Pottery pitcher commemorates a Revolutionary War Naval hero, but what is it worth today?
My grandmother owned this pitcher, which is marked on the bottom with “1907” and a drawing of a buffalo. What can you tell me about my pottery?
—L.B., Altadena, California
What’s it Worth?
Now a division of the Oneida tableware company, the Buffalo Pottery Co. began in 1901 as an offshoot of the Larkin Soap Co., making premiums to help sell soap. Named for the city in New York where it began, the popular pottery lasted long after Larkin Soap disappeared. The early premium patterns and pottery pieces promoting tourist attractions like nearby Niagara Falls featured colorful and often-intricate transfer-decorated scenes.
Your John Paul Jones pitcher, commemorating the Revolutionary War hero often called the father of the U.S. Navy, is a prime example. Most of these gourd-shaped pottery pieces were made between 1905 and 1909. Yours is valued at about $595.
—Barbara J. Eash (Country Woman Magazine’s Antiques Expert)