Red Wing Pottery Reproductions, Fakes, and Misconceptions.
Often new collectors are concerned weather an item is old, or new, or was really made by Red Wing.. There are very few items produced to intentionally fool collectors, most are designed as legitimate collectors items, or were produced from old molds. This page it dedicated to providing information on items commonly confused by everyone from novices to experienced collectors alike. If you know of an item not listed on this page please drop me an email at David Lenling- lenlinde@ uwec.edu and I will list it.
The New Red Wing Stoneware Company
There is a new stoneware company operating in Red Wing using many of the same methods, and markings (wings birch leaves etc) to produce stoneware. The companies objective is not to fool collectors, but on occasion items are mistaken as old by novice collectors. Some of the items made include beater jars, spoon rests, lamps, crocks (most all under 2 gallons.) The new Red Wing Stoneware Co's wares are are easy to spot because they are all marked with the signature below. This "wing in a circle" trademark was never used by the original pre 1967 Red Wing companies.
Stoneware Reproduction Lids
Reproduction water cooler and churn lids have been produced over the years and are often sold at the annual Red Wing Collectors Society Convention. These lids are meant to replace the originals as many have been broken. These lids can be difficult for a novice to distinguish from an original. My best advice for these is to place an original next to a reproduction and compare them. To my knowledge some are not kiln fired and the glaze can be scratched off. Some are also "marked" on the bottom with a blue thumbprint, a near sure sign of a reproduction.
Stoneware Reproductions Designed to Fool Collectors
Reproductions designed to fool collectors are few and far between but a handful have surfaced over the years.
Fake Advertising Jugs: This is the most common type of reproduction I have seen surface. Someone is taking original jugs, and etching logos on them with a laser or some other means from companies whose wares are highly collected. Some examples I have seen include: Griswold, Mobil Oil, Keen Kutter, and have heard rumors of others. These jugs are easy to spot because the glaze was removed and the advertising itself was painted on the incused area of the jug. These have sold on eBay in some cases for hundreds of dollars.
Wings, Advertising, and Bottom Signatures: These items are very few and far between, I have personally only heard of a handful of incidents. Many years ago someone took a rubber ink stamp and stamped Wings on unmarked crocks and jugs. As the wing was not glazed on it could be wiped away with water. At one time or another someone took sponge bowls and painted advertising on the bottom of them. Another very rare fraud is someone taking a etching tool and creating fake bottom signatures on non Red Wing jugs. These are fairly easy to spot because the surfaces will appear new because the surface has not had a chance to "age."
Non Red Wing Items Often Attributed to Red Wing
Quite a few non Red Wing items are attributed to Red Wing, several because they are listed errantly in price guides others myths that have developed over the years.
Louisville Potteries, and Zanesville Stoneware's Country Fare line of dinnerware is often mistaken as a Red Wing product or mistakenly identified as part of the Village Green or Oomph patterns of dinnerware. Country Fare can be distinguished by the yellow tinge to the clay, sloppy production methods shown in poor glaze application, and blending of the green and brown.
Red Wing Hobby Shop/"Mold" Items
Red Wing had a policy of giving away or selling molds once they were worn out, in addition once the potteries closed the molds were sold off. Many of these molds were used in schools, and hobby shops to produce items. Also when pottery closed Dave Hutchson, the son of head mold maker 'Teddy" Hutchson purchased many of the "block and cases", these are the masters used to make new molds as the molds themselves would wear out. Dave went into the business of selling these molds and others to the hobby trade via catalog. This practice of using old red wing molds is still continued today, a Winona, MN ceramic shop still offers at least 15 shapes of greenware from Red Wing Molds. These items are often confused as either original Red Wing Production ware, or one-of-a-kind lunch hour items. A few collectors search for these items and they are often valued at $5-15.00.
There are many traits that can be used to distinguish these items from the original Red Wing Wares. First look at the bottom, the name of the creator is often scratched in the clay- true lunch hour items the creator would almost always paint the name, second look at the date , if it is post 1967 it is not Red Wing. The weight of these items is often much less than the originals. Last, the glazes are often amateurishly applied and garish as the one pictured above.
Brush Ware
