Yellow Ware: A Brief Article on Today's Hot Collectable

    One of the hottest collectables in the antique market today is pottery. And with that, one of the most sought after pottery collectables is yellow ware. Collectors of these pieces can find them at antique shops and shows, tag and estate sales and auctions, even on the internet. And if you're really lucky, maybe a garage sale.

    Origionally developed in 16th - 17th century England and Scotland, yellow ware gained its name from the clay it was made from, which had a yellow hue to it. The pieces then started to be made in America, before the Revolution, when artisans found similar clays here.   Early pieces were crude and the clay consistency was poor, but it did improve and by the late 1800's, yellow ware was potters were throughout New England.

    Yellow ware was to be the transition between redware, which was a much more primitive pottery, and finger white pottery. Yellow ware was less expensive, and more durable than the redware, while less bulky  than the stoneware.

    A variety of pieces were made for kitchen use. Crocks, cups, plates, funnels, bowls, ladles, rolling pins, colanders, and skimmers are among them. Pieces might be hand decorated, from a single band of colour, usually white, blue and brown, to sponging and spattering. Other decorations included folk art aninmals, flowers and pithy sayings.

    Yellow ware became very common in the 19th century, and was quite popular for use in home kitchens and instituions. Millions of bowls were produced between 1850 and 1930, most usually not signed. Today, many collector line the shelves of antique cupboards with these pieces. Many still put them to use in their own homes, although very carefully.

   The production on yellow ware flourished until the 1920's, when it was replaced in popularity with finger white ware.  And although reproduction pieces are being manufactured today, the most sought after for collectors are those pieces made in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

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