Great Deals on Roseville Pottery

If you’re just learning about Roseville pottery then you are in for a treat.  Roseville pottery is considered to be one of the Big 3 when it comes to decorative pottery art; the other 2 being Rookwood potery and Weller Pottery. 

The Roseville Pottery Company ceased production of its pieces 56 years ago when the company closed its doors in 1954 after an unsuccessful attempt to withstand the economic atmosphere following World War 2.  The failure of the company to compete against cheaper ceramics coming in from foreign competition did not take away the artistic value of the pieces they did produce up to that time.

In the 1970’s the Babyboomer generation revitalized the interest in locating and collecting Roseville pottery.  Since the Roseville Pottery Company started creating their pieces in 1892, there is a large amount of product still available for discovery.  Today, Roseville is the most sought after pottery art on the Ebay market which is just a microcosm of the larger pottery art market.  Ebay is generally considered a safe choice when searching for collectibles and is even safer when you are dealing with established Ebay sellers who have spent considerable time developing a trusted reputation. 

When searching for Roseville pottery in other places it’s a good idea to know what exactly to look for and what to avoid.  Having a reference to the artwork is a good idea.  For that end, you may want to pick up a copy of The Collectors Encyclopedia of Roseville Pottery, Volume 2 (link to the right).  The book will be a valuable resource when hunting for Roseville pottery because it will help you identify pieces by the markings.  And since Roseville pottery is highly collectible it is often reproduced by cheap Chinese imitations, another good reason to have a physical resource to help in your hunt.

Roseville pottery art can be pretty expensive with pieces in the thousands.  There are many opportunities to find pieces for under a hundred dollars too.  Once you know what you are looking for, try searching the shelves at thrift stores, second hand stores, and consignment shops.  Also keep an eye out while hunting flea markets, swap meets, estate sales, and garage sales.  These are all great places to hunt because often times the owner doesn’t know that they have a valued piece of art, or they many know very little about its true value.  So, good luck and happy hunting.