November 6, 2011
by Aidan@Potsandpots
Comments Off on WGP Practical Use (2) – Clocks
West German pottery manufacturers produced ceramic sections for use as clocks. Often these are found in relative subdued browns and greens. The example below shows a bright orange ceramic clock. This item is currently for sale on ebay, to see it click here.
Previous Posts in this series:
(1) Flower Vases
November 5, 2011
by Aidan@Potsandpots
1 Comment
West German Pottery is not always just about how it looks – many of the items have practical uses. This should hopefully be the first of a series of “WGP Practical Use” posts. The criteria for entries is West German pottery with intentional or unintentional use beyond aesthetics.
This first entry, perhaps the most obvious, but probably the purpose to which they are most frequently used – flower vases. When we are looking for vases we often look for the dried or plastic flowers rather than the vases themselves. Many florist windows in Germany are still adorned with West German ceramic vases. Often the larger floor vases are still found with plastic inserts to allow flowers to be displayed.
November 3, 2011
by Aidan@Potsandpots
Comments Off on WGP Spotted (3) – “Red Dwarf” TV Show
Red Dwarf is a science fiction sitcom which was first broadcast in 1988, each episode is 30 minutes long.
During an episode called Legion (Season 6 Episode 2) broadcast on 14th October 1993, Kryten smashes a Scheurich vase over the head of Arnold Rimmer.
Red Dwarf - Scheurich Fat Lava Vase
Red Dwarf - Smashed Scheurich Fat Lava Vase
I used to think it was an Amsterdam decor vase which was used (image to the left below) but on closer inspection I think that it could have been a Koralle decor (image to the right below). If you have a DVD rather than the grainy YouTube footage that I watched and can differentiate it please leave a comment to let us know.
November 2, 2011
by Aidan@Potsandpots
1 Comment
This is the second installment of the West German Pottery price trend analysis. The aim is to monitor the changing value of West German pottery through analysis of UK eBay sales. The intention is that this will provide a barometer for the popularity/desirability of Fat lava items
October 2011 sales indicate an increase in sale prices compared to the previous month. The average sales price was £14.67 (compared to Septembers £13.29) and the average of the top 20% of the most expensive items was £88.16 (compared to Septembers £47.38).
A longer data series will be required to determine if this increase in sale price is a result of random month to month variation or part of a longer term trend.
To see more detail on how the values are calculated see here.
October 30, 2011
by Aidan@Potsandpots
3 Comments
The UK TV show Bargain Hunt is a competition between two pairs of amateur collectors. Each pair is given £300 to spend, they are taken to a location (usually a large collectors/antique fair) and set free with an expert and given one hour to purchase some bargains. Their items are then sold at auction and whichever team makes the most money from their items is the winne (or as is often the case – loses the least!).
West German Pottery has featured on the show: Series 27 episode 13. This show was based in Builith Wells and was broadcast on BBC One on the 10th Nov 2010.
Bargain Hunt - West German Pottery (image from BBC iPlayer)
From left to right the contestants had a choice of:
They chose to buy this rather ordinary Scheurich vase. Described by the presenter as, “quite grotesque but quite brilliant” – make what you want of that observation.
Bargain Hunt - West German Pottery at Auction
They bought it for £25 and from memory (the episode is too old now to watch on iPlayer to check) it only sold for £15 at auction, a loss for the team. However, as many dedicated collectors will tell you, the type of vase they bought is fairly common, dull and boring; especially in comparison to the myriad of vibrant colours and glazes Scheurich offer. Without a doubt, another Scheurich such as this or this would have easily made that money – and more.