The Crazed Collector: A Cautionary Tale

Johnson Brothers Harvest Time teacup & saucer

I love antique English china, especially transferware.  Recently, I came across a rare find: a partial set of Johnson Brothers "Harvest Time," for a really good deal.  There were 80 pieces total, including 12 dinner plates and 12 of my favorite square salad plates!  I looked the pattern up online.  Beautiful!  "Just perfect for fall," I thought.  My mind raced ahead to Thanksgiving and how the service would look with autumn toned linens and my grandmother's silver.  Bliss...







Here's the part where my heart started overriding the cautionary warnings sallying forth from my brain.  You see, I hadn't actually SEEN this set of dishes.  A friend's mother found them for a steal at a Hospice sale (who knew?).  She hadn't actually seen the dishes, either.  However, her mother had taken a painstaking inventory of them, documenting every little chip and imperfection.  The price was enticing, and I really, really, really love transferware.  Did I mention the beautiful Thanksgiving table setting in my head?  I bought the set, sight unseen.  The anticipation was like Christmas!  I couldn't wait to have the china in my possession.

My treasures! 

The Unveiling
The boxes of china arrived!  It was time to uncover my treasures!  Carefully I opened each box and unwrapped each lovingly packed piece.  Everything was just as described.  I was ecstatic!  Mind you, I live in a house of men, who really don't understand the fuss about something as utilitarian as dishes.  Still, they let me have my fun.  Once everything was unpacked and inspected against the inventory, I began washing the dishes in hot, soapy water before putting them away in the china cabinet.





Craze.  Crazed.  Crazing.
I carefully immersed the dinner plates into the soapy water.  As I rinsed the first dish, I noticed it: the dreaded spiderweb crazing, the bane of antique china collectors' existence.  Really.

Craze:

Crazing in a china bowl

1.  Wildly insane or excited.
2.  A network of fine cracks on a surface.

Crazing, fine cracks in pottery glaze, is sometimes not visible to the naked eye.  Crazing that extends through the glaze to the actual pottery beneath will show up when you immerse the dish, as the water darkens the clay along the fault line.  Why should we care?  We care about crazing because if water can get underneath the glaze, so can bacteria.  Although some folks may take their chances, the official stance is that crazed pottery is not safe for food.

As I washed dish after dish and watched the fateful lacework emerge like invisible ink on each surface, my heart sank.  So much for that imagined Thanksgiving spread.  The focus now was on whether any of the dishes were salvageable for food service.  They were certainly good for display, decorating and other uses, just not for food.  My hostessy plans had been dashed.

The keepers!  Partial service for four.

Ultimately, I was able to salvage a partial place setting for four: 4 dinner plates, 4 bread and butter plates, 4 cups & saucers and 2 sauce (dessert) bowls.  I will enjoy using them, and will keep an eye out for pieces to complete the place settings.  Sadly, all of the square salad plates (my favorite!) were not food safe.  Live and learn!






Although it wasn't my primary concern with these dishes, I discovered something else noteworthy for anyone collecting for investment rather than utility.  Some of the dishes, but not all, had off-center manufacturer imprints and what looked like a green magic marker mark.  Either of these indicate that the pottery is a "second," not up to retail standards, and was more than likely sold through a company sale to employees or through an outlet venue.  Neither thing bothers me, as I intended to use the china, not resell it.  Given my druthers, I'd rather have the first quality stuff.


The Moral of the Story
When buying antique china (and probably anything else, really), decide with your head rather than your heart.  There was no harm here except disappointment.  Any deal that seems too good to be true probably is.  In this instance, there was no intent to defraud; the crazing was not visible unless viewed in very strong lighting.  As careful as the seller was about documenting every chip and rough edge, I'm certain that she didn't notice the imperfections in the glaze.

If you happen to buy (or have) antique dishes with crazing, all is not lost.  They will look stunning in your grandmother's china cabinet.  Lean them along a chair rail; hang them on the wall for a 3D border. Chipped china?  Use them on the porch, the sunroom, in the garden to hold flowers and tiny plantings.  Use cups and saucers mounted on wrought iron posts and filled with candles to light your garden path.  Broken pieces?  Consider making garden walkway stones, ceramic table tops or a unique backsplash by pressing into cement or grout.


Shout Out!
If you love vintage things as much as I do, please check out these wonderful resources:

Love literature, fashion, vintage whatnots?  Head on over to Dressed Her Days Vintage.  Blog?  Etsy shop?  Why yes, yes it is.  Tell my friend Crystal I sent you.  @DHDVintage

In the Nashville area?  Go see the nice people at Music Valley Antiques & Marketplace.  My friend Kristi has a booth there called "A Novel Idea."  Lots of old dishes in the marketplace, many with vintage patterns from the 30s and 40s.  The FB page is updated with fabulous photos of stock nearly daily.

Have a thing for vintage wallpaper, handmade notecards, books, quilts, tiny collectables? Go see my friend Michal at her Etsy Store, Sweet Woodruffs.  Her stock is typically light during the summer months, but she has gorgeous, unique items throughout the late fall and winter.  Oh, and if you want to foster or adopt a rescued Springer Spaniel, Michal can help with that, too. @SWoodruffs

Happy collecting!