The world of vintage research has lots of questions. Is it real or repro? Who made it? When was it made? And the ever popular “What is it?” The Japanese exportware teapot below is one of those delightful “what is its.” We at Vintage Unscripted often talk on Slack when one of us has a “what is it.” For help with the one in this week’s fresh to market vintage, we are turning to you.
Google Lens, a tool for searching by image, is enormously useful in identifying shapes and patterns. It was stumped by the teapot though. The only result it returned that was relevant Selective Salvage’s own listing. As far as Google image search is concerned, there is only the one quirky ceramic piece of it’s kind in the internetverse.
It’s no small irony that we are bookending this week’s fresh to market vintage line up with a mystery teapot at the top and one of the most recognizable vintage teapots at the bottom. Hopefully someone out there can help a sister out, and give us some info about the adorably attractive, cherub embellished 1920s teapot.
Ceramic Teapot, Marked Japanese Export c 1920s
I’ve owned this piece for years and hadn’t given much thought to its purpose until recently when it dawned on me there was no way to fill it other than through the spout which made it a very ineffective teapot. I asked my VU sisters if they had an idea about its purpose and like true vintage sellers, they were delighted to help research it. The conclusion we came to is that it is a decorative piece made as an export to the American market in the 20s (based on the back stamp) and that it was designed along the lines of a Cadogan teapot (sans a hole in the bottom) but was not intended to be used.
This is educated speculation on our part, so if you have any thoughts on the purpose of this mysterious teapot, please let us know.
Vintage Ceramic Teapot, Gold Floral Cherub Design, $55
–Linda, Selective Salvage
Bakelite Mahjong Tile Bracelet
Bakelite jewelry is collectible and has been for several decades. It’s one of the few jewelry items that doesn’t ever seem to go out of style. These vintage Mahjong tile bracelets are quite popular and not difficult to come across. They make a wonderful purchase for budding collectors who have yet to delve into the more expensive pieces. This one has recently been restrung and is ready to grace your wrist.
Bakelite Stretch Bracelet, $45.95
–Pam, Vintage Renude
Arcade Malleable Iron Company Worcester Mass. Brass Paperweight
I was thrilled to have this Worcester, MA antique souvenir and quickly went to work to find out some history on the company. I smiled at the “iron-y” of using brass for this promotional item. I still don’t have an exact date for it, but I wonder since the iron works was founded in 1850, it might be a golden anniversary token from 1900. If you look at the pasteboard presentation box, you will see that it is quite old. I am hoping one of my Worcester, MA collectors will set me straight.
Brass Paperweight from MA, $99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Hall Aladdin Teapot
The instantly recognizable Hall Aladdin teapot was made from the 1930s – 1960s in a variety of shapes and colors. If I had to nominate a vintage pottery company for the most attractive teapots and pitchers, it would 100% be Hall. All of their shapes are pitch-perfect. The decals and decorations aren’t always awesome, I prefer the simpler designs, like this black teapot with gold striping. One of the best things about Hall pottery overall is that because there is lots of it out there, prices are very reasonable. Read more about the history of Hall teapots here.
Hall Aladdin Teapot #0670, $42.
–Laurie, NextStage Vintage
That’s this week’s fresh to market vintage…two for tea, a bakelite mahjong bracelet and a commemorative medal from Worcester, MA (which also has a small mystery about its age). One of us was recently contacted by someone with good knowledge about an antique silver piece we had misidentified. Rather than bristle with indignation, we were appreciative and messaged back and forth a few times to learn all we could. Information, when presented in a helpful and kind manner is almost always appreciated by vintage sellers.
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If you are new to bakelite but are enchanted by the mahjong bracelet and want to know more, we have a helpful post on how to identify bakelite.
