Finding a piece of Van Briggle at a garage sale is like a game. You don’t always win, but when you do, its an amazing feeling. Pottery from more popular companies such as Roseville or Weller don’t offer the same kind of excitement that Van Briggle provides. Your eyes quickly sweep over tables or boxes and quickly pick up on that familiar glaze. You turn the piece over and you see the tell-tale AA symbol and Van Briggle marks.
This past weekend, I stumbled across an amazing set of Van Briggle pottery – A white bowl and matching flower frog. Not surprisingly, the pieces were in different places. I quickly grabbed both and showed the seller how the two pieces went together. I won’t tell you the final price I paid – it will just make you jealous. The seller had no idea what Van Briggle was.
The VI at the top indicated this Van Briggle piece was either glazed by Rosemary Dobbs between 1988 to 1995 or by Gean Holland between 1994 to 2002. There isn’t much information to be found for the RY – resources say it to be a finisher around 1968, but that doesn’t match the VI dating. The bottom of the actual flower frog piece merely has a simple AA marking. This piece may just turn out to be another mystery in terms of dating.
Nonetheless, the white flower frog and bowl duo makes for a great decorative item. The white is a nice change of color from the usual green hues seen so often. I will keep playing the odds of finding more unique Van Briggle pieces during garage saleing and estate saleing.
Story and photos submitted by Deborah.
I have this piece in a clay color. How can I find out what it’s worth?