. That could take some time. Between 1877 and 1967, when it closed production, the company that started making sewer pipes and utilitarian crockery expanded into advertising wares, art pottery, dinnerware and kitchen goods. The company was revived in 1984 and continues making household pottery and commemorative custom items. A timeline on the Red Wing Collector's Society website is an excellent starting point.
- 2
  Take a look at your stoneware. Once you've identified the era and type of pottery, it's easier to identify the classic cobalt blue logo mark. The Red Wing Collectors Society has a tip sheet with photographs of oval marks on its website. Over the years, the marks evolved along with company name changes. The placement of words within the oval is another hint about your stoneware's date, whether from 1909 or the 1930s. The site references the book ̶0;Red Wing Potters & Their Ware,̶1; by Gary and Bonnie Tefft. In addition, turn your crock or pottery piece upside-down and look for the date. If it's pre-1967 but not a post-1984 commemorative, it is likely a reproduction, according to "Warman's Red Wing Pottery: Identification and Price Guide." The book, by Mark Moran, says Red Wing tended to sell its molds when it retired them, so other potters may have used the molds.
- 3
  Join a collectors' group. The Red Wing Collectors Society, which has about 5,000 members, has a newsletter and annual get-togethers. It also has chapters around the United States. Its website features an "Ask the Experts" page, where you can email longtime collectors with questions.
- 4
  If you're in the area, visit one of the museums. The Red Wing Pottery Museum is in Pottery Place Mall in Red Wing, Minnesota. It has stoneware, dinnerware and art pottery, as well as demonstrations about how the pottery is made. The Schleich Pottery, Stoneware and Dinnerware Museum, founded by collectors in 2001, is in Lincoln, Nebraska. It has 5,000 pieces of pottery, and chronicles Red Wing's history. Red Wing offers a factory tour, too, during which you can watch production.

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