From: Gary Tefft / locustent@aol.com
Location: Menomonee Falls, WI
Date: 27 Oct 1998
Time: 23:40:34
Bill. It would seem that in the "early Days" of wing decorating, the factories hadn't really decided on what their standard appearance was going to be. They appear to have had less concern for whether the oval was above or below the wing. There might have been a practical reason for the reversed placement, too. Churns have a compound, convex curve near the center of the piece. On a cylindrical shape you "roll" the stamp around the circumferance of the part. But, you can't roll in two directions at once. It you try to stamp a 6" wing on a compound convex surface, you are liable to have some skips on the impression. Stamping the wing lower might have been a practical solution to this problem. Before too long the 6-inch wing was replaced by 4-1/8 inch wings, which would have been easier to stamp higher up, on the bulging cener of the churn.
I don't do value appraisals on the site, but I can tell you (as if you didn't know) that the "Ski Oval" pieces have enhanced desirability and therefore, prices.
-Gary-