Tea Leaf Club International    |     Additional Tea Leaf OnLine Back Issues
Back Issues - January-June 1999
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  January 5, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
<inactive>

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and found a special Tea Leaf piece under your tree.  We’re shy on letters again this week so TLOL will be brief.

Walt and Pat put on their thinking caps and sent a new topic...

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC

“Do you concentrate on completing sets in your collection or just acquire individual pieces?  In other words, would you try for a whole tea set or only a group of sugar bowls or creamers?  How about place settings?  Do you match plates with cups and saucers and what would an 1870's place setting consist of?  If you collect sets, what body shapes and makers?”

PRIOR DISCUSSION TOPIC

This is our Holiday topic, a Tea Leaf grab bag.  If you were buying something for a Holiday Tea Leaf grab bag with a $100 limit what would you buy?  What would you hope to receive?  How about a grab bag with a limit of $300.  Is there a special piece of Tea Leaf you want for the Holidays?  Instead of a grab bag  what do you think about  trading Tea Leaf this Season (or any other time)?    Do you have any items for trade?  What would you expect in return?

WELCOME new Tea Leaf OnLine members...

Just wanted you to know that we now have our own email address.  Please
let us know what we need to do to get on your weekly  Tea Leaf OnLine
mailing list.  Happy Holidays,

Keith & Ruth Wilcox

[Ruth & Keith - Welcome to TLOL!  Perhaps you could write a little paragraph about how you started collecting TL, collection specialty and favorite pieces.  DA]

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Tom Baker was the first to write this time with...

Apologies to fellow TLOLers for my long absence.  I hope everyone had an
enjoyable holiday period and even half as much fun as our coordinator 
that’s you Dale! had in NYC!  With young girls 5 and 3 years old ours
will be a special Barbiebespeckled time!

I found a bit of our copper lustre the other day.  Bought a covered
vegetable dish by Meakin cable style with a chip out of the rim for
$35 and a small salad plate (6" or so diameter) in good shape which was
labeled Shaw Chinese for a killer $3.50.  I am unable to corroborate it
as Chinese style by looking in the Handbook it is just a plate.  there
are so many different Shaw stamps!  This stamp is circular with a 4
corner star shape inside the circle which can be found in Grandma's book
.  Both of the items were so well priced that I could not pass them by.

Additionally, for our high rollers, I found two other items that were
very beautiful.  I have no idea about the pricing.
1.  A large (estimated 1416" high) Morning Glory Portland Shape coffee
pot.  It had a dramatic finial.  Priced at $575.
2.  The most unique Shaw 'Ruffled' Compote for $650. In wonderful shape.
These pieces certainly 'jumped out' of the cases because of their
beauty.  They were both at AAA I70 Antique Mall near Springfield, Ohio
phone 9373248448.  They do have a web site and the coffee pot was
supposed to be pictured on it (although I could not find it) the web
site is www.antiqnet.com/aaa.  (Search using the picture categories on
the bottom part of this homepage.)

Happy New Years Everyone,
Tom Baker in Gahanna, Ohio

[P.S. Note new email address as tomgbaker@xxx.xxx)

[Tom, Thanks for reporting in.  Your Cable-style covered veg by Meakin is a puzzle to me as I am not aware that Meakin made any Cable pieces. Regarding the “Chinese” plate, Chinese Shape is very distinctive and has “panels” running around the entire perimeter of the plate.  If it’s smooth and not embossed it’s not Chinese Shape.  DA]

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Dick Brackin checked in right after Christmas...

     Happy second day after Christmas.  I hope that everyone else had as
pleasant Christmas Day as did I.  I spent the day with my sister, Valda
and her daughter, my niece, Karen, whom some of this group have
metboth my sister and my niece have a small collection of Tea Leaf and
Karen was a member of TLCI for a few years, before the children.  My
grandniece, Katherine is quite a precocious young 6 ½ year old who is
going to be an actress when she grows up.  I gave Katherine the Tea Leaf
cabbage patch doll which I purchased at Carl's auction and she was
thrilled!  She immediately named him Tommy Tea Leaf (it is a male doll)
and told me on the phone last evening that she is taking very good care
of Tommy, he doesn't sleep with her, for she does not want him to "mess
up his hair".  She is a treat.  

     I did not respond to the question last week about the Tea Leaf
Christmas grab bag, I guess because I have rather lost touch with a
sense of value for many pieces.  I know that if someone were going to
give me something special right now, I would wish for a drainer and a
lid for that Walley Pomegranate soap dish.  Since the dish was a gift to
me and since it came from Carl Zehner, I know that the cost of the dish
was not very great.  I suppose that were they available, the lid and the
liner might fall under the $100 limitI cannot imagine that they would
be in the $300 category.  I am still looking for the service tray for my
Meakin Brocade sauce tureen and on Christmas Eve, I discovered that I am
looking for Chelsea plates, of all things!  I need three eight inch
Chelsea plates and two seveninch ones and twelve cup plates (I have
none).  I discovered this when I began to set the table for oyster stew
on Christmas Eve (a family tradition).  (I took some photos and if they
come out, I shall forward one for inclusion here.)  In addition, I am
looking for a Walley Chelsea Grape lustre saucer, ring 0' hearts shape,
and a lid for a blue (sans lustre) ceres sugar bowl.

     To date, I have received three pieces of Tea Leaf or variants for
Christmasthe soap dish and the Shaw Chinese mug about which I told you
earlier.  My friend, Sally, gave me the little ELO tea plum creamer
which was pictured in Nancy's Christmas catalogit's a honey!

     Again, enough rambling.  I hope that everyone has a safe and sane New
Year's celebration and that the coming year will be prosperous and
filled with Tea Leaf.

     ttfn...Dick

[Dick, The Chelsea plates ought to be find-able.  I don’t believe there is such as thing as a Chelsea cup plate.  Does anyone have one?  (Tom...did you discover one in your research for the Readings article on Chelsea?)  Dick and I haven’t yet exchanged holiday gifts so I’m still hoping the Pomegranate soap dish bottom will get passed along (fat chance!).  DA]

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Dallas and Anne wrote...

     Happy New Year to you Dale and to our fellow Tea Leafers.  It has
been awhile since we have contributed to TLOL but we are excited about two
"finds" this weekend, after a very dry period of seeing  little tea leaf.
Yesterday we picked up a Clementson Brothers teaberry sauce tureen which we
think is Prairie Shape.  It has a beautiful lid with wheat embossing and
what we think are poppies embossed on the body.  Is this correct for
Prairie Shape?  Although it has excellent luster, it does have a crack down
the side.  We have known about this piece for two years but Anne said we
weren't purchasing anymore imperfect pieces.  The price on this was $145
however, when speaking with the owner yesterday she offered it to us for
$55, so of course we couldn't pass up such a beautiful shelf piece.  I have
been dreaming of finding an egg cup for a couple years and I was excited
yesterday to find one.  The first I have ever seen for sale.  What fun!!
It is now looking quite handsome in our china cabinet.

     Additional note to Julie all of the tea leaf that you saw in
Mullica Hill, N.J. has gone to California. We were not interested in
purchasing it but have been watching it with interest.
          Dallas and Anne

[D&A - Oh wow, what a find!!!  If you have a photo of the sauce tureen I’d like to post it for the rest of the group to see.  DA]

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John M reports...

Hope you are feeling better and have passed your kidney stonesounds
awfully painful.  Did you find any TL in N.Y.C.?  

On the new discussion topic I think a grab bag could be just about
anything.  As far as trading goes, I'm all for it.  What I would expect
would be to trade items that are somewhat evenly priced so that both
parties are happy from a financial point of view.  However if I really
wanted a certain piece badly and my trading partner was also hot for my
item, then I might still trade it regardless of the monetary issue.  As
always, it depends on the exact circumstances.

As far as new purchases go, I'm ending the year on a positive note.  I
did a quick run through Maine this past weekend and came away with some
treasures.  I was going through the last row of a junky shop where I
rarely find anything anymore.  Suddenly, I spotted a posset cup in tulip
shape with the lovely blue trim.  I grabbed it  and a second later
spotted another 2' away.  What a thrill finding a pair, so I immediately
stopped rushing and looked very carefully at the rest of the booth.
Sure enough, there were two others on a top shelf all in excellent
condition.  The dealer described them as "decorated ironstone egg cups."
It just goes to show that no matter what the shop looks like, you always
have the chance of finding a treasure.  I'm not sure what I'll do with
them, but I do think they are especially beautiful.

On another topic I do ha ve a few items for sale.  Ten Wedgwood Square
ridged nappies at $15each, five Meakin Square ridged cups and saucers
at $45each and one cup at $25.  Also, one Meakin Fishhook pitcher 9" tall @ $125, one Wedgwood Square Ridged teapot @ $145, one matching creamer @ $95and one sugar with repaired finial @ $$45.

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to All,

John

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Gerald and Maxine sent...

Hello To All TLOLiners

To Dale,  First I hope you are feeling better & that the trips to the ER
didn't spoil your NY visit.  Gerald sympathizes with you.  He has been there,
done that twice.

Moving on,we survived the wrapping paper, ribbons, boxes & all that goes
with the holidays.  Santa was, as always, good to us.

Tea Leaf Club news:  According to Chris, the membership renewal forms were to
be mailed right after Christmas.

Grab bag:  Personally I would not participate.  I'm rather reluctant to buy a
pig in a poke.  I already have enough pigs.  Regarding trading, I feel that
would be up to each individual.  I don't like to think we would turn our
weekly writings into a buying & selling ordeal. To keep it to a minimum would
be fine but I prefer to keep our writings as sharing educational information.
Just thought I would give my opinion.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Maxine & Gerald

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Received some very sad mail this week from the Chrismans of Florida...

I hope that all of you had Happy Holidays. Ours were fine, but I have some sad
news to report. Aleene Evans, a long time member of the Tea Leaf Club
International (since 1981), passed away on 122898. A memorial service was
held for her today (1399).  I'm sure that Lloyd would appreciate a card. His
address is:
                                                    645 Lake Deer DR NW
                                                    Winter Haven  FL   33880

When I was notifying other Florida Region members, I was told that Bob Beckley
died in midDecember. Bob and Dorothy joined the Tea Leaf Club International
in 1983. They had attended quite a few of our Florida Regional meetings and
mini regionals.        

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That’s it for letters this week.  I am saddened to learn about Aleene and Bob, both wonderful Tea Leaf friends.

Yes, I am felling better although I had a couple painful days in New York.  Didn’t get to a single antique shop in the City but enjoyed some wonderful theatre.  

Looking forward to hearing from many of you this week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  January 10, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

DISCUSSION TOPIC

“Do you concentrate on completing sets in your collection or just acquire individual pieces?  In other words, would you try for a whole tea set or only a group of sugar bowls or creamers?  How about place settings?  Do you match plates with cups and saucers and what would an 1870's place setting consist of?  If you collect sets, what body shapes and makers?”

TLOL MEMBER INFO

-Welcome new TLOLer Linda Maro and her husband...

My husband and I are members of Tea Leaf Club and would like to join
Tea Leaf OnLine group.  We just got the computer and are still learning, still
learning about Tea Leaf, too.  Email address: antiquer47@xxx.xxx.  thanks for
you help. Happy Tealeafing!    Linda Maro.

- Since Chris Weinbrenner moved she no longer has email access.  If you’re trying to reach her via email you’d best pick up the phone and call or drop her a letter.

- Calvin Johnson reports a new email address...ecalvin@xxx.xxx

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Patty Hitt ran across some pieces last weekend with an interesting “feel” - what do you think?

I have a question on what bleach does to lustre pieces (or just plain white
ironstone).  I have not seen many pieces of bleached ironstone to see what
bleach does to a piece over the long term.  

I saw some E&F Laurel Wreath Plates with Lustre that were exceedingly
crazed.  The crazing almost felt bumpy or raised, somewhat like the glazing
was coming off (although I found no areas without glaze).  The lustre also
looked somewhat raised. However, I could not smell bleach due to a cold. The
pieces were nice, no cracks or chips but the glaze problems steered me away
from making the purchase.  Has anyone else seen this phenomenon?  

Also, the lustre looked different on some of the E&F plates (large good
sized plates).  Some of the lustre had a copper glint while others were more
brown.  Do you see much "repainting" of lustre?  What do you think?

I hope everyone is surviving the cold and snowy weather here in the Midwest.
Columbus is drivable and cold but beautiful (sorry Dale I enjoy a little
snow).  I spoke to my parents on Wednesday (1/6/99) who reported that
Findlay, Ohio is still shut down due to the weather conditions.

Stay Warm,

Patty

[Patty spent a couple hours here this afternoon and we had a great time talking about ironstone and playing with Rachelle.  Do you all belong to the White Ironstone Club?  If you do you saw Rachelle’s photo on the front cover of their most recent edition on Berlin Swirl.  It’s a very sweet photo although I suspect Rachelle will claim embarrassment by it when she gets older.  I hope one of our participants will respond to Patty’s question about the detrimental affects of beaching ironstone - NEVER DO IT!  DA]

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Linda McElwee wrote...

  I want to wish all the Tea Leaf family happy hunting in the new year.
Ron came through with a good Tea Leaf treasure for my Christmas. He
found a Mellor Taylor ribbed Hearts ewer to match the basin I bought at
the Toomay's sale last summer. I never figured we'd find a match.  I had
put the ewer with a Meakin basin, so now have an extra basin. Anyone
interested?  Keep the good work coming I enjoy the online readings
very much, although I don't often write much. Hope to see you all in
person at the next gathering of the clan.  Linda

[Linda - What a wonderful gift and a very lucky match.  Congratulations.  DA]
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Russ Miller reported in with...

DaleWanted to let you know how much I enjoy receiving Tea Leaf online.
Look forward to reading it as soon as it is received.   Thanks!    Russ Miller

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The first of two emails from Margaret....


It seems that all we have done for the last 10 days is look at the weatherin real time or on TVand it hasn't been good in either format.  Of course, as I look out the door tonight (Friday9:30) at the 8" of snow on the ground covered with a solid glaze of ice and 7degree weather, I realize that many of you TLOLers are in far worse shape, so I hope you are all making it as well as possible under the circumstances.  Each time we see a severe weather alert naming a specific city or area, we think of who is there and wonder how they are affected.  We have at this point been cold and  inconvenienced, but that is really allexcept for the tire that Fonis ruined when he ran over a piece of steel in the road.  It was one of his matched set of Michelins, which he loved at least as much as me, so he is in deep mourning since he can't find another.  

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve at the symphony in IndyViennese waltzes in the first half and big band music in the second.  There was champagne and refreshments, hats and noisemakers, a 2hour dance following the 10'oclock performance, which was a sellout.  There were soooo many people, but everyone was very festive and the Circle Theatre is a beautiful place.   Christmas was equally wonderful.  The family was here on the 1920th as usual and we spent the "real " Christmas weekend in Louisville, Bowling Green and Nashville.  Santa was very good (so I must have been!), but no Tea Leaf, except a neat "I love Tea Leaf" hanger  Hope it was an equally super holiday for all of you.

The greatest stress of the holiday was caused  by the loss of our beautiful lily of the valley covered veggie, a crack in the 9" pitcher, and a broken lid, which was hanging on the wall in the dining room. A carpet layer upstairs using a power stapler with excessive force knocked the lid off, which broke the other pieces. The whole carpet experience was a nightmare, and this was just the final straw  This is our first big loss (that we weren't responsible for) so our appraisal(certifiedthank you, Ila)  is now in the hands of the company where we bought the carpet. They subcontract the laying, so we are still waiting to hear from them.    The hall, stairs and bedrooms do look beautiful, but I would not have chosen to make this kind of trade off. It will be interesting to find out exactly how this kind of loss is dealt with.

Fonis is finishing up his last 5 days of work trying to find some satellite offices for the firm, but the weather isn't cooperating.  Whether or no, we plan to leave by the 17th or 18th for Texas for 68 weeks.  We just waited about two weeks too long to go!  I don't know exactly when or how I will get on line, but will be in touch some way.  Can't miss my TLOL fix!!

[MP - What a loss of LOV-we all sympathize with you.  And...what are we going to do without your wonderful contributions for two months??!! DA]

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Then Margaret wrote again with...

The moral of this second message is that you should read mail before you answer, but I have now read the Jan.5  TLOL and was shocked to hear of the loss of two other members.  We were at the Florida Regional 2 years ago  when Lloyd and Aleene were hosts and they were so gracious. Shortly after that, she had joint replacement surgery and then was injured in a wreck just before the Cedar Rapids Convention, but seemed to have recovered well. Of course, all who knew the Beckleys will  remember the gallant spirit which both Bob and Dorothy exhibited over his long period of health problems  and how much it meant to him to be at Convention. I just can't think of anyone who made a greater effort or seemed to enjoy being there more. I know a group of our size with many members who are "seniors" experiences this, but it still leaves such an empty feeling.  

Discussion topicsGrab bags sound like fun in theory and make us think about how to value items, but, like Maxine, I have plenty of pigs. However, "what if" is always fun.  As for trading or selling, I don't suppose that there is a limit on space, so we should be able to have the best of both worldseducation, news, and trading.  Most of us have very little that we are willing to part with anyway. The value of traded pieces is, as John said, very dependent on how much one or both of the traders want the piece.  I would be willing to trade something of greater value if it was for something I really wanted.  The value is most often based on the desire for me. Regarding sellingI had a call from a man in the eastmaybe NJ or RI I don't remember (it was right in the middle of the carpet mess) who said he had also called you, Dale, with a Chinese potty with damaged lid for sale.  Someone may be interested, but I have lost his phone number. Do you recall this, Dale?   Last discussion topicIn addition to 138 saucers, 28 covered veggies and 24 gravy boats, which I collect just for the piece, I usually collect serving setsfirst trying to find sugar, creamer, coffee pot,

[MP - I did speak with the guy in NH regarding the Chinese Shape potty but he never mentioned to me that the lid was damaged.  He was unwilling to put a price on the piece but was taking offers.  I have not pursued the item with him.  DA]
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The Stevens wrote...

Not too much time for Tea Leafing.  Coupled with the usual holiday hullabaloo was a 90th birthday and family reunion.  We were kept quite busy.  In addition to the invited reunion guests an uninvited flu bug joined us.  This seemed to scramble the syntax of our last topic, Upon rereading, we're not sure if our meaning was clear enough.  We were trying to find out if people specialize in parts of sets or the entire set.  Examples would be collecting sugars, creamer, tea pots as separate pieces or did one feel compelled to have the full set.  Similarly, does one collect brush vases or the entire bath set.  We also wonder about collecting "place settings".   If you acquire a cup and saucer do you look for the matching plate?  Hope this clarifies the topic so Dale gets more responses.   

In our case we seem to be on the side of collecting sets albeit often it inadvertently.  We buy a sugar bowl or creamer for its own sake and then start to look for the rest of the set.  In this way we have acquired 7 coffee sets.   (Know this is small potatoes compared to Dale and some of the  others but we didn't start out to collect any of them)   We are usually content with a 3 piece sets.  For some reason we don't spent too much time looking for waste bowls.  Even with our collection of handleless we always want a matching saucer.  

Interested in any comments about "place settings".  We started collecting Adams Microtex or new Tea Leaf in the 60's, usually buying a 5 piece place setting.   Wonder if any of club members  think in terms of place settings, now.  Seems as if items up for action at the convention are groups of dishes or groups of cups and saucers.  Same thing at Friday table sales.  Don't recall any "place settings" being offered for sale.  Have we abandoned the concept of a place setting?  Is this because we now "collect" Tea Leaf rather than buying it to use as dinnerware?  Also,  in the last century, was Tea Leaf sold has a 5 piece table setting or something else?  Anybody know?

Best to everyone

The Stevens

[W&P, I also never see place settings for sale and don’t believe people generally think about grouping pieces for sale that way.  Mostly pieces seem to be sold individually anymore.  DA]

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And Julie wrote...

HI! Not really much to talk about.  Although I had a lovely Christmas with my
daughters, I received only 1 butter pat in my stocking and that was from a
friend in FL.  My two gold lustre butter pats that I got for such a bargain
right before Christmas cleaned up beautifully.  I DO remember when butter pats
used to be 50 cents each.  I just discovered that my computer doesn't have a
"cent" sign what a surprise!

However, I have a question what is a "Tea Leaf warming plate"?  There was a
report on an auction in AntiqueWeek and that's what they reported was sold.
I've been around Tea Leaf for a long time and have never seen a "warming
plate" that I know of.  I do have a white ironstone hot water plate and I
think that's pretty rare but if there was a Tea Leaf one sold in PA I hope
that  a member of TLCI was the lucky buyer.

Happy New Year to All

Juliehoo!

[J, I, too, am puzzled by the reference to a warming plate.  I have seem them in white ironstone and flow blue but never in Tea Leaf.  This would be quite a discovery if it’s really true.  Can any other TLOLer provide details about this auction or does anyone know of a TL warming plate?  DA]

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That’s it for letters this week.  

Regarding the current Discussion Topic, I do not personally try to collect complete sets.  With the exception of my Chinese Shape set, I usually just like to collect examples of other body styles and generally look for a coffeepot, creamer, sugar bowl, waste bowl and some type of covered serving piece.  I might add an example of a plate, cup and saucer but definitely don’t look for eight of everything.  I suspect I am working on over 100 TL and Variant sets so resources ($$$) would also prevent my going too far in depth on any one set.  I also don’t usually collect Tea Leaf made after 1870 so there is no Meakin at all in my collection - it’s almost all early.  Additionally, since I don’t serve using my TL there is no reason for me to put whole sets together for serving a special meal.  I think of my collection as a “library” of body styles and decorative motifs and use it as a research resource so examples of lots of different pieces are important to me - regardless of the condition.

Finally, I thought you might be interested in the prices which will be included in Warman’s 1999 Price Guide so they follow:

Apple Bowl     Shaw (low footed and fluted)     $475
Baker     Meakin, 3 3/4"x5 1/2" x 1" deep, (frequently mistaken for a soap slab)     $27
Baker     Wilkinson, 6 1/2"x9 1/2"x1 1/2" deep     $45
Bone Dish     Meakin, Crescent Shape     55
Bone Dish     Meakin, Scalloped-edge     65
Brush Vase     Burgess - 2-piece     325
Brush Vase     Meakin, Chelsea     350
Brush Vase     Mellor-Taylor, Hearts     450
Brush Vase     Shaw, Plain Round, with drain hole     300
Butter Dish     Wedgwood, Simple Square, 3-piece (includes liner)     185
Butter Dish     Meakin, Bamboo, 3-piece (includes liner)     200
Butter Dish     Liner only, Oval     35
Butter Pat     Meakin, Square     16
Butter Pat     Meakin, Chelsea round     25
Cake Plate     Meakin, Bamboo 8 3/4" with handles     115
Cake Plate     Edwards, Peerless (Feather), Square with handles     195
Cake Plate     Shaw, Senate Shape     150
Cake Plate     Shaw, Cable     180
Chamber Pot     Mellor-Taylor, Hearts     350
Chamber Pot     Shaw, Cable      325
Children's Dishes     Shaw Child's Mug     395
Children's Dishes     Mellor-Taylor Slant-Sided Gold Lustre Tea Set     1,450
        6 Cups & Saucers, 6 Plates, Tea Pot, Creamer, Sugar,      
        Waste Bowl      
Children's Dishes     Shaw Lily-of-the-Valley Child's Handleless Cup and Saucer Set     425
Coffee Pot     Meakin, Fishhook     185
Coffee Pot     Meakin, Bamboo     215
Coffee Pot     Shaw, Cable     350
Coffee Pot     Shaw, Lily-of-the-Valley     525
Coffee Pot     Shaw, Chinese Shape     425
Coffee Pot     Meakin, Chelsea     365
Covered Vegetable     Shaw, Basketweave     325
Covered Vegetable     Shaw, Cable     245
Covered Vegetable     Shaw, Hexagon     235
Covered Vegetable     Meakin, Bamboo     165
Compote     Burgess, Plain Round     350
Compote     Red Cliff, Simple Square (American, 1960s)     150
Compote     Shaw, Square     375
Creamer     Davenport, Fig Cousin     425
Creamer     Meakin, Fishhook     195
Creamer     Meakin, Bamboo     225
Creamer     Shaw, Cable     325
Creamer     Shaw, Lily-of-the-Valley     435
Cup & Saucer Sets     Adams, Empress Shape (1950's)     35
Cup & Saucer Sets     Meakin     65
Cup & Saucer Sets     Shaw, Lily-of-the-Valley (Handled)     125
Cup & Saucer Sets     Shaw, Chinese Shape (Handleless)     125
Cup Plate     Meakin, 3 1/2"     55
Egg Cup     Unmarked, 3 1/2" high     350
Egg Cup     Meakin, Boston Egg Cup, 4" diam, 1 3/4" high     395
Gravy Boat     Mayer, American     90
Gravy Boat     Wilkinson, Daisy 'n Chain     300
Gravy Boat     Meakin, Bamboo     85
Gravy Boat     Adams, Empress (1950's) with attached stand     150
Gravy Boat     Mellor-Taylor Lion's Head     100
Mug     Meakin, Scroll     210
Mug     Shaw, Lily-of-the-Valley     425
Mug     Shaw, Chinese Shape     125
Mush Bowl     Meakin     85
Nappy     Meakin, Fishhook  (4 1/4" square)     18
Nappy     Wedgwood (4 1/4" square) scalloped edge     20
Nappy     Meakin, Chelsea, round     22
Pitcher/Jug     Shaw, Cable Shape 7" high     325
Pitcher/Jug     Shaw, Chinese Shape, 7 1/2"     550
Pitcher/Jug     Meakin, Chelsea     425
Pitcher/Jug     Meakin, Fishhook     325
Pitcher & Bowl Set     Meakin, Fishhook     425
Pitcher & Bowl Set     Furnival, Cable     495
Pitcher & Bowl Set     Shaw, Cable     550
Plate     Meakin, Plain Round 6 3/4"     10
Plate     Furnival, Plain Round 8 1/4"     12
Plate     Wedgwood, Plain Round 9 1/4"     18
Plate     Johnson Bros., Acanthus 9"     25
Plate     Shaw, Plain Round 10"     25
Platter     Meakin, Chelsea 10"x14" oval     65
Platter     Meakin, Plain 9"x13" rectangular     35
Platter     Shaw, Lily-of-the-Valley 13"     150
Posset (Punch) Cup     Unmarked, Plain Round     350
Punch Bowl     Shaw, Cable - Base and lid     800
Open Serving Bowl     Meakin, Square Scalloped-edge 6" square     55
Open Serving Bowl     Grindley, Round Scalloped-edge     150
Punch Bowl     Shaw, Cable     600
Relish Dish     Shaw, Chinese Shape     295
Relish Dish     Wedgwood, Square Ridged     55
Sauce Tureen     Meakin, Bamboo - 4-piece, including ladle     495
Sauce Tureen     Furnival, Little Cable, 4-piece, including ladle     425
Sauce Tureen     Red Cliff (American, 1960s), 4-piece, including ladle     195
Soap Dish, Covered     Grindley, Bamboo, 3-piece with liner, rectangular     225
Soap Dish, Covered     Mellor-Taylor, Lion's Head - 3-piece     250
Soap Dish, Covered     Shaw, Cable, 3-piece with liner, oval     325
Soup Bowl     Meakin,  Plain Round, 8 3/4"      25
Soup Bowl     Shaw, Plain Round Soup Plate, 10"     50
Soup Tureen     Meakin, Bamboo 4-piece with ladle     1,550
Soup Tureen     Shaw, Cable, 4-piece with ladle     1,900
Sugar Bowl     Furnival, Victory Shape     250
Sugar Bowl     Shaw, Cable Shape     175
Sugar Bowl     Meakin, Fishhook     95
Sugar Bowl     Meakin, Bamboo     110
Vanity Box     Shaw, Lily-of-the-Valley     635
Waste Bowl     Shaw, Niagara Fan     120
Waste Bowl     Meakin, Plain Round     95

If you see any glaring errors please let me know ASAP.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  January 16, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

CONTINUING DISCUSSION TOPIC

“Do you concentrate on completing sets in your collection or just acquire individual pieces?  In other words, would you try for a whole tea set or only a group of sugar bowls or creamers?  How about place settings?  Do you match plates with cups and saucers and what would an 1870's place setting consist of?  If you collect sets, what body shapes and makers?”

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC from Walt and Pat

“At the last convention, one longtime and very knowledgeable collector said that the auctioned Shaw Chinese posset bowl might have been the finest piece of TL he had seen.  Do you agree?  What pieces of TL do you remember, not necessarily own, as being outstanding?  Did you see them at the Tea Leaf Convention or somewhere else?  What makes a piece outstanding?”

TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new TLOL members this week.  But...did you notice on the Club membership renewal form that we are now asking for folks’ e-mail addresses and asking if they are interested in being added to the TLOL mailing list?  I bet we’ll be up to 200 weekly TLOLers in the next few months!

By the way - if you haven’t already renewed your Club membership DO IT NOW!  Let’s finally make our goal of 1000 members this year.

- - - - - - - - -

There were LOTS of letters this week so I will try to keep my own comments to a minimum.  However I do want to highlight Jason and Kristina’s  observation that “If you enjoy TLOL, participate in TLOL.”  We sure have lots of participants this week but some weeks I do worry about having enough content.  

Dick Brackin has been both house-bound and electricity-less due to the snowstorms but did manage to send in a TLOL contribution...

It did not strike me until this morning that I had not written a
response to last week's discussion topic.  I guess that I was too busy
fighting the weather.  I was able to get my car up to the garage until
Friday, so the poor thing has been exposed to the elements for three
nights now (was imbedded in about an inch of ice for about 24 hours)!  I
tried this morning, and got within ten feet of the top, but alas...I am
hopeful that if the temp. gets up into the high 20's today or the low
30's that all the salt and kitty litter that I shook about this morning
will have a positive effect.  Wish me well.

For years I looked to be able to set a table with Meakin Fishhook
because that was the shape of the pieces which I inherited from Great
Grandma Wenner.  Then, once the Club was established and I discovered
that there were other makers and shapes of REAL Tea Leaf, I began to
expand my search.  I could set a table with nearly complete place
settings for 24 in Fishhook and plain plates of various sizes (that is,
if I had a table that large!)  

Once I discovered Meakin Chelsea, I began to build a table setting and
can now seat eight with plates 10, 9, 8, 7 inches, nappies, cups and
saucers, butter pats, assorted sizes of open and covered vegetable
dishes, two sizes of tea sets (except for waste bowls), butter dish,
sauce boat, cake plates, three or four sizes of jugs.  Additionally, I
have the bath set complete with slop jar (and lid), but sans horizontal
brush box and potty lid.  I am not sure that there ever were Chelsea cup
plates or brush boxes, so the answer is, yes, I am looking to complete
the bath set with a potty lid and I would like to be able to set a table
for 12I am missing a couple 7inch and 8inch plates in order to do
that.  Since I do use my Chelsea for special dinner occasions, I really
would like to be able to set a table for 12 completely.

Thanks to Juliehoo a NUMBER of years ago, I began collecting creamers
and to date have about 115 different ones and always am looking for
more.  Additionally, quite accidentally, I began a collection of
handleless cups and saucers with a total of 74 at the momentagain, am
always looking for more.  I think that it really doesn't matter what the
piece is if it has a Tea Leaf or copper lustre variant on it, and it is
a shape which I do not have whether I have the same thing in another
shape or potter and if I think that I can afford it, there is always
room for it somewhere in my house.  I suppose that I perhaps have a
wider variety of shapes and makers of plates than I realize since they
usually are more reasonably priced (except that is, for loop and line
botanical!)  

Somewhat later than the discovery of Chelsea came the discovery of
Brocade, so I have been accumulating whatever I can find in that shape
and as I have mentioned here am currently searching for a service tray
for the sauce tureen.

I guess that one could say that in certain areas, I am a placesetting,
or set, collector and in other regards, quite eclectic.  I really like
Thomas Hughes and Edge Malkin ware and when I can afford it, will always
purchase almost regardless of what the piece may be.  Lately I seem to
be purchasing more Walley Chelsea Grape and Teaberry than anything
else.  Who knows what whim may strike next???

I, too was saddened to learn of the deaths of two of our longtime
members.  I confess that I did not know the Evans so well as the
Beckleys, but will miss them both.  You are quite correct, I think that
Bob enjoyed our convention in Columbus just about to the maximum and
though I know that Dorothy fussed, fretted, and worried over him that
weekend, she, along with the rest of us was glad that he was able to be
there.

I printed out the photos which you posted this week Dale and would like
to be able to identify the entire groupthere are several whom I do not
recognize.  How can we do this best?  Will it help if I send a listing
of those whom I do recognize, leaving an X in the spot of the face I do
not know so that others can respond with the proper ID?  I will do that
if you think it would helpthat is, unless someone else can identify
everyone and will post the list.

Enough ramble for two weeks!  Pray for a heat wave!!!

ttfn...Dick

[Dick, If you’re looking for some additional Edge Malkin pieces I have a box of neat (but not perfect) pieces here that are looking for a new home...I didn’t realize EM was on your want list.  Regarding identifying the TLOLers in the photo I think your idea is a good one - give it a start and we’ll try to fill in the missing names. There will be a photo of those of us who were at Convention ‘98 in the next Readings.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Suzi and Allen wrote...

Dear TL friends,

Once again we have had and regret our long hiatus  from participation in
TLOL.  Unfortunately, there just has not been much to report from this
region (seems we're always a step or two or three behind John M.) but we
really have been enjoying everyone else's adventures.  We know that some day
we will come across something interesting!

We've never been in a situation to consider participating in a 'grab bag'
opportunity but would find it interesting.  There is a New England version
of this called a "Yankee Swap" which, if people get into the spirit, can be
a lot of fun.  I wonder if any of the Regionals have tried something
similar?  It could be fun AND exciting.

We would really like to complete a set of something in Tea Leaf.
Unfortunately, this goal isn't exactly compatible with our method of
collecting.  We know that we could purchase pieces from dealers like Dale,
etc., which would help complete sets.  But we find it much more gratifying
to locate TL in shops, etc.  The exception to that would be, of course,
having an opportunity to participate in the Club auction.  Sometime, we
hope.  The only coffee/sugar/creamer set we have is a Powell & Bishop
Simplicity (Rose) set. Plates, cups, saucers, etc., will probably come in
our next lifetime.  Everything else is only a partial of one body style or
another.  The term 'eclectic' comes to mind!

Not much Tea Leaf in our Christmas stockings this year.  Suzi did get a set
of the smallest butter pats we've ever seen.  They are round, probably T.
Elsmore (a distinctive TL and slightly cream color), and a mere 21/2" in
diameter.  Our next larger is 27/8" and our largest is 31/4".  Was there a
child's set size?  While we're asking about child's size, what distinguishes
a child's mug from a full size?  We acquired a Shaw Cable mug (green
underglaze) that's significantly smaller than our Chinese and LOV but still
quite large when compared to a child's cup.  The Tea Leaf is miniature by
comparison, too.  Is there a specific height or diameter that would be a
cutoff?  What size is a normal Cable mug and are there several sizes as
there are in the Chinese body style?

We saw the TLCI convention article in the December New England Antiques
Journal.  We think it's very well written and gave great coverage of the
Convention.  It included the picture of the $4,600 Shaw posset  bowl.
Thanks to whoever wrote a great article there was no attribution.

Dale, your listing for Warman's  seems fairly distributed for body styles
and values (i.e., sugars ranging from $95 to $250).  Based on eBay and TLCI
auction prices, I don't see anything that stands out as inappropriate.
We'll look more closely, though. I wonder why you don't include any
variants?

I guess that covers it all for now.  Hope everyone had a wonderful
Christmas.  Happy TL hunting throughout the  Year!

Suzi & Allen

[S&A, You’re right, Thos Elsmore Tea Leaf does have a slightly creamy color and lightweight body with a distinctive Tea Leaf.  Many of the pieces are smaller than other TL and I’m not surprised to learn that the butter pats are on the small size.  Even the teapots, creamer and sugar bowl are “diminutive”.  In fact, theirs is one of the true “teapots” found in TL - short and stout, just like in the nursery rhyme.  Regarding the Warman’s coverage, Variants aren’t included because I think in the small amount of space allotted to me their inclusion might be confusing to the general public who is not so Tea Leaf-savvy as we are.  I did get them finally to include a Variant ID Guide and ope to be able to include some variants next year if they’ll allot a little more space to the topic.  About child’s-size mugs, they vary in height from 2 1/2" to 2 3/4". The more unusual youth size mugs are 3" tall.  As for the press release from the Convention, TLOLer and TLCI Publicity Chair Linda Slates gets the credit.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Maxine Johnson looked over the Warman’s price list and observed...

I read the prices you sent Sunday night.  I was wondering if there was a
mistake on the Gravy Boat, Wilkinson, Daisy 'n Chain.  If it is really worth
$300, I have two of them for sale.  The other thing I was a little surprised
about was that a Meakin Bamboo 4 piece sauce tureen including ladle ($495)
was higher than a Furnival, little cable 4 piece sauce tureen including ladle
($425).  Just thought I would bring this to your attention.

Maxine Johnson

[Maxine, Thanks for your observations.  I’ll go back and recheck my sources for these prices.  I don’t make up the prices but rather compile them from various sources (auctions, shops, table sales).  These are probably actually-realized prices from 1998 even though they might seem “out of whack” with what we generally think prices should be.  Some unusual sales this past year (the Weinbrenner auction, the arrival of eBay as a source for pieces, etc.) has, indeed, somewhat upset what we might think of as “normal” prices.  I very much appreciate your review and will revisit these prices.  Thanks.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Gene and Helen Emerson also remarked...

Just a few comments on the "Warman's Prices" for Tea Leaf...
Apple Bowl      Shaw (low footed and fluted)    $475
Recently, in December 1998, one sold in an eBay auction for $312.

Covered Vegetable       Shaw, Basketweave       325
There is one on auction at eBay, currently at about $160.

Mug     Shaw, LilyoftheValley        425
This seems to be high to me.  I would have guessed around $250.  Maybe, I
am out of touch.

Mug     Shaw, Chinese Shape     125
Additionally, this seems to be on the low side.  As I recall, these have
been selling for around $150$160 at the Tea Leaf Auctions for the last
several of years.

Vanity Box          Shaw, LilyoftheValley    635
If this is a bath set brush box, this is also seems to be on the low side.
They seem to be going for around $750$775.

I hope this is helpful.  I would appreciate any enlightenment you could
provide me regarding pricing on these types of items.

Best Regards,

gene...

- - - - - - - - - -

Linda McElwee responded to a couple of topics from last week with...

A short response to the question about gathering sets: we would like
to put together tea sets, but just figure if something matches that we
love, we are blessed. It is true that teasets are beautiful eye catchers
and make us feel so cozy and grown up. There are some body styles that
we have had for years, and never a match has been made!! I was lucky
enough to put together place settings for the children, but started long
ago. It would be a major undertaking now. I used what we call now a
setting with the dinner plate, cup/saucer, the bread/dessert plate, and
a small side dish. They have been packed away for years.

A note to our TLOL member who asked about the use of chlorine bleach.
My thoughts are this bleach is great for dirty socks, but should not
be used on TL. We have a wonderful Fuchsia c/s that has flakes peeling
off due to bleach. I would much rather have had it stained than
subjected to the chlorine.

Thanks again, Dale, for putting this all together. It is a BIG job,
and we all appreciate you for it.  Linda  

[You’re welcome.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Valerie Giorgi sends...
It has been awhile since I have contributed to TLOL.  Believe me I anxiously await receiving TLOL every Sunday night.  

One of the discussion topics was completing sets in your collection.  I really don't concentrate on specific sets, because it is too hard to find.  I purchase pieces I don't have and duplicates if the price is right.  One thing that I do that doesn't seem to be too popular among other collectors is I concentrate on doing a nesting of platters and open bakers.  I think I have a very attractive nesting of John Edwards Feather platters sitting out with my other Feather pieces.  

Speaking of the Feather pattern by John Edwards, does anyone have a ladle to a soup tureen, a wash pitcher/ewer or a rectangle soap dish base they would like to sell or trade?

I have tried several professional china repair people and have yet to find one I really like.  Could someone suggest a repair person for Tea Leaf.?  No one seems to be able to match the glaze.

I know most members' opinion of Jewel Tea.  I have friends that are heavily into Jewel Tea.  I will say some of the things the Jewel Tea Club does is really great.  They have a national and regionals just like our Tea Leaf Club.  One thing they do that I was wondering if it would be possible for us and maybe sell at the Giftique is a small booklet about 3" x 5" that could be carried in a purse or a man's pocket that is a price guide for MEMBERS ONLY.  For example it would list the price of a pitcher in various sizes, potters and patterns, so that when we see a Fishhook small pitcher and a Lily of the Valley large pitcher the members would know why such a big difference in price.  When you see this listing in Shroeders, Kovels or Warmans, dealers seem to always select the big price, which is totally out of range of the knowledgeable collector.  I did enjoy Dale's price list in the last TLOL.

Well I guess that is it for now.  We are off to an antique show in Santa Barbara today.  Hope there will be lots of goodies.                    

Valerie

[V, Thanks for your suggestion - Giftique chairs Mike and Marie will see your note.  Does anyone have a good repair person to recommend to Valerie - and the rest of us??!!  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Regarding the current discussion topic Walt and Pat wrote...

Greetings All:

     Further comment about place settings and sets.  Nancy Upchurch in April 93 wrote an article "What's In A Set".  Specifically cited was a 120 piece dinner set for 12 people.  Dividing by 12 would indicate that a single place setting consist of: 3 Meat Plate, 2 Tart Plates, a Cheese Plate, and a Soup Plate.  No cups or saucers.  Quite different from the 5 piece Adams place setting we bought in the 60's.

     While reviewing past Readings looking for this article ran across one by Bob Skinner that gives us the courage to comment about some items in  Dale's price guide.  In September 96 Readings, Bob said that "no Tea Leaf punch bowls is known to exist".  We known what Dale was referring to when He Listed a "Shaw Punch Bowl" for $800 but thought we could tweak him a little.  Additionally the Tea Leaf Handbook doesn't list Shaw as a maker of Senate shape, only Burgess, Meakin, Mellor Taylor and Wilkinson.  We had a discussion with Maxine about this at Carl's auction and decided that the Cake Plate listed as Senate actually was Cable.

     Regarding the actual prices we know that Dale has to be among the most knowledgeable Tea Leafers but wonder about the price of the Mayer Gravy Boat at $90.  Some of you may recall that we had a hard time selling a pretty decent Mayer Gravy Boat for $7.50 at the last Convention.  It was supposed to be marked at $37.50 but Walt forgot to put on the first digit.  Even at the wrong price no one was really interested in buying the piece.  Whatever the reason $90 seems high for the Gravy.  Have some questions about the Sauce Tureens.  Is Meakin Bamboo more valuable than Furnival Little Cable?  

        Finally  is a price guide  for buyers or for sellers?  Who should be happiest if a sale takes place at Dale's prices, the seller or the buyer?  In spite of our questions Dale, we really appreciate your sharing the price guide with us. We always learn from you.

[W&P, As you can imagine, I don’t agree with the article which stated that there are no TL punch bowls.  We definitely identify pieces in both white ironstone and TL as punch bowls and I don’t have an alternate name for these items if they aren’t.  Additionally, it seems that in some body styles, specifically Chinese Shape Tea Leaf, that there are both round punch bowls (like that sold last September) and a very impressive oval Punch Bowl which is about 80% of the size of the soup tureen (which I have had in my own collection for many years.)  Or is there a difference between a Posset Bowl and a Punch Bowl?  I know that those of us who are planning to be at the Geoffrey Godden presentation later this year are definitely planning to try to find out answers to some of these very tricky questions.  Bev and Ernie - any opinions here?   Regarding your question of whether the price guide is for buyers or sellers, there isn’t a difference to me if you’re buying for your own collection (retail) or trying to price a piece you might have for sale (retail).  If you’re looking for bargains (wholesale pricing) then price guides will be of little value.  What does everyone else think?  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Jason and Kristina have been quite busy lately as you can see...

First I'd like to apologize for being MIA to the group for such a long period.
Our daughter Madison, who is 17 months old now, our business, and our recent
home and business move have all kept us exceedingly busy.  As Dale has
politely pointed out on various occasions, there would be no TLOL if no one
participated.  Therefore a good new year's resolution might be: If you enjoy
TLOL, participate in TLOL.

Regarding the question on bleaching of ironstone wares, both white and copper
lustre banded, struck me as a very good one.  It hits close to home as well,
since we have been victim of bleaching wares prior to our purchase.  By no
means am I an expert, but all I can relate to the group is our personal
experiences with such things.  Bleach DOES harm all ironstone.  Don't believe
anyone who tells you otherwise.  Rather we suggest, correct them as to the
proper use of hydrogen peroxide as an effective substitute (which does not
harm ironstone).  We believe the term "bleaching", even used in conjunction
with peroxide may lead others astray, so we never use the term.  I know that
sounds fanatical, but if you've ever come across a really prime piece without
apparent damagesave the fact the glaze is in the process of falling off, it's
heart breaking.

Sometimes the interior of the piece smells like bleach.  More often it just
smells "funny" or "wrong".  There is an off feel to the texture of the piece
as well.  The best way I might describe it is kind of "gritty".  Be warned,
the grit can be wiped away, but will reappear and eventually the glaze will
begin to disintegrate.  Correct me if I'm wrong Dale, but in my opinion the
piece is garbage and cannot be salvaged, or restored.

Best wishes to all and happy new year,  

Jason and Kristina Schmidt

P.S.  I wanted to also contribute to this weeks discussion topic regarding the
collection of sets.  We would like to concentrate on sets of the early body
styles, but as you all know, great things are very difficult to locate and
sometimes even harder to afford.  From what I understand this is especially
true out here in the West.  Consequently, we purchase anything early, in good
condition, and that we can afford at the time.  Our concentration lies with J.
Clementson/ New York Shape as well as Prairie shape.  We also go for anything
Edward Wally (variants and banded wares) Like Dale, we rarely purchase
anything post 1870.  If anyone wishes to part with any of the treasures we've
described, let us know.  (We won't hold our breath........)  Seriously though
we are also seeking a undertray for a LOV soup tureen.  If anyone could put us
in touch with someone who has one available, we'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.  Jason and Kristina Schmidt
(650)5299085  or  E. Mail: SES2485741@xxx.xxx
[J&K, I agree that ironstone which has been bleached and has started to deteriorate is not salvageable.  Julie has noted, however, that an almost immediate soaking in peroxide after a bleaching incident might help counteract the bleaching damage.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Linda Slates sent...

I received a little feedback from Marjorie Yambrovich after she received last
week's TLOL. She was so sympathetic to Margaret's story about the Tea Leaf
damaged by the carpet layers. She had a Wedgwood Fleurdelis Chain veggie
damaged "when something 'walked across' the top of my refrigerator and made a
direct hit." She well remembers the pain of that episode. She asked: "Is there
a discussion topic here?"

A small ladle recently found its way into her collection as a result of
friends who spotted it in a shop in West Virginia. She thought she had
identified it as a Meakin Scroll piece. However, after seeing a similar piece
described by Nancy Upchurch in her November listing as Meakin Bamboo, she is
having to continue her research. "No matter what it is, it's still a cutey!",
she says.

As for myself, I've made one antiquing excursion recently, the Saturday before
Christmas, with Jim's sister, Becky. We went to the shops around Hartville,
OH. She is looking for Fostoria America glassware and some other miscellaneous
collectibles. I didn't see much tea leaf. One piece that I found interesting,
however, was a kitchen bowl. It looked like Kitchen Kraft, but was marked
Homer Laughlin. It also was very heavily embossed, which I found interesting.
I did not purchase it, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I will go
see if it is still there and send it along. I think the sticker price was $32,
and the condition was good.

Marjorie and I love reading TLOL. Thanks, everyone, for your input.

Linda Slates

- - - - - - - - - -

New TLOLers Keith and Ruth Wilcox sent the following intro...

   We are enjoying the weekly messages and hearing from all the wonderful Tea Leaf friends.

    Dale, you asked how we got started, well you have all heard the grandmother story. Actually I think the Meakin waste bowl was my greatgrandmothers.  We have a bit of everything in our collection.
I am fond of brush vases and have a few sugar bowls . We were able to add to our Boston egg cup collection this past summer. After Carl's auction , no one came to Jackson's auction in Cedar Falls.  He had a box with five Boston egg cups and didn't know what they were.

    As for collecting sets. I am more interested in finding examples of different potters and body styles.

    May the New Year be a good one.
    Keith and Ruth

[Thanks for your intro and welcome.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And this afternoon Julie sent...

HI!  I couldn't get into the Grab Bag question but I do have some insights on
whether I collect sets or not.

I don't think I've ever set out to collect a "set" of Meakin Fishhook or a
"set" of Pinwheel.  I just buy pieces but when you look long and frequently
enough, you find the pieces that go to make up a "set" like a teapot/sugar and
creamer.  I wouldn't pass up a Morning Glory teapot if the price were good and
I knew that I could resell it.  I guess I'm 80% collector and 20% dealer.  I'd
buy it and keep the best one for myself and sell the other.   

I like to have complete settings for my diner table but I like to mix the
settings.  I like to have at least two complete settings of each potter and
I'll set a table for more than two with other settings.  I might have two
Pinwheel, two Shaw Tea Leaf, two Cinquefoil, two Wilkinson.  And that means
dinner plate, salad plate, bread & butter, sauce dish if there is one with
that motif, cup and saucer.  My serving pieces would be mixed.  For just
Roxann and me, I'll use the Adams because we put it in the dishwasher.
Usually other makes are all washing by hand.  I have been trying to keep from
starting new sets by a different potter but I think that I must have at least
one piece in every impressed  type of all of the potters who made Tea Leaf.  I
don't have a piece of "Coral" decorated variant but it will probably come
someday.

I did attend an auction in PA yesterday the same auction company where I
bought all the Pinwheel early in '98.  They had scads of the Green/Yellow
Wheat and I hoped to get some of it.  So did a lot of wealthier PA folk it
seems to be a particular favorite of Pennsylvanians.  

Tea/coffeepots went for unbelievable prices one sans a lid went for $450 
others with lids that had visible repairs to the finials were up to $600 and
the perfect one went for $800.  
Platters $130/each
Sauce dishes (there were 2) went for $220/each
I did get the only creamer in the lot for $150 and a sauce tureen with a badly
repaired lid for $125.  All of these prices were with a 10% additional charge.
There were stacks of plates and 14 c/s.  I bought a c/s from the dealer who
bought the whole lot for $40.  And I bought two 71/2" plates from a friend
who bought the whole lot of them again for $40 ($20/each)
Gloria (my friend) bought all of the Pinwheel/Cinquefoil c/s and is interested
in selling them if anyone is interested.  You can get in touch with her at:
3023783815.

It sounds to me like Patty is right she ran into some pieces that had been
in bleach.  I recently found 4 Little Scroll 10" plates trimmed in blue only
(no lustre) and after we put them in the dishwasher the embossed line around
the edge of the plate feels like there is a fine dust coming off of them.  I'm
going to put them in peroxide.  I think that will stop the flaking.  You can't
see it but you can feel it.  I have a Pinwheel teapot that was in a cupboard
over my refrig.  Gale Frederick came to take photos of my collection and when
we got it down it was covered with a fuzz like cobwebs all over Gale took it
and put it in peroxide for me and it's been fine ever since.  

It seems like the early pieces such as early Shaw, E. & F can be saved but
the later pieces flake off completely.  I remember seeing a piece that Larry
Miller had of a late pattern of Shaw that was flaking off as we looked at it.
He knew that it had been in bleach.  I have a Portland shape pitcher with blue
flowers on it that the dealer told me she had put in bleach to take the brown
spots out.  I took it home and put it in peroxide and it's been fine ever
since.  

You can feel repairs even though they are well done the bumpy lustre sounds
like somebody had redone it but there are pieces of Morning Glory that seem to
have very bumpy lustre on them and I'm sure they have never been redone.
I loved the photo of Rachelle too and I know when she reaches teenage she's
going to hate all of us who will remember it.  Nice job, Bev, and nice job,
Patty, she's a cutie.  Like Margot Frederick and Patrick and Kelly Armbruster,
she's going to grow up knowing more about ironstone of every sort than any of
us did at an early age.

Best of wishes to all for a Happy and full of Tea Leaf New Year.

Juliehoo

- - - - - - - - - -

Stan Moreo sent me this interesting article which was written for the Flow Blue newsletter by Cindy Neff and I wrote to Cindy to ask if she would share her manuscript with TLOL.  Cindy wrote back “So glad you enjoyed the article.  It's fine with me if you reprint it, but please recognize that all I did was take notes from the outstanding
presentation at the Flow Blue Regional Meeting and write from those notes.  All research was done by the two people listed as presenters and their names MUST be included at the beginning of the article as you saw it on the listserv.  The credit is all theirs.  Thanks for the interest!  Cindy”

MANNERLY MANEUVERS
Written by Cindy Neff

[Information gathered from the FBICC Region 2 program,  "Don't Drink
From the Finger Bowl," by Michael P. Douglass, Director, Villa Louis
Historic Site, Prairie du Chien, WI and Christine Dunbar, Curator of
Programs, Heritage Hill State Park, Green Bay, WI   November 15, 1998,
in Toledo, OH]

     What a lovely day.  The clink of china from the kitchen says that the
breakfast dishes are nearly done.  The last bit of correspondence for
the day needs only a signature.  The children are tucked away with their
governess for lessons.  What a delightfully typical day.  With a
flourish, the signature is penned as a knock sounds on the front door.
The butler enters the room with a handwritten card.  An invitation!  "He
awaits your response, madam."  Carefully reading the invitation, the
time and date are noted and compared to the calendar.  No need to hurry
one doesn't want to appear too eager.  After a suitable contemplation,
the affirmative reply is given.  The butler carries it to the waiting
servant and off he goes.  The typical day just became filled with
anticipation.  A grand dinner is planned with your attendance requested.

     The Great Dinner of Victorian times was definitely not just a family
meal.  To receive an invitation indicated a close relationship and a
vote of confidence that one could hold his own in lively conversation
and above all display the most meticulous manners.  The guests would
number 6, 8 or 12, but never 14 for if someone did not attend, the
hostess had to seat 13 at the table.  Social disaster.

     The apex of formal dining occurred near the dawn of the 20th century.
Typical architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries had included a large
hall for preparing and eating food. In the early 1800's the food
preparation area was found in the basement or on the first floor.  The
public area of the home was on the second floor and the private area on
the third floor.  This gave a designated space to entertaining.  By the
end of the Civil War, dining rooms had become essential to the middle
class.  Sideboards distinguished dining rooms from other rooms along
with heavy rugs so the meals could be served without the annoying sound
of a servant's footsteps.  Walls were covered with works of art
depicting flowers, food and drink or game scenes. The dining room had
come of age.  Architecture and entertaining rushed headlong into an
explosion of  etiquette that threatened to carry the Victorians away.
As it was said, dining became "A Trial by Fork."

     Dining became a finely tuned skill that bordered on art.  Volumes were
written with a thousand "don'ts" for the Victorian diner.  Perhaps the
"don'ts" reflected what was actually occurring in dining rooms instead
of enforcing what was not being done.  Etiquette books suggested that,
"culture begins at home" and strongly urged parents to prepare their
offspring for the world of adult dining by teaching and training them
during family meals.  This was to protect the children from the disgrace
of bad manners, including perhaps the most profane of all drinking
from the finger bowl.  Adults were expected to dine flawlessly and in
1879 one etiquette writer suggested that a gentleman was defined by his
manners.  He wrote, "Dinner will betray him."  In a meal lasting 2 4
hours with 10 15 courses containing 60 80 pieces of china, silver
and crystal per person, dinner certainly might betray him.

     The display of fine manners extended to the entire evening, not just
the meal.  One writer stated that if one died after accepting an
invitation, it was only courteous to have someone ready to attend as a
replacement.  Guests knew that promptness was essential, also.  One
never arrived more than 15 minutes ahead of time and above all, was
never, never late.  Lacking punctuality might mean a lack of future
invitations.  Conversation was also governed by good manners.  Never to
be mentioned were illnesses, digestion, politics, anything to do with
the body or any type of controversy.  Another area to be avoided was the
discussion of the food being served.  It was impolite to either praise
or decry the food and one must taste every dish.  Another social faux
pas was to touch either the food or the table with any part of the
body.  Appetite was considered base, so to touch the food or lean on the
table indicated an inappropriate eagerness on the part of the diner.
Control in the face of abundance reigned supreme.  At the conclusion of
the Great Dinner every genteel guest knew that the hostess would catch
the eye of the woman to the right of the host and together they would
rise as a signal for the ladies to adjourn to the parlor.  Departure for
home must soon follow.  Etiquette allowed for no more than 30 minutes of
polite conversation before taking one's leave.  In a rural area there
might be a dance or entertainment planned.  In that case, one must be
gone by 11 p.m. to give the tired host and hostess a proper night's
rest.  
     From the moment the idea of a dinner party sprang to the mind of a
Victorian host or hostess, proper behavior steered the course of
events.  The hosts the guests the servants all knew what was
required for a successful evening and all followed the code to
perfection.
     An elegant meal with extravagant food served on sparkling china, lively
conversation with those one enjoys and impeccable manners on constant
display no wonder it was called, "A Great Dinner."

[Thanks Cindy for sharing!]

- - - - - - - - - -

That’s it for letters this week and what wonderful letters they were.  This should give everyone a good read and prompt more correspondence this week, don’t you think?  Thanks to everyone who contributed.  

I had a chance to proofread the next issue of Readings this weekend and it’s a 12-pager filled with interesting articles.  One of the most interesting is an article about a collector whose goal is to have an example of pieces made by every Tea Leaf potter.  Quite an inspiration, don’t you think?

Looking forward to hearing from you this week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  January 23, 1999


Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC from Carl and Ginger

The affect of national marketplaces on prices and general pricing questions regarding pieces of Tea Leaf that aren’t as difficult to find. [See Carl and Ginger’s letter below for more aspects of this new topic.]

CONTINUING DISCUSSION TOPIC I

“Do you concentrate on completing sets in your collection or just acquire individual pieces?  In other words, would you try for a whole tea set or only a group of sugar bowls or creamers?  How about place settings?  Do you match plates with cups and saucers and what would an 1870's place setting consist of?  If you collect sets, what body shapes and makers?”

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC II

“At the last convention, one longtime and very knowledgeable collector said that the auctioned Shaw Chinese posset bowl might have been the finest piece of TL he had seen.  Do you agree?  What pieces of TL do you remember, not necessarily own, as being outstanding?  Did you see them at the Tea Leaf Convention or somewhere else?  What makes a piece outstanding?”


TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new TLOL members this week.  Remember, if you haven’t already renewed your Club membership DO IT NOW!  Let’s finally make our goal of 1000 members a reality.

- - - - - - - - -

There were again plenty of letters this week.  I believe that those of you whose New Years resolution was to participate more fully in TLOL are meeting your goal.  THANKS!  
Carl and Ginger were the first to check in with...

   Winter has finally hit here in the National Capitol area.  It's cold and lots of people are out of electricity in the area mostly north of the Potomac, in Maryland but about 15,000 homes here in Northern Virginia as well.  Ice did us in again.  For all of you who know Harriet Denton, she wrote the WICA article on Berlin Swirl (last issue), she spent one night with us as her electricity was out and having broken her leg a couple of months ago she isn't real mobile.  We had a wonderful time with her and her electricity was restored on Friday.

   Though Ginger and I haven't been very active on TLOL lately we've read every issue with interest.  Just too busy a season to sit down at the computer and put thoughts to type.   Anyway it's time to get back online and share a few thoughts with all of you.

   First is my answer to Patty's question of the indications of Chlorine cleaning.  I have seen what she describes, "The crazing almost felt bumpy or raised, somewhat like the glazing was coming off...".  In my opinion this/these are the indications of a piece having been cleaned in chlorine.  I have purchased and seen other pieces like this.  In worse cases I've seen where the glaze is actually flaking off along these craze lines and the ironstone underneath is getting soft or powdery.

   My understanding of what is happening is:  Chlorine is like water.  It can be a gas (water vapor/chlorine gas), liquid (water/chlorine) or crystal (ice/chlorine crystal) depending on the temperature and other conditions.  When a piece of stained ironstone is soaked in chlorine the chlorine liquid penetrates the cracks in the glaze and soaks into the pores of the ironstone underneath.  If there is old grease within the pores it reacts chemically with it and causes it to unbond with the ironstone and wash out (to some extent).  When the ironstone piece is removed from the chlorine liquid and allowed to dry the chlorine tries to move to the gaseous state.  If it can't escape the pores of the ironstone it then crystalizes there.  As is the case with water and ice, the crystal form of chlorine takes up more space than the liquid.  Thus tremendous pressure is built up inside the pottery pores as the chlorine crystals grow (remember that bottle of pop you placed in the freezer that exploded when it froze?).  Where ever there is an action there is a reaction.  In this case the weakest part has to give and that is the pottery.  The ironstone is broken back down to clay particles and when that happens the glaze has nothing to cling to and just pops off the surface of the pottery piece.

   I hope this helps and if someone knows my understanding of the chemical actions and physics are wrong they can correct my hypothesis.  Now, what do you do if you have a piece that looks like the one you describe OR smells like it was cleaned with chlorine?  At the minimum you should repeatedly soak it is very hot water for long periods of time hoping to convert the chlorine crystals back into liquid so that they can escape the pores of the ironstone.  Chlorine is a very unstable liquid and the chlorine molecules will escape to gas quite rapidly if allowed to (that's why the bottle of chlorine must be capped at all times and why it has such a strong odor).  I might also suggest soaking it in hydrogen peroxide in the hopes this very strong oxidant will remove the chlorine even faster.  Good Luck.

  Linda M. Where does Ron find all these pieces for you?  That's an amazing and thrilling match (M&T ribbed hearts ewer and basin).  Wish we had this kind of luck.  Kinda nice to have your own picker in the family, huh?  :^)
  Margaret and Fonis  Real, real sorry to hear about the losses.  Hope you come out okay with the insurance but we all know that you can't just go out and replace these pieces at will and can never replace the memories individual pieces carry with them.

  Stevens Ginger and I have a very special collection focus ANYTHING WE FIND THAT WE CAN AFFORD.  We have nearly a full table setting of Meakin Bamboo, MG and one in Gothic with lustre band. But we have many tea sets (most missing the creamer) in TL, LB, MG, TB and other variants.  We also have a collection of pickle dishes and another collection of shaving mugs.  None are all inclusive but most have a dozen or more pieces and we seldom pass a piece we find that is half way reasonably priced.  So, I'd guess, you can't call us very discriminating.  :^)

   I think the concept of "place settings" is out with antique china.  Sellers tend to split up sets to maximize their return on investment.  Since most people probably don't use their TL for meals it probably makes sense.  I know I am less inclined to buy a "place setting" because it usually means a lustreless plate or plates and saucers are included with the piece I actually want and consequently I'll have to pay more for the pieces(s) I want.

   Juliehoo I sure hope you are able to get more information of this "TL warming plate".  I'll bet it is a misidentified piece but it will be interesting to find out.

   Finally Dale Thank you for sharing the price list with us.  I find it a bit scary.  It also gives me an opportunity to ask a question of you and the group that has been forming in my mind for several months.  That is:  With the low prices that common pieces (ie: Meakin Bamboo, Fishhook, M&T simple sq, and some others) are bringing at the convention auction, convention table sales and on eBay how are some of the prices determined.  I had two Fishhook creamers at table sales this year both very nice one with a hairline and they didn't sell at all (I think I had them priced at something like $26 ane $95) yet the price guide lists $195.  Teapots in Fishhook and Bamboo, on eBay, haven't been able to meet the reserve with final bids below $70 and $80.  Covered vegetables are the same.  Bamboo and Fishhook not bringing near $100 on eBay if they sell at all.  There was even a damaged MG sugar bowl with a high bid of $9.99 (no it didn't meet reserve).

   It seems to me that TL collectors are getting quite sophisticated in their collecting and most of them have the more common pieces or are like you Dale, don't collect them at all.  I know where some of the higher prices in the price guides come from, since I've been to the auctions were they sold, but these are unique pieces nearly one of a kind.  As nationwide marketplaces like eBay become more prominent it is much easier to find the common pieces thus lowering their value, I believe.  This even extends to the rarer pieces.  We've seen very unusual pieces go on eBay for very reasonable prices still too high for Carl & Ginger but reasonable none the less.

   So I don't see Bamboo and fishhook sugar bowls selling for $110 $95, creamers $195 $225, covered vegetables $165, teapots $185 $215.  Am I wrong or is it as I see it and the marketplace is changing, dramatically.  The rarer pieces going sky high and the more common pieces going down in value?

   Now onto another subject, we recently purchased an oval covered vegetable decorated in lustre band.  It is a beautiful shape that we haven't been able to identify but believe Jean Wetherbee in her book, WICG, identifies, by drawing only, as rare Sydenham/Tulip.  Our piece doesn't have a back stamp except to for "Opaque Porcelean".  Harriet Denton has nearly the identical covered vegetable but her's has a back stamp and registry mark of February 12, 1853  "Ironstone China Livesley Powell & Co."  The piece has green underglaze, a tulip like finial and "heart" shaped panels not panels like Wrapped Sydenham (Double Sydenham).  You can see a drawing in Jean's book on page 51 bottom right top drawing. We think this is a new body style for TL and Livesley Powell & Co.  Has anyone else seen this and have additional pieces?

   Well that's enough for now...Carl, Ginger and Tigre the TL pooch

[C&G&T, Thanks for the very thought-provoking letter.  If this were our only correspondence this week we’d still have plenty to talk about and I hope lots of  TLOLers  will respond to Carl and Ginger’s questions for next week’s TLOL.   First, I bet an evening with Harriet is a real treat.  I know she spends lots of time with Bev and Ernie, too, and I enjoyed a couple hours with her at last year’s WICA convention.  Her articles for White Ironstone Notes are well-researched and very interesting.  Regarding chlorine, yours is the first explanation I have seen about how it wreaks its havoc with ironstone and I appreciate the information.  I think your question about a shift in the entire market for Tea Leaf and ironstone is worth lots of discussion and I have added it as a new Discussion Topic for next week.  I’m excited to learn about your new covered veg and would like to see a photo.  I know that you reported on another possible new body style which will be featured on the covered of the upcoming Tea Leaf Readings and bet Nancy will be excited about the prospect of adding even more pages to the Handbook.  It sure seems like the more we think we know the more we realize how much we still have to learn.  So...please reread Carl and Ginger’s letter and let’s hear some comments for next week.  DA]

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Gene and Helen Emerson in sunny California report...

Hi All!

Regarding the discussion topic of completing sets, we are trying to complete a set of Shaw's Lily of the Valley, both full size and the children's size.  We don't hold out much hope of completing any other sets, although Helen really likes the Portland shape Morning Glory by Elsmore & Forster.   We also collect Teaberry cups & saucers, any
maker, any shape and would add plates etc. if we ever found them. We like
the idea of individual place settings in various patterns by different
makers and would like to finish several individual place settings such as:
Walley's PreTea Leaf, Shaw's Chinese & Hanging Leaves, Reverse Teaberry by
Elsmore & Forster, Clementson's New York shape Teaberry, Ceres by Elsmore &
Forster, and a "double ring" by Davenport.  We also would like to complete
several coffee sets such as MellorTaylor's Square Ridged #(??), a Burgess
set with the "ringed finial", and a Wedgewood Simple Square set.

gene...

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I’m envious to report that we’ll now all have to ooohhhh and aaahhh over John’s new finds...

Well, I must say that I especially enjoyed reading TLOL this morning.
The greater number of participants really made a difference.  My
opinions on the collecting of sets is similar to many of the comments
made by others.  I probably have six sets consisting of coffee pot,
creamer and sugars.  I also like to collect individual mugs, brush
holders, soap dishes, pitchers and sugar bowls.  I also have six Chinese
mugs and 3 or 4 sets of assorted cups and saucers handled and handless
consisting of 6 each.  If I could assemble a set it would be NY shape
Teaberry.  I do have three different size plates, a platter, child's
creamer and sugar (which are large enough to use and seem normal on a
table by today's standards).   Because of the scarcity of TL, we just
don't have the luxury of finding items to complete a set of our
choosing.  In the end, if I see something I like I just but it and add
it to my collection.

Speaking of adding to my collection, I just returned from a weekend in
New Hope Pennsylvania.  I spent all day Saturday antiquing and managed
to buy a few items of interest but up until four o'clock did not even
see a piece of TL.  I was on my way back to my hotel and tried to find a
parking space by two shops which rarely have much of interest.  I
decided that one more run around the block would be it.  Luckily, I
found a parking spot and walked in to a shop to find half a dining table
with TL.  I left with Wilkinson Daisy and Chain covered sauce tureen w/o
ladle, a Mellor Taylor Sq. Ridged II Hearts gravy boat and a Walley
Pomegranate ten sided 9 1/4" plate.  All were had for $114.  Not a bad
end to a day of shopping.  

My trip home the next day proved to be even more exciting.  I stooped
into several shops along the way which I had never been into before.  In
one shop I came away with a huge covered vegetable 12 !/2" across and 8
1/2' high, a matching coffee pot 11" high and sugar bowl.  The dealer
described the pieces as TL Fishhook c. 1856.  Well, of course they could
not be further away from Fishhook.  They are  all Walley Niagara Shape
preTl.  The covered veg,. is one of the most spectacular pieces of TL
I have ever seen.  It is MINT with gorgeous decoration on the lid.  The
finial is the size of a lemon.  The coffee pot has a slight nick on the
inside lid and the finial has been reglued.  The sugar lid is perfect
but the base does have a crack.  There is also a hint of green on the
tendrils going around the pieces.  I was so excited about my find  that
I could barely focus on driving and did manage to dream about my good
fortune that night.   Any guesses for how long it might take to assemble
a complete set in this pattern?  How about a child's set?  

John

[I spoke with John this week (he called to gloat!) and his new pieces are so exciting.  Pre-Tea Leaf is so difficult to come by that I can’t believe he thought twice about swooping it all up!  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Russ Miller wonders...

I am curious as to how you find the time to compile all the TLOL info. on a
regular basis.  Seems as though there isn't enough time in the day to
complete my own projects let alone an undertaking as large as this.  I am a
high school science teacher and coach several varsity sports; therefore, I
rarely get much of chance to sit down and enjoy all the neat and interesting
articles presented every week. Usually I have to print the articles and read
them when I get home from the athletic events...often times quite late at
night.  It is a great way to relax!  Keep up the excellent work.  I am
certain it is appreciated by all. :)  Russ   

[Russ, I have to admit that some Sundays I think about TLOL and consider the two to three hours it generally takes to compile all of your letters and wonder where I, too, am going to find the time, but once I get into it it’s actually very exciting to me.  The best part of TLOL for me comes every single day when I check my email and see that there are wonderful letters from so many folks.  As you know, I dread the week that Sunday comes and I find that there aren’t ANY letters for the week but as long as all of you  continue to be excited and participative I share your enthusiasm.  DA]

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Mark and Janet are not missing in action...

Contrary to all you have heard, Janet and I did not sink into the black hole, never to be heard from again. We have just been dealing with roof leaks (ongoing), painters, kitchen floor installers and from the way the house looks, a herd of wolverines has taken up residence. It seems every time I castigate myself for not participating and sit at the computer some  new crisis springs up. I take it back, no wolverines just a Hydra.
I won't attempt to go back but just make a few comments on the latest  topics. We have worked on a few sets but mostly in the holloware type of  pieces. E&F Ceres lustre decorated tea & coffee pieces with just a plate or  two as examples. We have done the same thing with Ceres in plain white and  with Portland shape Morning Glory variant. In this land of little TL I don't  believe we have enough years left to come close to Dick B's complete place  setting for twelve. I don't think we could do it in Meakin. But we also
do  pick up other individual pieces as we run across them. Speaking of  completing sets and what I would most like to see under my Christmas  Tree (or any other tree, for that matter) would be the mug to go with the  Davenport Fig Cousin bath set. The possibility of this is in the realm of  fantasy, however.
 One of my most memorable pieces of TL is a Meakin Bamboo ewer and bowl.   Certainly not from it's rarity but from the fact that it was the first I had ever seen. It was in Nan Brown's booth in a show at Marketplace Mall in  Rochester, NY. Nan started telling me about TL & the Convention in  Williamsburg. And the rest, as they say, is history. An aside about Nan is she has been in Memphis, TN since the first of Dec., caring for her daughter Kim who has had a stroke. The long range prognosis is not real
 good it seems. If I can get an address I will post it and I know she could  use some words of encouragement. I believe she has been staying with Kim at  the hospital up until now. Getting back to memorable pieces of TL, I guess  my most memorable is not one but a mass. I'm speaking ,of course, about  the heart stopping moment when we first came face to face with your  collection. I know this does not apply to the question of a single piece  but it will have to suffice for now.
 The question about price guides is an interesting one. I have always felt  that the prices shown in them were a representation (give or take) of what a  buyer should expect to pay a dealer for the item. The greatest caution  being that they are only an average of what the compiler sees in his or her  sources. Over the years I have seen some quite low and some quite high with  respect to the prices we encounter from Boston to Virginia. I have never  approached these guides as being prices dealers would pay. I sure would  like to see a treatise on variants and their price ranges. While you're not  doing anything in your spare time Dale why don't you tackle that project.
 Who knows, you might become the Tom Clancy of the Tea Leaf world.
 One question before I end this diatribe, have you ever come across that  relish? Also, I just wanted you and everyone to know our silence has not  been due to a lack of interest. We hope everyone has a safe, warm and happy  Winter.
 Janet and Mark

[M&J, A price guide for Variants would be a real challenge, wouldn’t it?  Variant prices have become so wild the last couple years.  I’m sorry to hear about Nan’s daughter and would appreciate her address if you can find it.  (On a personal note, I did find the relish - let’s talk).  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Walt and Pat wrote...

Hello everyone:

     It's hard to define an outstanding piece of Tea Leaf, akin to decoding a masterpiece.  We believe some of the characteristics of an outstanding piece are: something that is crisply molded with the embossing clearly delineated.   The right color is very important and the luster applied with care and remain in pristine condition.  Of course no crazing or flows.  We also now believe that it should have  a great finial.  The Brocade Soup Tureen purchased by the Chadwicks at the ‘92 convention seems to have these characteristics and we believe an outstanding piece.  We heard that the Soup Tureen and the Posset Bowl were both consigned by the same party.

     Wonder how the group would feel about a Readings article about some the outstanding pieces of Tea Leaf and their history.  For example the two pieces mentioned above.  Would the consigner say where he got them, were they in his possession long, who where the prior owners, if not too personal, what prices were paid at each ownership change?  We think it would be fun to hear the linage of our best pieces of Tea Leaf.

     As an aside, the knowledgeable dealer collector who made the statement about the Posset Bowl as being truly outstanding is a member of TLOL and we would love to hear his comments.

Regards

The Stevens

[W&P, Knowing the consignor of the pieces you mentioned, I know this is an individual with occasional access to lots of special collections.  BUT, he and his wife are on the road a lot in search of pieces and it’s hard work.  If it were me I suspect I’d be hesitant to reveal my “sources” and wonder if this particular consignor would be equally hesitant or more revealing.  I’ll ask him.  DA]
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Denny and Connie sent...

First of all, a belated but sincere Happy New Year to each and every one
of you.  As usual we find ourselves in a catch up mode for TLOL
contributions.  We really enjoyed all the letters last week; it is so
good to hear from so many folks.  We expect our numbers will grow even
larger with more and more folks joining the cyber community.

There has been very little to report from the Houston area.  Shortly
before Christmas we went to a holiday craft and antique show.   These
shows almost always end up with more crafts than antiques but this one
paid off a little.  A couple of years ago we bought a Shaw Cable soap
dish with a badly broken and glued top, the bottom was in mint
condition.  It was very cheap, less than $25 so we bought it with hopes
that some day we would fine a good top.  Well a lady from Alabama, known
as the top lady, had one piece of tea leaf and it was the top we needed
for the soap dish.  That is the extent of any tea leaf finds recently.

In response to the discussion topic regarding sets or individual pieces…
Collecting a set for each of our two daughters was the motivation we had
many years ago for collecting tea leaf.  Albeit at that time, we didn't
really know what made up a set.  We finally settled on just providing an
ample table setting for each and we have accomplished that, except we
still have the tea leaf.  The girls have young children and are pressed
for space for now, so we will keep it for them for a while longer.  
Thanks to the club we became interested in individual pieces as well and
we no longer try for complete sets but are more interested in examples
from different potters for comparison.

As far as the current discussion topic is concerned, the Davenport, pink
lustre chamber set at the last convention is way up there.  But Dale's
collection of Chinese is at the top without singling out a specific
piece.  Some times a single piece on it's own can be nice but when
combined with the other pieces of a set, it suddenly becomes
outstanding.  We have a Shaw Fuchsia water pitched that is one of our
favorite pieces because of the embossing.  On it's own it is nice, but
combined with a whole set it wold become something outstanding  (but
then we are kind of partial to Shaw pieces anyway).

Well that is it for this week.  We will look forward to next week's
edition of TLOL.

Connie and Denny Kear

[C&D, Your comment about Chinese Shape pieces prompts me to remind anyone in and around central Ohio that there will be over 50 pieces of Chinese TL on display at the Wexner Center for the Arts (on the Ohio State University Columbus campus)  starting next week.  I’ll be at the gallery opening next Saturday and will report more next week.  DA   P.S. - Yes, wouldn’t a whole collection of Fuchsia be spectacular?  It’s my very favorite embossing!]

- - - - - - - - - -

Woody comments on the current discussion topic with...

It's been too long since I've contributed anything to TLOL, I guess I
need more time management skills, I just don’t know where it goes!

The current topics are interesting and I have enjoyed reading everyone's
responses. As for my own collecting habits, there's a good reason that I
live in "the home of compulsive behavior". Originally I began with Tea
Leaf to complete my family's set, but at the time not knowing Bamboo
from Cable or any of the other shapes, I bought anything with a Tea Leaf
on it. With the help of "Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone" I eventually
learned the differences and began matching the different shapes. Now I
have a fairly complete set of Meakin Bamboo and subcollections of tea
sets, covered vegetables, sugar bowls and cups and saucers, all waiting
for additions. I can't say I ever intentionally started a collection,
other than the Bamboo, they just keep happening.

In relation to another topic, recognizing bleached and repainted
ironstone, I recently acquired a Meakin Scroll soup tureen on a small
platter and I wonder if anyone else has come across any similar pieces
or if this is a oneoff. The tureen was listed on ebay, as "tea
leaf?".The description made it very clear that the seller had doubts
about the piece, because it had absolutely no lustre on it. The seller
even tested the decoration with paint stripper to make sure it wasn't
just painted on. The price was reasonable, so I took a chance, what I
received was a very good Meakin Scroll tureen and Meakin oval platter,
but on close inspection it clearly wasn't originally Tea Leaf. From a
distance it looks real enough, but up close the decoration is too
uneven, the bands bordering the piece are rough and in some places
smeared, the leaves have a bumpy texture, like the paint was too thick
and in a couple places, the brown has bled, like it might have been
painted on a wet surface. After the brown decoration was put on, the
entire piece was reglazed to make it permanent, some of the new glaze
ran over the foot rim, which wasn't originally glazed. I wonder if they
were made to go with someone's Tea Leaf, or if they were made to fool.
Has anyone else found "improved" pieces like this?

Dale, thanks for the preview on the new price guide listing, we need
this kind of information, as long as we remember it is only a guide. How
many times have you seen collectors at auctions clutching their price
guides and staring in amazement as a piece they want sails right on by
the guide price. All that determine a selling price is what two people
decide they are willing to pay.

I think I've rambled long enough, thanks for all the good information.
If anyone cares to contribute to my compulsive behavior, I am looking
for a New York shape Teaberry saucer, a Dallas shape cup with lustre
band, and a Wedgewood Square Ridged tea pot.

Thanks, Woody

[Woody, I love your “home of compulsive behavior” comment.  I’ve been paying attention to your eBay bids and know how eclectic your tastes can be.  Add my name to the list of folks who would like to add a Dallas Shape piece to my own collection.  Regarding your soup tureen, I had corresponded several times with the consignor before she put the piece up for sale and was the one who suggested to her that she try some paint remover to see if the TL was permanent.  I was uncomfortable with her description and photos and was about to write to her and ask if she would send the lid to me to check out but she went ahead and put the piece up for sale before she and I had finished evaluating it.  I’m really not 100% sure about it.  I have seen another nearly exact duplicate soup tureen with the same motif and thought it was odd that there would be two nearly identical pieces show up within a month of one another.  Made me feel like perhaps the piece was original after all.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

John M isn’t the only one with a spectacular purchase this week.  Julie found...

...a Tobacco Leaf cuspidor mint!  I tried to add it to my TLOL but
I forgot to put a dot between your call numbers and it came back undeliverable.
Haven't been on email all week.  Anyway the cuspidor is for sale.  That's the second one of those I've had.

Love, Juliehoo!

- - - - - - - - - -

Lee Reineke wrote...

HELLO TEA LEAF MEMBERS,
Thanks to all the TEA LEAF PEOPLE who made my 1st contention to tea leaf the best
convention I ever attended. You are the best people around to make a person so
welcome and feel just like home. I am learning so much from W BIRCH what to
look for when I bid on the Internet and at all the auctions we go to buy
tea leaf.

Got a lot of good buys on the Internet, but got "ONE" bad buy where they
painted TEA LEAF leaf on it and the seller put some kind of paint all over
that peace to match it all up. Did not pay to much for it, but you have to
watch it carefully to look at the tea leaf inside and out for it will not
happen to you!

More about the convention that we got a lot of great buys there too. Hope to see you all at the next "TEA LEAF CONVENTION"! THANKS! Plus I love to read our weekly TLOL
EMAIL from Dale and I love to see what people are doing and the letter is very
interesting to me. So take care! Thanks to you Dale for the great news letter
we all get each week. THANKS!

LEE REINEKE

- - - - - - - - - -

Ken Munroe has been shopping in sunny Florida...

Hi all!  Sorry I haven't contributed much lately.  I have been doing some
"hunting" though.  On Jan. 15 I went to the Mt. Dora Fla. Extravaganza and
didn't find any tea leaf of note, just plenty of sunshine.  A search of 25 to
30 shops in central Florida turned up no tea leaf to buy.  No complaints
though, the weather was beautiful in comparison the Illinois!  

On this week's discussion topic I guess I already voted with my checkbook.

On the previous question of collecting sets or not.  I am just not that
disciplined.  I buy what I fancy and that seems to change with the season.  

Hope everyone survives the season!   Ken Munroe

[Ken, I sure have never found and TL in Florida but just ask the Chrismans about their finds and you’ll learn that it’s definitely there!  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Bev and Ernie are back online after fighting with their Mac...

Hi everyone,

I have been having computer problems which kept me from participating in some
of the topics.  I recently upgraded almost all my equipment and programs.  I
am Macintosh based which is a sort of handicap to begin with but, graphics is
what I do mostly.  Some of my problems have been self inflicted but I'm mostly
OK now.

Just wanted to add one word to the 'bleach' discussion.  Surface glaze
crackling and falling off is called 'spalling.'  

   It's interesting to read about how differently TLOL'ers collect and use
their ironstone.  From Dale's shelves of it for study and research only, to
Dick B's dinners for 12 place settings with serving pieces!!  We have done
both.  We gathered many cup plates years ago because they were cheap and took
up little space, while trying to learn about all the different body shapes.
This led us into collecting syllabub or posset cups.  An early dealer or
collector (we have since forgotten who) told us cup plates were their saucers.
How collector/dealers make up these ideas is always surprising.  We've never
found any evidence of that use in years of researching.

Ernie wrote a bit about 'What's in a Set?'
  We've now found 8 or 9 different lists from Authors and catalogs, and they
are all different.  Not just because of the period, (early and late Victorians
had their preferences) or possibly the difference was in the potter's or
manufacturers choice.  The real problem in what's in a set is possibly the
difference in American dinners and entertaining.  We seem to have been
influenced even more by the French table habits than the English.  Benjamin
Franklin, Jefferson and other early American taste makers, were Frankofiles.
The English were equally influenced by the French 'dinner.'

    Point being that an ironstone set made for the American market was
influenced by American usage and taste which could be different from the
English or French.  One author wrote that the English manufacturers made
ironstone cup plates for the American market and not for the home market.  We
had a habit of pouring hot tea into our saucers to drink and placing the cup
on the smaller cup plate to keep from soiling the table linens.  We collect
cup plates because they were sold here.  The English are hardly aware that
they exist and so, do not collect them or include them in a set.

    Since there were lists published and since they differed from decade to
decade and among manufacturers, we will probably never know what is a set
unless we get a manufacturer's catalog and build a collection from it.  And
then there are the special order pieces like compotes, bone dishes, cheese
dishes, etc.  Do we consider them parts of a set?

    We have a friend that collects and uses a large, almost complete dinner
and tea set in one body Shape but can't find the cups with handles.  So they
collect handled cups with matching saucers in every body shape they find
attractive, and use them for large gatherings since in the US of A, serving
tea or coffee in handless cups seems to be acceptable only in Chinese
restaurants.

    Dale, about punch bowls, syllabub bowls, posset pots or toddy bowls.
Jean Wetherbee has described a punch bowl as a low, broad, pedestaled bowl
without a cover or handles.  Two of them are pictured in her book.  They can
hold from eight to twelve quarts and are 13 or more inches wide.  A filled,
large punch bowl is not an easy thing to move and handles would not have been
a help.  Covered bowls were usually smaller, deeper and had handles which
might have been used to carry a hot drink to the table.  The covers or course,
kept them hot and in the case of the syllabub, protected the mounded, fragile
foam that characterize it as a beverage.  As Juliehoo says, it's called a
"whatever I put in it, bowl."  We hope to show all the different shapes of
these bowls with and without covers and handles, with matching cups, in next
winter's White Ironstone Notes.  Perhaps by then we'll have some answers from
Godden.

Bev & Ernie

P.S.  After Ernie wrote about punch bowls, etc., he opened Jean's book and realized
there were more than two pictured.  There are only two low, wide, handless
bowls with pedestals in the book that she calls punch bowls.  However, he
found at least 4 or 5 pictures of other smaller deep handless pedestaled bowls
that she also identified as punch bowls.  Handless and lidless is the key to
her definition.  Whenever there are handles or lids pictured she called them
toddy bowls, posset bowls or syllabub bowls.

{B&, Thanks for the observations and the punch bowl education.  Yes, there are indeed TL punch bowls.  About the word “spalling”, do you think it’s a shortened form of “it’s appalling”?  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And Dick Brackin, usually the first to write on Monday morning, was the last to contribute this week.  This afternoon he sent...

     I really appreciate everyone's prayers for a heatwave!  I was able to
get me car out of the garage by Tuesday morning and by Friday, the ice
was all gone!  It is a bit too warm for the season so I hope that it
cools back down soon, but I hope that we have no more of the ice and
snow like last week.

     Sally and I went to Powell on Thursday and visited all the shops
there.  We were both disappointed.  There was none of the kind of
furniture she was seeking and there was precious little Tea Leafthe
usual occasional plate or platter.  (There was much less Tea Leaf in
Powell than there had been in Logan the week or two earlier.)  The
nicest pieces I saw were white ironstone.  The dealers however, have
discovered the fact of WICA as well as TLCIthe prices were quite high
for the good pieces.

     This morning I received a message from Juliehoo that Roxann was in an
auto accident on Fridayher company van was rearended and it
took 45 minutes to extricate her from the wreckage!  (I would have been
a stark, raving lunatic!)  She was taken to the hospital strapped to a
gurney, was xrayed, and released, but is quite uncomfortablestiff and
sore.  I guess that she is fortunate from Julie's description.  

     Julie indicated that she had not yet been able to get last week's
TLOLI think that she carries a greater technological handicap than do
I!!!  :)

     ttfn...Dick

[Dick et al, I just spoke with Julie and Roxann is home and recovering.  She suffered whiplash from the accident but nothing is seriously broken.  She has already spoken with her physical therapist.  Julie - please update us when you get a minute.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

What a great batch of letters this week.  As John wrote “The greater number of participants really made a difference” and I definitely agree.  

I played hooky on Friday afternoon and went to the local flea market.  Picked up three Davenport handleless cups with the wide bands in need of a good cleaning, but the price was $70 for the trio which I felt was a good buy.  Anyone have saucers to match?

I’m looking forward to hearing from lots of TLOLers this week about the new Discussion Topic.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  January 31, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC from Walt and Pat

How has your collection changed through the years?   Has your collection gone through a evolution, e.g. starting with sugars now collect tea sets or started with a one potter now all potters?  Have you discovered new body styles in which you now specialize?

DISCUSSION TOPIC from Carl and Ginger

The affect of national marketplaces on prices and general pricing questions regarding pieces of Tea Leaf that aren’t as difficult to find. [See Carl and Ginger’s letter below for more aspects of this new topic.]

TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new TLOL members this week.  Remember, if you haven’t already renewed your Club membership DO IT NOW! .

- - - - - - - - -

We were a little light on letters this week so this won’t be as long a TLOL as the last few.  However, there are some wonderful contributions to the current discussion threads.

Margaret Mitchell comments on Dick’s upcoming May departure for Hong Kong...

Greetings from Dayton Ohio and a healthy and happy 1999 to all my fellow
Tea Leafers! Sorry about your kidney stone episode Dale and hope you're
in tip top shape for the new year.  I bought a child's white ironstone
tea set at the December Springfield show but I am missing the creamer.
The plates have the mark "Ironstone China, O.P. Co.” Does anyone have one
they want to sell? I also need the basin to my Mellor, Taylor and Co.
ewer as seen in Grandma's book, page 100, MT4 picture. It's a beauty
and I had it on layaway for two months before it became mind.

In answer to the New Year's Wish List questions. I would love to have a
Walley Chelsea relish dish or soap dish. I guess it would be in the $200
range. With all the prices on Tea Leaf quoted, maybe I am way too low on
the price. But its a dream what the heck. I get just as much pleasure
out of mine $20 finds as I do with larger priced items. the fun is in
the looking or the treasure hunt aspect of the hunt. When you have had a
moving van fire and lost everything in your household, you realize that
things can be replaced people can't!

Concerning the newest discussion topic when I happen to buy a piece of
Tea Leaf, it stands to reason that it's a joy to find the other matching
pieces after researching that maker and the pattern. Isn't that what
education is all about? education is a continuing process. When we are
finished learning, we are in the cemetery!! Enough said.

Now that Dick Brackin will be out of the country for a year, maybe the
rest of us will be able to purchase some nice pieces of Grape Lustre
again. All kidding aside, Dick, we wish you a safe and happy journey.
What a wonderful adventure. Please give my condolences to your cousin.
As a first time conventioneer in Columbus, we truly enjoyed her husbands
wonderful presentation and his humor.

Sincerely

Margaret

- - - - - - - - - -

Tom Baker wrote early this week...

Thank you to Carl and Ginger for such a thoughtful and informative email
in last week's (Jan 23) TLOL.  I understand much better the way chlorine
acts in cleaning (or you might say, ruining) Tea Leaf thanks for the
education.

I also double the hypothesis Carl and Ginger voiced about the
marketplace changing whit the price of special pieces rocketing skyward
and the prices for common pieces going down.  The former certainly seems
true good pieces seem to have shot through the roof in just the last 2
years or so.  I don't know how to prove or disprove this hypothesis, but
even in my own very modest collecting (from someone who can't tell
Bamboo from Cable), I know that I am becoming more 'picky' and looking
for more special pieces.  I assume if even a portion of us do the same,
market forces (supply and demand) take over.  

Tom Baker in Gahanna, Ohio

- - - - - - - - - -

Walt and Pat observed...

Some random thoughts about some of our current topics and past comments.

     The apparent low prices for common patterns, to say nothing of ordinary pieces at the convention and on eBay is of concern when one thinks of disposing of a collection.  When we were married we choose Stangl for our everyday pottery.  Now Stangl plates often sell for more on eBay than Tea Leaf plates, although they are less than 50 years old.  When we started collecting, old common style TL  plates were $8$12, soup plates $16 and cups and saucers were $50.  Compare the prices for these items at the convention or on eBay.  Not only haven't they appreciated but are actually cheaper.  This isn't true at the antique shops, prices there have appreciated but don't know if they are selling.  This may mean that the Tea Leaf market may be composed of aging sophisticated collectors.  This is the point Ken M. brought up about the graying of the members of the club.

       Do you suppose there are people out there like us who first buy Tea Leaf to use and only afterwards started to collect.  (Sure wish we knew about the club earlier and bought the everyday items at the convention.)  If there are inchoate collectors is there any way to match them up with those that are disposing of common pieces?  What happens if we can't reach those who might be interested in Tea Leaf as a value?  Will we just be trading among ourselves, at escalating prices for rare items and no market for the ordinary?  If no one is willing to buy and save Meakin Bamboo plates will they be discarded to the junk pile?  If so, we will be losing part of our heritage.  What about donating ordinary pieces to local historic homes and societies to encourage a continued interest in Tea Leaf.

The Stevens
[W&P, Very interesting observations about value...thanks.  A couple other TLOLers also commented on the topic this week.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Julie has discovered the AOL software upgrade and reports...

HI!  Hallaluaya!  With the help of AOL 4.0, I can now download my TLOL to a
floppy and print it.  Just finished reading last week's edition.  Jan l7 is in
cyberspace somewhere so I don't know if my comments on what is a "set" as far
as I'm concerned ever made it to you or not.

I do have some comments on some of the letters I've just read.  I am
experiencing the flaking talked about in Carl's comments on 4 wonderful
Elsmore and Foster Little Scroll blue trimmed 10" plates.  The raised band
around the edge of the plates feels gritty and I'm sure they've been in
Clorox.  I will put them in Peroxide and hope it helps.  I've also
experienced finding pieces that were so evidently fake, they were pitiful.  I
don't go on eBay that often to know what is being offered there to comment but
I would think that you have to be very careful.  I'm stubborn enough to have to
hold something in my hands before I want to buy it unless I know the seller.
However, that leads me into my comments on an acquisition that took my breath
away.  

I bought a child's set over the telephone without ever having seen it.  I will
never forget watching the dealer bring out the box and start unwrapping a set
of Morning Glory in miniature that was so beautiful that I didn't even mind
that one tiny cup was missing.  The dealer was Harriet Denton whom many of you
know.  Todd was with me and she could probably tell you that she was afraid
that I was going to drop over right then and there.  It is still my happiest
acquisition and the thing I would most like to take with me when I leave this
world.  It is mint and it is mine!  

My heart almost stopped a second time when I walked into an auction house and
saw floor to ceiling cases filled with Tea Leaf.  When my eyes fell on the
Adams Huron master potty, I knew that that, too, had to be mine.  For only
$200, it was and is.  However, there was so much more there that I couldn't
resist, I mortgaged my condo to pay for it with an equity check.  I've never
regretted that either.

I've seen many beautiful pieces of Tea Leaf and variants but one that I really
remember was a footed compote in Pinwheel.  I took a picture of it that hung
on my office wall at PGCC for almost all the years that I was there.  I still
would like to find one like it.

Lastly I will never forget walking into the first WICA Convention in Denver,
PA and seeing the most magnificent display of unbelievably beautiful soup
tureens such as I had never seen before.  I think that there were nine of them
each more beautiful than the next.  It, too, was breathtaking and that
memory is in my treasury also.

SetsNancy Upchurch did an article on what was in a set for Readings.  Maybe
some of you remember reading it. I will try going through and finding it.  It
was while I was still Editor, I think, so that would make it before l996.  
Cup plates I remember hearing about people "saucering" their coffee.  I
don't think that I ever saw anyone really do it.  With my mother nobody
would dare!  She was proper and pouring your coffee/tea into a saucer to drink
it would never would have happened at our house.  

I tried calling the auctioneer about the "warming plate" in TL they had no
idea what it was but it was sold in Maryland.  I'll try to find out if any of
our members happened to be at the auction in the next issue of Readings (not
the one we're eagerly awaiting now).

Thank you who emailed me about Roxann.  She's in a great deal of pain 
finding it hard to sleep or rest even with the pain pills.  However, today she
could tilt her head back a little but the pain is moving down her back.  She
still has trouble raising her arms and new pains seem to come from a new area
every day.  No driving for her so now I'm the chauffeur.  I've learned to
brake slowly and start up very slow the sudden jerks are very painful.  No
Physical Therapy for a while and sees the doctor twice a week.  She's on
workman's comp, of course but insists on getting to her managers via phone and
computer.  Wonder where she learned to be so stubborn?!!

Juliehoo!

[Julie, I remember that Pinwheel compote well and it’s been in Gale’s collection ever since it popped up at Convention MANY years ago.  I drool over it every time I visit Gale!  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And just this afternoon Dick wrote...

     As I recall, the discussion question has to do with increasing and
decreasing value of certain Tea Leaf pieces.  I have a theory that the
reason that we see a devaluation of certain pieces and the relatively
astronomical rise in value of other certain pieces is related to the
relative sophisticationtranslate that educated awarenessof this
segment of the population who have a singleminded interest.  My guess
is that if Annise had not written the book, and if TLCI had not been
established nearly 20 years ago, which has resulted in currently nearly
a thousand identifiable (not to mention former members) collectors of
Tea Leaf and its variants, that we would not have noticed these pricing
trends at any more pronounced degree than the trends in the general
antique market.  Since she "did and it has" to quote Annise, those of us
who represent the greatest segment of the general market who are prone
to purchase Tea Leaf, are beyond the point of seeking and purchasing the
"ordinary" plates and platters.  We (perhaps I should say, I am) are
much more interested in specific pieces which were never in so great a
supply as the plates and platters.  There are more of us looking for
those fewer pieces and fewer of us looking for those more available
pieces.  The hitch in all this comes when an uninformed or less
informed dealer thinks that every piece of ironstone that has copper
lustre or a Tea Leaf on it is worth its weight in gold and prices
accordingly regardless of maker, shape, condition, rarity, etc.  

     This has been another interesting Tea Leaf adventure week in Southeast
Ohio.  Last Sunday afternoon, Sally Navin and I visited the only open
mall in Parkersburg, plus an interesting mall out on Rte. 50 about ten
miles East of Parkersburg and the Williamsburg Antique Mall, all in West
Virginia.  We did not see one piece of Tea Leaf!  However in
Williamsburg there was a Thistle and Berry sugar bowl with a Chelsea
Grape lid.  After consultation and some thought, I returned on Thursday
and made the purchase.  The sugar bowl could stand a bit of cleaning,
but otherwise is in good condition, the lid is perfect.

     For the others on the TLOL list, Dale and I exchanged our Christmas
gifts this morning and even though it wasn't really Tea Leaf, the pieces
are wonderfulmy gift from him is much more exciting to me than mine to
him.  It is four pieces in Ceres shape, three of which are by J & G
Meakin and have a delicate aqua and gold lustre trim, while the fourth
piece is Elsmore Forster with caramel coloring.  Has anyone else seen
any Ceres by J & G Meakin?

     Speaking of Ceres in colors, I purchased an Elsmore Forster Ceres sugar
bowl decorated in blue (no lustre) from Nancy's Christmas catalog.  This
morning Dale and I looked at his piece of blue decorated Ceres and I
think that my blues are different from his blueswe have not compared
these side by side.  I do not distinguish subtle lighter shades very
well, so...

     I guess that we can add a Thistle and Berry lid for a sugar bowl to the
lid for the blue Ceres sugar bowl, as well as a Chelsea Grape lustre
sugar bowl to my list of items sought.

     I need to comment on the wonderful experience last evening at the
Wexner Center in Columbus of the opening of an exhibit titled "On The
Table".  The opening of this exhibit was featured by Susan Stanberg
Friday morning on N.P.R. and also in the current issue of either "House
Beautiful" or "Better Homes and Gardens", I forget which.  I was a
guest, as were Patty and Todd Hitt, of Dale Abrams and Elliot Fishman
who were lenders of items used in the show.  A significant segment of
Dale's collection of Anthony Shaw Chinese pieces were featured along
side of Nancy Reagan's official State Presidential china from the White
House.  To my thinking, the Tea Leaf far outshone the White House
"stuff".  It was a splendid show and a splendid evening.

     Here comes my attempt at identification of those in the photo of TLOL
members at the Columbus convention with an "X" in the space for the
person whose name I either do not know or I cannot distinguish the
features.

     Front Row (1), left to right:  X, X, Dale Abrams, Carl Hansen, Sam
Miller, Annalea Robeson.
     Second Row (2), left to right:  X, Julie Rich, Betty Burger, Valerie
Giorgi, Kimmey Decker, Mary Oursler, Chris Weinbrenner, X, Linda Slates,
Dick Brackin.
     Third Row (3), left to right:  Denny Kear, Pat Stevens, X, Fran Miller,
Jim Barrett, Betty Barrett, Jim Slates, John Meneghini.
     Back Row (4), left to right:  X, Walt Stevens, Margaret Payne, Mike
Compton, John Chrisman, Gene Burger, X, X, X, X, Mark Attix.
     My copy is not uniformly clear and I think that I recognize some, but
am not certain of names, others I have guessed, so help, please.
     Enough ramble for this week.  ttfn...Dick

- - - - - - - - - -

Except for a letter from Carl and Ginger which I am carrying over to next week that’s it for this week’s emails.  The Hansen’s letter contained LOTS of photos and I’ll get them posted to the TLOL web site this week and then start off the next TLOL with their wonderful correspondence.  Wait until you see these spectacular photos!  I also have a couple more photos which several of you (Linda, Gale, et al) were kind enough to share which I’ll also post.  Ever since I got this new computer, updating the photo page has gotten more difficult so I’m sorry I don’t post your photos as soon as they arrive.  

As you can probably tell from the lack of my own comments this week I’m feeling a little flu-ish today and not very chatty.  On the other hand I do want to follow-up on Dick’s remarks about On The Table.  This is a wonderful show (even if the Tea Leaf weren’t on display) and I want to encourage any of you within driving distance of Columbus to see it.  Call me if you’re going to be in town and we’ll get together.  I know that Nancy and Don will be here early this month and I want to take Julie to see the show when she’s here in March.  So...come visit!

Looking forward to hearing from lots of you this week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  February 7, 1999

The Web Page has been updated and lots of interesting new photos are available...
Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

DISCUSSION TOPIC from Walt and Pat

How has your collection changed through the years?   Has your collection gone through a evolution, e.g. starting with sugars now collect tea sets or started with a one potter now all potters?  Have you discovered new body styles in which you now specialize?

DISCUSSION TOPIC from Carl and Ginger

The affect of national marketplaces on prices and general pricing questions regarding pieces of Tea Leaf that aren’t as difficult to find. [See Carl and Ginger’s letter below for more aspects of this new topic.]

TLOL MEMBER INFO

Lots of new members with us this week!  Bill and Chris Schafer wrote...

Bill and I would like to be included in the Tea Leaf email group.  We found some mush bowls in Evansville, IN last weekend. How are you doing in your quest for unusual Tea Leaf??

We met some people named Ramsey. They said they had just joined the club.
Do you know them?

Maybe we'll be able to come to the convention in Sept.  Thanks Dale,

Chris and Bill Schafer    ( schafer3@xxx.xxx )

And Lowell and Diana Youngen also wrote to be added to our mailing list along with Lynn Cassady.  

WELCOME to our five new members.  I hope that Chris and Bill, Lowell and Diana and Lynn will send us an email to be included in the next TLOL introducing themselves and share a little about how they started collecting TL, their collecting specialties, favorite pieces and special wants.    

- - - - - - - - -

Further photo ID for Dick Brackin’s list from Calvin Johnson...

For the record, I am the blue shirt on the left end in the fourth row.  Glad to have Dick's ID of the others.

Calvin

[I’ll leave it up to Dick to finish filling out the list of those in the TLOL Photo on the Photo Page.  If you aren’t identified please contact me and I’ll share your information with Dick.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Carl and Ginger’s email refers to the photos which were posted today on the TLOL Web Page...

Hello fellow TLOLers...

   Not much news from here in Northern Virginia but I will be uploading some photos for Dale to place on the TLOL website for you all to look at.  The first is the covered vegetable that we think is a new body style for lustre band (is that a TL variant).  We believe it is a form of Sydenham with a tulip or artichoke as a finial.  The feather type highlights around the finial are interesting as well.

   There will also be a couple of pics of new finds.  A Walley Niagra teapot in pomegranate that we picked up in Houston for $200 and a Walley Niagra pickle dish in pomegranate that we found in Maryland.  Recently we also picked up a couple of James F. Wileman Richelieu shape plates with his different MG design.  They go just fine with the rest of our MG.

   Next is a butterdish that is made up of a cable lid, and Johnson acanthus base.  We are looking for an insert plus/or the proper bottom for the cable butter and proper lid for the acanthus base.  It is actually a pretty good looking intermarriage but we can't help but hope to marry up the proper lid with the proper base and vice verse.

   We are looking forward to other member's input on the pricing subject.  

   Pat and Wally...We like your idea of an article in Readings about some of the more famous pieces of TL that circulate in our small community of collectors.  I'm sure there are some humdinger stories, if they can only be told.  Another or companion article could be about not famous pieces but pieces that came into a member's possession by some weird or unusual circumstances.  All accompanied with photos, of course.

   Connie and Denny...Congratulations on finding that lid to your soap.  Miracles do happen.
   Woody...Boy would I like to look at that Scroll soup.  You did a very good job of describing it but to have it in hand and give it a real examination, under lupe, would be very informative.  Lots of the Meakin Fishhook pieces kind of match this description with the underglaze pattern so poorly painted that I have come to the conclusion that Fishhook was the body style that Meakin had its beginning painters learn on before graduating to Bamboo, Brocade etc.  Of course there is usually some sign of lustre overglaze.  Maybe Scroll was another pattern handled by the beginners.

   Happy TLing to everyone...Carl, Ginger and Tigre the TL pooch who just spent another day in the car patiently waiting while his parents TLed.

[C&G, Thanks for the great photos.  About your covered veg, it’s in the Ring o’Hearts body style, especially appropriate for Valentines Day!  Take a good look at the embossed hearts on the sides and you’ll see why this pattern is such a favorite.  I love these pieces with the big finials.  Your Pomegranate pieces are also very special.  I hope one (or more) of our TLOLers can help you complete both of the half butter dishes you’ve got.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Gerald and Maxine sent...

Hello Everyone,

I thought I should write early in the week before time gets away.  Regarding
new discussion topic, "How our collection has changed through the years."  We
first started with just any piece we could find.  (It is so scarce here in
Mo.)  Then we decided to get a complete bath set in one pattern.  As the
months rolled by we started finding several pieces (butter dish, sauce tureen,
just to name a few) of one certain style, so then it was our goal to finish
that potter & body style.  Needless to say, we have several incomplete sets.
This is good though, because whatever we run across, there is something at
home to go with it.  If we find something we don't have, we just use the
excuse "don't have one like it" & take it with us.  Seriously, we try to have
at least a teapot, sugar, creamer & butter dish that match.  When setting the
table you can use any style plates, butter pats, bone dishes etc. & still have
a nice setting as long as you have the basic pieces that match.  Currently we
have narrowed our collection to certain potters & body styles.  Our speciality
is anything made by Johnson Bros.

A few lines of Club news.  Father Jim White called & he has set the date for
the Heartland Regional for next year which will be April 29, 2000.  My,
doesn't that look odd?  This years Heartland is in Tulsa.  See Readings for
the date.  Father Jim is very excited about hosting the 2000 Regional.  He has
nearly finished building his kiln & it should be in operation in a few weeks.
At his regional meeting we'll be honored with a tour of the potting house & a
potting demonstration.  The other thing of interest is Marie Compton
(Chairperson of Giftique) is gearing up for items new & old, so feel free to
mail your orders.  Marie is exploring many new items for your pleasure to be
available this year.  All for now.  Thanks Dale for TLOL.

Gerald & Maxine

[M&G, Thanks for the Regional and Giftique updates.  TLOL would be a great place for us to share information about upcoming Regional meetings and reports of regional happenings.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Marjorie Yambrovich gets to read Tea Leaf OnLine every week because Linda Slates prints them out for her.  This week Marjorie sent (via Linda) the following contribution...

Dear Tea Leaf Onliners:

How fortunate I am to have Linda Slates for a friend! She faithfully shares
with me the weekly TLOL a bit like looking into a fish bowl. For a person
who doesn't have a TV, a dishwasher or an electric can opener, how can I be
expected to be online?

Your ideas, experiences and concerns regarding TL are intriguing. If I may,
I'd like to "come in through the back door" and present a few of my thoughts
regarding the utilization of the more common pieces of TL.

1. USE THEM!

The following grading system encompasses all the various conditions of TL and
helps us to enjoy ALL of our collection.
     A.  Reserve the finest for the dining room.
     B.  Sort out that which is good for the kitchen.
     C.  Save that with little luster for the picnic table.
     D.  Relegate the minordamaged items to the refrigerator.
     E.  Display your cracked and chipped pieces in the garden or yard. (Always a
good conversation maker.)

2.  SHARE THEM!

I refer to this method as "Home Shopping."  Gift giving opportunities are
many, but what to give is often the dilemma.  Consider grouping a few pieces
of TL, such as 3 sizes of plates or a couple of butter pats, or a lidless sugar
bowl and veggie, package them appropriately and you just might be creating a
new collector.  On Valentine's Day, share a plate of cookies with a special
friend including a note to keep the plate TL, of course.  Putting together
a 5 or 6 piece place setting of TL for a special occasion gift to someone who
knows of your passion for collection, would most certainly be meaningful.

With a bit of ingenuity, no collector needs to feel that the more common
pieces have been devalued.  It really all comes down to how YOU view your
treasures.  Monetary value is but a small part of the total collecting
experience.

Thanks for allowing me to peek into your world!

Cordially,

Marjorie

[Marjorie, Welcome and THANKS for the insight...I love your grading system and am intrigued about the possibility of putting damaged pieces on the garden.  And, if you’re around Columbus this Valentines Day, I hope you’ll stop by here...I’ll provide the cookies if you’ll provide the TL plate.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And Linda Slates later wrote.

Each week I have such a good time talking over the TLOL news with Marjorie.
She ran by me some of her ideas about using our excess pieces. As a result, I
think I am going to be packing up my Corelle and putting some more of my TL in
the kitchen cupboard!

There is an interesting article in the current Antique Week, did anyone else
see it? It's a column called "The Computer & the Antiquer," page 17. Most of
this article is advice for dealers who want to set up a web site. At the end
there are some Internet addresses that all of us might like to check out:

Auction sites:
www.ebay.com
www.ehammer.com
www.auctionuniverse.com
www.auctionsonline.com
www.icollector.com

Marketplaces:
www.antiqnet.com
www.buycollectibles.com
www.tias.com
www.bmark.com/aa

Have a great week,

Linda Slates

- - - - - - - - - -

The Stevens sent...

Hi everyone,
Walt's surgery was successful, the malignancy was confined and the lymph nodes etc. are all clear. Now to the important stuff: TLOL and the current topics.

We've mentioned that we started with dinnerware from Adams Microtex Tea Leaf.  When Johnson Brothers discontinued its manufacture we would pick up a plate or two of "old" Tea Leaf.  We were not collecting just buying.  The first big step on our evolution time line occurred when a dealer offered us a 75 piece collection of "old" Tea Leaf.  Now we not only had plates, cups and saucers but also bakers, tea pot, covered vegetable or a full array or pieces.  Collecting was now an option.  The next branch on the evolution tree was attending the Convention in Kansas City.  The educational seminar introduced different potter, made us aware of the variety of body styles and taught us about describing Tea Leaf.  Collecting was no longer an option but a necessity.  

Since joining the club our accumulation patterns have constantly changed.  First we bought special pieces because they were aesthetically pleasing.  It didn't matter if it were a coffee pot or a covered vegetable.  For years we have been trying to assemble a Wilkinson Maidenhair Fern bath set.  We are still trying and if anyone has Maidenhair Fern for sale contact us.  Since we haven't been able to find the Maidenhair Fern pieces we bought a Chinese bath set at Carl's auction.  In the mid 90's we started to collect handleless cups and have continued this pursuit.  We can't equal Dick's collection but we do have a few.

For some reason we are now looking at completing several tea sets.  It usually starts with one piece like a sugar and then the need to complete the set takes over.  We are proud of some of our tea sets including a Clementson's Augusta shape.  We had the tea pot and creamer for many years.  But the set wasn't completed until Allen Hanson picked up on one of our comments in early TLOL days (actually before we even had a name) found and bought the sugar.  Although we had never met he made the purchase before we send him our check. Thanks again Allen.

Best Regards

The Stevens

[W&P, You shared the information about Walt’s surgery with me but I don’t think the rest of the group knew about it prior to your email.  I’m so glad to know all is now clear. Isn’t it interesting how collectible Adams Micratex has become - wish I had a case of those salt and pepper shakers.   DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Bev and Ernie can always be counted on for interesting letters...

Ernie and I wanted to particularly thank Carl for the explanation of how
Clorox bleach works to destroy ironstone.  We have told people for years not
to use it but we didn't have a clear explanation of why to give them.  I know
several people who went away grumbling under their breath that they had
already done it and nothing had happened.  We probably bought those pieces
sometime later over the years and noticed the subtle beginnings of the
breakdown of the glaze.  

Ernie was watching Martha Stewart's program one day last week and was aghast
as she mentioned that some authority had recommended a solution of diluted
Clorox to clean ironstone.  How can you fight against this practice when an
icon like Martha promotes it.  We did send an email to her about this matter
and haven't heard back.  (Like that's going to happen soon!)

We got very warm feelings when we read Julie's letter about her memories of
Tea Leaf and her final remark about the soup tureen display at the first WICA
convention.  We had worked so hard to put that together and hauled six of our
own tureens to boot.  Sometimes you don't get any feedback and then sometimes
you find out years later that your work touched someone.  Thanks Julie.

Bev and Ernie

[B&E, I don’t know if you are a member of the Flow Blue Club but their current newsletter has a superb article about cleaning ironstone.  I don’t usually push FBICC memberships but if the current Blue Berry Notes is typical of what we’re going to see this year it’s definitely worth the investment.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Sunday afternoon Julie sent the following update on Roxann...

I've nothing to add to TLOL but you can add that Roxann is doing much better.
Still has a lot of pain in her back and neck but the arms are working better
and the bruises are disappearing.  Looked like she was tattooed for a while.
Found her shoe that got knocked off but no earrings.  The force of her trip
back and forth inside the car when he hit her knocked off her earrings (she
won't have her ears pierced) and they are nowhere.  The company is having the
car repaired because it had only 36,000 miles on it cost:  just $600 short
of the $10,000 required for replacement.   Thank God she is a stickler about
fastening her seatbelts.  Won't start driving until her passenger hooks up.
Love, Juliehoo!

- - - - - - - - - -

Laura Butler checked in with...

There have been several references to Chelsea Grape lately, and I confess I
do not know much about it, but do see it occasionally. I went to a nearby
antique mall yesterday and found some pieces on a pattern that has elaborate
embossed scrollwork around the edges. It did not feel quite like ironstone,
more what I would call pearlware, but very white, and in mostly mint
condition. The grape design had some lustre on most, but not all, pieces.
There were 10 cups and saucers, all near mint, the cups had pretty curvy
handles. One square cake plate, also mint. Also 8 small luncheon plates, and
4 small sauce dishes, not quite as perfect as the rest. There were no
cracks, but an occasional yellow spot or small nick on the plate rim edge
that was not really noticeable till I looked at the sides of the stacks. The
sticker prices were $35 for the cake plate, $22 per cup and saucer set, $12
for lunch plates and $7 for sauce dishes. If anyone is interested, let me
know.

Also found an absolutely mint Mellor Taylor Square Ridged II Hearts covered
potty now sitting on my dining room table with a big red bow in honor of
St. Valentine. My husband said he should have stayed home and watched the
Knicks, of course I would have bought it anyway!

The discussion about the falling prices of common pieces vs. the rising
prices of more desirable, unusual ones has been very interesting. I guess I
fall into the "aging and sophisticated" collector category, at 50, how
depressing can you get!  I have sold all of my plates, soups, platters and
open bakers, except variants and patterns that I love, such as LOV. I have
also sold all "common" pitchers, sugars, gravy sets etc. that were not mint.
Unfortunately for about the past 6 or 7 years, these are exactly the type of
pieces I see in shops and shows. I have bought virtually all of my newer
things at regionals or conventions, the prime forum for high prices, but in
my experience, absolutely the best forum for selection. I think there are
probably many in the club who buy only a few select pieces a year at this
stage of their collecting life, price therefore is not the sole issue. I've
done the same with my other, smaller collections, especially yellowware and
stick/spatter/sponge. I guess I really am getting old!

Laura Butler

[LB, There is certainly a lot of interest in Chelsea Grape if it’s heavy old ironstone with great copper lustre-enhanced applications.  I tend to not like the lighter porcelain-like body styles with the blue or purple flowers nearly as much.  What about everyone else? Wish that that woman who was writing the CG book would have finished it.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

That’s it for letters this week.  I decided to hit the antique malls in Springfield (OH) Saturday to see what’s new in Tea Leaf and, of course, didn’t see that much.  I picked up a Bamboo creamer for resale along with a Scroll mug and six superior Blackberry cup and saucer sets, also for resale.  I saw Terrell and Phyllis Medd who were experiencing the same cabin fever I was and had a nice chat with them.  Terrell said he hasn’t found much TL lately with the exception of a Teaberry relish dish which he is planning to consign to the TL auction in September in Peoria.  Don and Nancy Upchurch spent about an hour here Sunday morning on their way from New England and Pennsylvania to Heart of Country in Nashville.  Nancy didn’t pick up much TL this trip but did report a find hat will certainly rival any we have seen lately - she got a Teaberry egg cup (!!!) In PA for $8.00 - yes eight, not eight hundred.

Dick called Sunday morning to tell me about some TL and white ironstone about an hours drive from Columbus, so I called Patty Hitt and she and Rachelle came over and we spent several hours in the van only to discover that the shop which Dick swore was open on Sundays was closed.  So, Dick, you owe me a trip back to that shop to pick up the sauce tureen you told me about.  

I hope everyone can check out the photos on the TLOL Web Page.  What do you think about Gale’s Pinwheel Variant Variant?  I received a photo from Linda Slates of her TL-laden Thanksgiving table but have inadvertently misfiled it on my computer.  Also waiting for some pix from John M of his Pre-TL discoveries.  

So...with Valentines Day coming up this weekend maybe we’ll each be lucky enough to find a piece of Ring o’Hearts this week.  Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  February 14, 1999

The Web Page has been updated and lots of interesting new photos are available...
Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

DISCUSSION TOPIC

How has your collection changed through the years?   Has your collection gone through a evolution, e.g. starting with sugars now collect tea sets or started with a one potter now all potters?  Have you discovered new body styles in which you now specialize?

TLOL MEMBER INFO

Linda Sabattini from Florida is joining our group this week.  Welcome!

LETTERS

A few short letters this week and a Convention request from the Stevens follow.

John Meneghini sends...

I came across two child's LOV saucers this weekend.  Any idea where I might find a handleless c&s or two?

John

- - - - - - - - - -

Mark and Janet checked out the photo of the Hansen’s Ring o’Hearts covered veg and wonder...

Interesting, the Ring 'O Hearts covered veg is a junior version of our soup
tureen. Maybe we could get them together and come up with a couple of sauce
tureens.

M&J

[M&J, If this works I’ve got some nice “breeding stock” I’d be willing to lend out!  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Walt and Pat, Vignette chairs, wrote...
Hi TLOLers

Covered the evolution of our Tea Leaf collection last week but as been
often said if we don't sent messages to Dale there won't be any TLOL.
So here is our contribution of random comments.

First want to say how much we enjoyed Marjorie's letter last week.
Thank you, Linda for forwarding it.  We are following Marjorie's advice
and will make some fudge to give away on a Tea Leaf plate.  We won't
depreciate "common" pieces or styles in the future.

Though it might seem early would like to comment on the next
Convention.  Hope many. Many TLOLers will bring a vignette to the
convention.  This is an opportunity to show off   your Tea Leaf.  The
theme of the vignettes is Broadway shows.  Some displays we thought
people could use are: Tea Leaf Dinner for Eight, A Tea Leaf Chorus
Line, The Man Who Came to a Tea Leaf Dinner, Tea Leaf of the August Moon.
Tea Leaf and Sympathy.  Would appreciate TLOLers submitting more titles.
If you have any ideas or questions regarding vignettes you can email us
at wbsteve@xxx.xxx   Look forward to your comments.

Regards

The Stevens

[W&P, Neat idea.  An Academy Awards of Tea Leaf.  I know our creative members will come up with some great contributions.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Dick is readying himself for yet another out-of-the-country trip but did a last minute check in...

     This will be brief since I am in the throes of last minute readying for
my volunteer week of Hurricane Georges relief work in Puerto Rico.

     I do want to share though, and particularly with Nancy Upchurch, my
good fortune in winning the bid for the Hughes sugar bowl on eBay a week
or two ago.  I had already purchased the creamer in the same shape which
I do not believe is included in our handbook nor do I believe has been
named.  I want to suggest "Beaded Bow", the result of the finial on the
sugar bowl.

     As a result of that purchase, the seller called me early this week and
indicated that he had some Hughes plates, was I interested?  He
described them, I was, I did, they arrived this morning.  They also have
an embossing which I do not recognize as anything in the handbook, nor
any shape which I have seen before.  At six points around the edge of
the plate there is a series of three or four indentations in a bit of a
flared pattern running from the edge down to the bowl of the plate.  In
addition, at the edge of the plate and end of the indentations, there is
a slight scalloping, sort of like the scalloping on the edge of the
Meakin Chelsea plates.  Is this another shape, perhaps of the shape of
my teapot which also has little flared indentations?

     When Dale comes to photograph other pieces of my collection before I
pack it away for three years, I shall ask him to photograph all these
pieces.  By the way, all the pieces are in absolutely beautiful
condition, glorious lustre and beautiful white glazethe quality of the
ware is incredible.  There is no crazing, not a crack or chip.  Needless
to say, I am pleased.  This has nearly doubled my Thomas Hughes
"collection".  I also recently purchased the Thomas Hughes saucer which
Anne Derner had for sale.  It is plain, not embossed like the cup (and
split saucer) which I purchased from Nancy years ago, but it will work!

     Happy St. Valentine's Day to all.  

          Dick

[Dick, I shared a picture of the Sugar Bowl with Nancy last weekend and she really appreciated your contributing both a new body style AND a naming suggestion.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Ken Munroe picked up a dandy pitcher...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!  Not too much tea leaf for me lately.   I did
find a Hill Shape milk pitcher.  It is the copper lustre band.  This is one of
the first Hill Shape pieces that I have seen.  To me, it is a beautiful
shape, just wish that it had that teaberry motif.  Does anyone know of anyone
with a larger collection of this shape?  I've seen so little of it.

I'm going to Phoenix next week for a few days, and will look for tea leaf.  If
I don't find any I at least hope to find good weather.

The new pieces added to my collection has changed about like many collectors.
When I first started,  there we lots of pieces from the 1870s on up purchased.
Now, I seldom add a piece (with the exception of Shaw cable) from that time
period.  Nearly all purchased now are early Shaw, JF and Clementson.  Many of
us must be on the same track because we've all noticed a strengthening of the
prices in the early pieces and a softening in the prices of the later periods.
Does this mean we don't have many new collectors coming on?  Will the common
piece prices continue to fall?  It's a distinct possibility.    

Again a happy holiday to all!!!   Ken Munroe

[Ken, I don’t know anyone with more than a piece or two of Hill Shape.  It’s a wonderful embossing but quite rare.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Julie’s Readings are still MIA and she asks...

HI!  I would be interested in knowing how many of our TLOL members have NOT
received their Readings.  As of this date, mine has not been delivered.
It seems ironic that after being editor of Readings for l5 years and making
sure that all received their Readings, I'm one who did not receive her Jan.
issue.  

Thanks to Dale who has the extra copies for storage, I was able to read one.

Is there any support for asking the Board and Officers to consider going back
to lst class delivery?  I'd appreciate hearing from you.  

Think that's all I have to say today.

Happy Valentine Day wishes to all.

Juliehoo!

- - - - - - - - - -

A Valentines Day greeting also arrived from Gerald and Maxine...

Been watching Ebay this week with all the wonderful Tea Leaf items.  Was fun
watching the chase & to see who won the prize.  Regarding the bamboo sugar
bowl with the teapot lid that is on Ebay, described as a teacaddy, shows what
an  important part our Education Committee plays.  Hope none of our members
get taken by misidentified items, but as usual, buyer beware.  Don't get me
wrong the sugar bowl is a lovely item, but as we know, it certainly is nothing
rare.  

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

Gerald & Maxine
- - - - - - - - - -

Than’s it for letters this week.  

I got to spend some time With Linda Slates this afternoon and we looked over the newly-computerized mailing list and shared ideas for new features for the TL Membership Directory - adding phone numbers, email addresses and collecting specialties.  Neat, huh?  She has done a wonderful job of reentering all of the membership data into the new database.  Thanks Linda for all the hard work.  

I hope that everyone is enjoying Valentines Day.  I’m catching up on a lot of correspondence and enjoying the day.  

Hope to hear from lots of you this week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  February 28, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm
Several new photos were posted this week.

DISCUSSION TOPIC from Walt and Pat

To encourage wider participation in TLOL Dale suggests that we use a simple topic that may be answered in a few words.  Let's try for a record number of responses.  Hope we get some TLOLers who have never written.

“Everybody probably has a copy of Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone.   Spend a few moments looking at the pictures and pick out one or two pieces you really would like to own.  Send these to TLOL.  Who knows, maybe another TLOLer might have them for sale.”

Send in the photo number, page and item description and, if you feel like it, tell us what really like about the item(s) you have selected.

TLOL MEMBER INFO

Dallas and Anne Skinner will be off line for awhile and wrote...

Starting tomorrow, Monday  February 22nd, we will no longer be on
line at this address.  Our computer link through my school will be
disconnected.  Therefore, we are looking for a new carrier and hope to be
back on line soon.  We will let you know and appreciate you keeping all of
this straight as it is making more work for you.  Thanks so much for your
tea leaf on line messages and all of the work it involves.  We look forward
to receiving them each week.      Anne and Dallas Skinner

p.s.  We used an assortment of Tea Leaf cups and saucers with flowers as
centerpieces for a church prayer weekend.  The copper luster showed off so
nicely and we were so proud of our collection, as it brought many
responses.

LETTERS

Connie Barr was the first to write this week with...

My collection certainly has evolved!!  I started out collecting everything.   I
also started out with very little money, and remember the few things I passed
up throughout the years, the LOV ewer and bowl which was $135, and which I didn't
buy partly because I didn't have the extra $ and partly because I thought it a
little too ornate!!  I can still picture that bowl and ewer on the table of the
New Hampshire flea market I saw it atand now it looks perfect!!  I can also
picture the Morning Glory covered vegetable at a Cape Cod show many years
agoI really didn't have the $165!!  And this from someone who has a very poor
memory!!

    At any rate, I have become increasingly interested in the variants through
the years.  At first it was because I was learning on my own, and trying to
figure Tea Leaf out.  I tried to collect a cup and saucer of every type I
could.  Now I think I love the clarity of the white ironstone in many of the
variants.  I have also switched away from earlier interests in everything, then
mugs and toothbrush holders, and am now most interested in the more interesting
pieces like teapots, creamers, covered vegetables.  My very favorite pattern
has become Tobacco Leaf (although, as a physician, I do not care for the name).

       My interests have changed to the point that I may deaccession a lot of
my basic pieces, when I get organized. I will never give up my soup plates,
howeverwhat a great shape to use for all kinds of meals!!   My dream pieces
now are a Tobacco Leaf covered vegetable, and a complete soup tureen.  And I
would love a compote.

        I look forward to hearing other peoples thoughts.  Happy Valentine's
Day!!

Connie Barr

[Connie - Oh...the one that got away!  Don’t we all have stories about pieces we remember but for some reason (now obscure to us) passed up?  Morning Glory covered vegs and LOV pitcher and bowl sets aren’t going to show up on most of our doorsteps except for John M who will eventually find both of these pieces for about $15 apiece.  I’ve said it before but am sure glad I started collecting Variants when I did because I could never afford the variety I have at today’s prices.  DA]  

- - - - - - - - - -

Mike and Marie Compton sent...

We've been rather quite this year but enjoy watching all of the letters from
others.

It has been a difficult year work wise the merger (takeover) of British
Petroleum and Amoco has been very hard and in many ways sad.  The good news is
that Mike has a job supporting a manager in London, and has spent a week there
already.  Mike also spent some 11 days in Chicago in January, and will be
returning soon.  Marie is still trying to find a home in the new organization
so keep your fingers crossed.

We have found two lovely Tea Leaf pieces this year Johnson Brothers Acanthus
butter and lid as well as gravy.  Need the butter liner if anyone has an
extra!

Our collections started very eclectically mostly bowls from grandparent and
relatives.  We now focus on Acanthus, Maidenhair Fern, Meakin Scroll, some
Cable and Elegance Teaberry (note this means we have a few pieces in these 
not a lot!)  We do like the tea sets and are always looking for those.

Giftique orders have been remarkably steady so keep that up!  Lots of new
members ordering books, etc.  We're about to start looking at new orders,
restocking and supplying the regionals.

As soon as we open up our digital camera we may start sharing photos not
much time for that yet!

Mike and Marie

[M&M, Don’t tell Maxine you’re after Acanthus - she’ll be trying to talk you out of the pieces you already have.  The Johnson’s are wild for Johnson Bros TL.  Glad to hear that Giftique orders have been strong - I think your new items are wonderful and that you’re doing a great job.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

The Sawtells have been checking out our Convention photo and observe...

     We frequently look at the picture of the TLOLers, hoping that John
(yellow shirt) Meneghini will move, but no luck.  I am the bald head to the
right and my wife Grace is looking over his right shoulder.

     We really enjoy the Email and devour it every Sunday night. Thank
you so much. We should be working in the post office I suppose, since we
enjoy reading other peoples mail but never writing. Are the Blackberry cup
and saucers Walley Niagara gaudy ironstone? (Feb 8).

Bob and Grace Sawtell

[B&G, The Blackberry pieces are a body style I’ve never seen before and I wouldn’t consider them to be what we traditionally think of as Gaudy Ironstone.  Gaudy pieces are quite expensive and Blackberry generally doesn’t command the same prices.  Lots of TLers are not familiar with either the “Blackberry” or the “Ivy” Variants but they are particularly handsome and when they are covered with copper lustre can be quite attention-getting.  I promised Chris I’d write a brief article for the May Readings about Blackberry and Ivy and try to include lots of photos to introduce more members to these pieces.  In the meantime I have posted photos of these two decorative motifs to the TLOL Photo Page.  I also put up another Pinwheel Variant variant which I recently picked up.  Check it out.  We’ll miss you so please write as soon as you have a new service provider.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Donna Turner has been out hunting and sent...

I continue to enjoy the weekly Tea Leaf online news, even though I have not contributed any information.  As I am a new collector, I find all the topics interesting.  Also, I have not been doing any "antiquing" in the past months so there have not been any great finds in Tea Leaf.  I am always envious of those people that have such great finds.  So far in my Tea leaf collecting, the great finds have been very limited.

Peggy Regnaud and I were out antiquing this past Sunday.  We did not find any Tea Leaf worth purchasing.  We did run into Gale Frederick and Dan Overmeyer at the Louisville Antique Mall a little far from home for them.

Each week I share the Tea Leaf online news with Vic and Peggy Regnaud, so actually you have several three online members at this email address.   Vic and Peggy enjoy the online news and I am faithful in sharing with them each week.

Vic is contributing  this week with the following question to the group:

"I purchased a piece of Tea Leaf with some damage that had been repaired using glue.  What type of solvent do you use to get rid of the glue before having the piece professionally repaired."

I also have a question for the group.  "What is a reasonable price to pay for having repairs done."

Thanks again for coordinating the news items each week.

Donna

[Donna, Good questions about repairing.  Since I don’t have anything repaired anymore I’ll rely on other TLOLers to help answer your questions.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Mark and Janet report on their collecting preferences...
Just a few lines to contribute this week. Our collection seems to be an ever evolving one. Like most everyone else, it started out as an accumulation of whatever we ran across. Then became more discerning as time went on. Still hang on to the E&F lustre "Ceres" set and add pieces as we find them (seldom) although we did pick up a covered veg at a show in Elverson, PA a month or two back. Lately have taken a liking to Ring O' Hearts but don't see too much. A few weeks back we found ourselves in Adamstown, PA and ran across some nice pieces of Walley, is it now Pre Tea Leaf or Chelsea Grape? Anyway, we came back with a Niagara shape coffee pot, a 151/2" platter and a full paneled Gothic creamer.  These may well be saved for Convention.

For anyone who may be interested, Nan Brown has brought her daughter Kim back to New York. They are now tucked safely in Nan's apt.,albeit tightly, and are starting the long road of rehabilitation. Her address is:
                                         Park Lawn Apts.  E17
                                         East Main St.
                                         Honeoye, NY 14471

I know she would appreciate a card or a note from any members of her Tea Leaf family.

Janet and I are off to Paris for a week this Monday. I know, I know..... it will be cold and wet, but the one time we went before it was August, a hot 87 degrees, normal amount of tourists for August plus 500,000 young people there for the Catholic Church's Biennial Youth Day celebration. All complete with the Pope arriving the day we left. So, it may be cold and wet but we may get to see some things we couldn't get near before.

Probably won't be any Tea Leaf though. Too bad!

Best wishes to everyone for successful hunting.

Janet & Mark

P.S.   Here is a PS to my previous message.  I think I got sidetracked somehow when I was on the subject of collection evolution. We still pick up any interesting pieces that are at a good price and then sort of chew on them like a cow on it's cud. Some we decide to keep for a while and some get turned over. At present, we really like variants and odd pieces. Also a collection of large pitchers with examples of variant decoration is now in the process of taking shape. An addition to this was made with a lovely Wally Chelsea  ewer on the Grape Octagon body as part of the find in Adamstown.

The only thing else found is an unmarked oval shaped undertray for a sauce/gravy tureen with the tobacco leaf decor. Anyone looking for this to go with their tureen?

Now I will sign off for good. This week. Will call when we get back.

Mark
[M&J, Wish we were joining you in Paris.  The weather couldn’t be colder than right here in Ohio.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

John M did not find anything this week so perhaps the pieces he missed ended up in your collections...

Not much to report this week, but thought I would check in with a few
comments.  Spent last weekend traveling up and down the Hudson River..
I managed to buy quite a few things but no TL.  After three solid days
of antiquing I only spotted one piece which was a Fishhook covered
vegetable.  After all of my recent finds I really can't complain.

I think that many of us are on the same page as far as collecting TL
goes.  I too favor the earlier, rarer, more unusual, embossed etc., etc.
pieces.  I feel the same way about all my collectionskeep the best and
the rarest and sell the more common items.  I guest it's just old age
setting in.

Julie is not the only one who has not yet received this months'
Readings.  I vote for raising the dues $5and hopefully eliminating
this problem as well as possibly adding more to our coffers.  Looking at
he current prices of TL and what many of us are willing to or have to
spend for just one cup and saucer or mug or whatever, what's $5over
the course of one year?  

So Long,

John

PS  This is not a joke, but does anyone have an extra lid to a child's
LOV coffee pot?  I won't hold my breath.

- - - - - - - - - -

We heard from Pat and Dale after a hiatus who report...

We are still here.  Have even caught up reading TLOL, been just a little behind.  Concerning the current topic of our changing collection, I started the TLeaf thing a long time before Dale was a part of my journey.  It started with a MellorTaylor mush bowl of my great grandmother's and spread to quite a few pieces of Meakin Bamboo, including many plates and platters. Then I attended the first TL convention and saw all the different potters and body styles and decided I wanted a sample of everything.  Well that never happened, but I gave it a good try.  Little by little the older pieces and variants gained on the later, more common things.  Now the only actual TLeaf pattern pieces are mostly Shaw's Niagra [and grandma's mush bowl].The rest being variants.  If it's fussy, fancy and covered with copper it’s on the want list.

When Dale attended his first convention he was more interested in the outcome of the World Series than any of the dishes at the convention.  At the second convention he bought a Chelsea Grape wash bowl, and we know how that has progressed.
Even though I'm no longer collecting the more common potters and their wares, they are still the most sought after items among our regular antique show customers.   Meakin is the most requested and then AnthonyShaw.

Concerning your inquiry about our Readings, ours was delivered at the end of the first week.  Have not had any problems so far.

Also my grandmother saucered her tea and coffee.  I can remember her doing that as a regular thing but only at breakfast.  Don’t know why that was.

Enough for this time. Dale, we sure appreciate all the time and effort you put into TLOL.  Even though were not very regular in our response we sure do enjoy reading it.  It's such fun to keep up with the lives of so many of our longtime friends.  Thanks again for all you do.  And hope you have a Happy birthday on Monday.  I'm so glad you caught up again.

Pat and Dale

[P&D, Yes, you and I have always agreed on one thing - the more copper lustre - the better.  Pat and I both like our Tea Leaf dripping in copper (although I know it really hurts Bev and Ernie to read this!).  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

The Kears have been collecting since the 1970s and their collection, too, has continued to grow and change...

We hope this late entry makes the deadline.  Time has slipped away again
and it is almost time for another edition of TLOL and we haven't
responded to the last one, or for that matter the one before that.

We have been collecting Tea Leaf for approximately 30 years and our
collection has evolved in many ways.  At first we collected what ever we
could find, this was before the first edition of Grandma's Tea Leaf
Ironstone and we didn't really know how many potters had made TL or that
it was even made in the USA.  Pictures of our first cupboard and our
prized pieces at that time bring back a lot of memories of  antique
shops long gone and numerous farm auctions in North West Ohio.  Rain or
shine, cold, wind, or heat would not stop us.  Now, these same
conditions might not stop us but would no doubt slow us down a bit.

Our collection continued to grow during the 70's but in the early to mid
80's it went on hold, while we spent six years in London and Scotland.
We had made contact with Annise Heaivilin somewhere along the way and
received her book during the summer of 1981.  The book rekindled our
interest and opened our eyes to what might be around us in England and
Scotland.  Countless antique shows and shops over the next four years
resulted in no additions to our collection, which had been packed away
for several years and stored in the basement of one of our parent's.
Finally in 1984 we found a comport (GMTLI page 115/AS45).  The spark
was again rekindled but to no avail, no more TL before we returned to
the USA in 1985.  Thanks to the book we realized that the Clover Leaf
pattern was regarded as part of the TL family and we did find and bring
back several pieces of this variant.  All of these pieces eventually
found their way to Sunday table sales at various conventions.

During this period we also had been in touch with Mark Ward, the first
President of the TLI club.  We joined the club while living in Scotland
and along with a member in Ireland and Germany, became the International
segment of the club.  Although not charter members, we do claim to be
among the first international members.  Does that count Julie?

Since returning to the USA we have actively pursued the chase for TL and
variants.  We have a fondness to Anthony Shaw and his pieces make up the
core of our collection now.  We dedicated a corner cupboard to Anthony
Shaw but have just run out of room.  A problem we will gladly contend
with.

What we probably enjoy in the evolution process the most is what we have
gained from being members of TLCI.  The knowledge we have gained about TL
can be attributed to convention programs, Readings, our education
committee and discussions with other TLCI members.  Our friendship with
club members through out the country is cherished and has inspired us to
become more involved with the club and it's growth.  Now, TLOL has
helped us to communicate on a weekly basis and expand our base of TL
friends and associations.  We can celebrate (or be envious) of all the
finds our members make and wish we had.  We can only be amazed at what
John M. finds or wonder how Pat and Walt keep coming up with such
thought provoking discussion topics. We can soak up the knowledge
offered so willingly by Dale, Nancy, Julie etc.. The list goes on.

Yes, our collection has evolved since the first plates were purchased
but then our collection has also helped us to evolve individually and
extend our appreciation  beyond what the collection itself has to offer.

Enough for today, we look forward to the next issue of TLOL.

Connie and Denny Kear

[D&C, Thanks so much for the very thoughtful letter and for the little peek into Tea Leaf Club history.  It’s hard to remember that for the first few years of the Tea Leaf Club there was no such thing as “Grandma’s Tea Leaf Ironstone” and everything seemed to be a new discovery for so many of us.  What a thrill it was when Annise published her book and we had the beginning of a common Tea Leaf language.  This week’s discussion topic - revisit GTLI and enjoy the photos once again - seems particularly appropriate in light of you letter.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Juliehoo has been thinking about Walt and Pat’s movie theme request and wrote...

HI!  First off:  I received my copy of Readings Feb 18.Thanks to the few of you
who answered my request to let me know when you received yours.  Would really
appreciate hearing from some of the many who didn't reply.

To answer Dale's Discussion Topic:  My collection started so small compared to
what it is today. I never looked for anything but Tea Leaf.  Then when the
Club started discovering and displaying the variants my taste changed
somewhat.  The American potters who have so appealed to me frequently use a
Tea Leaf that is so different from the English motif that most of the Club
members won't buy it. It looks funny to them as it did to me at one time.
I've always said that these American potters (most of whom were transplanted
from England ) showed some ingenuity and creativeness in doing something
different with the Tea Leaf motif.  They rarely expressed so much
individuality in the English potteries probably because they were so
successful with the initial Tea Leaf, they were afraid to try.  The potteries
in America were much more individual. At least, that's what I think.

When we started discovering and accepting the variants, I started liking them
more and more.  I love the Pinwheel and the Morning Glory.  I have some
wonderful examples of both and I will look for even more as time goes on.
Look at the number of our members who collect Teaberry.  So there is a place
for variants in out collections.

I never collected one potter nor did my mother.  She mixed them. Probably
because Tea Leaf collectors in the late 20's and early 30's didn't have the
information that we have accumulated in our 20 years of existence (the Club's,
that is) and that's when the nucleus of my collection started.  I would love
to know what my mother would think about the variants she might not like
them she might be one of those purists like some of our OnLiners.  I think
they are missing a lot of exciting pieces but it does take all kinds to make a
Club.

As an aside I thank all of you who have inquired about Roxann and sent good
wishes.  She's back at work but not allowed to drive more than 30 miles.
Since she has the whole Philadelphia area, it's kind of restrictive.  She's working
too long and hard at her computer but doesn't listen to me about that until
her back gets so tight and all the muscles start complaining.  She and I both
have to do our back exercises and she will be in therapy for at least 6 more
months.  Thanks to those who asked.

About eBay.  I don't see any great pieces on it am I not reaching the right
portion.  I ask for Tea Leaf when I go on.  Should I be asking for something
else Ironstone, perhaps?  I'm taken aback when I see a "rare butter pat"
advertised and see that it's up to $20.  Please direct me I never saw any
Hughes pieces advertised, Dick.  I couldn't find the Wellsville plate you and
Dale told me about.  Would appreciate direction there.

Walt & Pat how about Tea Leaf for Two;  A Touch of Pinwheel?

I've found that there is something to be said for being a PackRat.  When Linda [Slates]
emailed me asking if I might have a list of Charter Members, I started
hunting around.  I did have card catalog of members that I had put together in
the early 90's and Charter members were indicated in it.  A wonder I found it
because I didn't remember it.  Surely some of the archives so carefully
preserved by our first Historian contained a list?!  Bill turned all of his
lists over to me but the Recording Secretary should have had a complete list?
Funny how these things just disappear.

That's it (always more than enough) from Juliehoo!

[Julie - I spoke with Nancy this afternoon and know you’re invited to speak on American Tea Leaf at their Regional meeting.  I know how much we all enjoyed your similar presentation at the Great lakes regional a couple years ago at Linda and Jim’s and I’m sure our Southern cousins will enjoy it as much as we did.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

That’s it for this week’s letters, thanks to all of you who wrote.  I know that the new Discussion Topic is accessible to ALL OF US so I hope we can hear from lots of new participants.

I had a very good Tea Leaf week having purchased THREE sauce tureen ladles - probably a record.  Two are Shaw and one is Furnival.  These will all go into ladle-less tureens in my collection and I’m still on the search for even more.  I haven’t reported on my own find in awhile but some nice pieces have found their way to central Ohio since the first of the year.  A beautiful Quartered Rose covered veg with lustre bands came from CT just this week.  A four-piece Walley Niagara Shape Pomegranate set (coffeepot, creamer, sugar and waste bowl) similar to the one the Hansen’s reported on last week came last month.  I also got a huge Ring o’Hearts lustre banded covered veg, a Clementson Balanced Vine Teaberry sugar bowl with a Washington Shape lid (anyone have the right lid they want to sell?), a Teaberry Prairie Shape milk jug (unfortunately “as is”) and a lustre banded Prairie Shape child’s creamer.  No Tea Leaf but dandy Variants.

Looking forward to hearing from many of you this coming week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  February 28, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

DISCUSSION TOPIC

“Everybody probably has a copy of Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone.   Spend a few moments looking at the pictures and pick out one or two pieces you really would like to own.  Send these to TLOL.  Who knows, maybe another TLOLer might have them for sale.”

Send in the photo number, page and item description and, if you feel like it, tell us what really like about the item(s) you have selected.

TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new members this week.

LETTERS

This will be a short TLOL.  I received about 10 letters, half of which address the current Discussion Topic and the other half are more general in nature.  Soooo...I decided to hold the replies regarding what you might select from GTLI and print all those responses at the same time.  That way I won’t be influencing future contributions by letting the cat out of the bag regarding what some folks have already written.  I will say that a couple of folks have selected the exact same photo that I have, but there are also some interesting personal selections which would help folks fill out important holes in their collections.  Therefore the only letters I am publishing this week are those of a general nature not specific to the Duscussion Topic.  I am a little surprised that not more people have referred to Grandma’s and put together a wish list since I think this is a very easy and accesible topic for all TLOLers.

Pinwheel addict David Kile sent...

Greetings from the Great Northwest!  where there are only
a few TeaLeafers' and even less Tea Leaf .  My Tea Leaf collection began in
1972 with a 'saucer' from my Aunt Lucy Woodrick's collection. She joined Tea
Leaf Club many years ago, and just died last year.  My collecting has been
eclectic, with most pieces found, being bamboo and fishhook, and a small
collection of 'pickle dishes', and have added some nice pieces through the
help of Nancy Upchurch and Dale Abrams.   I have learned a great deal about
Tea Leaf through GTLI, Readings, and now TLOL.  

Several years ago, I got hooked on the 'pinwheel variant' and recently found an Anthony Shaw Chinesecoffeepot and sugar bowl at a good price.  I have always said
that someday, I will keep a few choice pieces of my collection, sell the rest,
and take a trip around the world.   The two pieces, I'm looking for are a
ShawChineseCreamer and a really special piece of 'Pinwheel'.  I'd also be
interested in any pieces of ShawChinese or Pinwheel.  Thanks for listening
and Happy Hunting!!!!!!

David

[David, Chinese Shape is sure “hot” now but perhaps a TLOLer will be able to help.  I bet these pieces look great on your dining room table.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Carl and Ginger sent...

For everybody's information, as a member of the Education committee I am working on an article/supplement for Readings on "Rescuing Tea Leaf".  I will cover cleaning, minor repairs, and professional restoration.  I can use some help in the professional restoration area.  I am going to compile a list of "Referred" professional restorers around the country.  So...if any TLOL members have a restorer they feel comfortable recommending to the rest of the club I am looking for names, addresses and phone numbers.  Also if anyone knows of cleaners who do it professionally or as a sideline I'll include their names and addresses as well.
TLing in Virginia has been sloooooooooooow for the longest time.  Absolutely nothing to report.  We did have Linda McElwee over for dinner last night, Friday.  She is here for a week from Missouri attending conferences in DC.  It is always fun to get together with her.  I introduced her to eBay so we'll probably have one more competitor on eBay.  She says she's been "cleaning like mad" since she visited two years ago and I showed her how to clean her ironstone.  

So, has anybody come up with other pieces in the body style Suzi and Allen discovered?  What a find!  They wouldn't even tell us about it telling us to wait and see it first in Readings.  

Cheers...Carl, Ginger and Tigre the TL pooch

[C&G, I assume the covered veg discovery you’re referring to is the one on the cover of the last Readings.  I’m not aware if anyone has identified this piece.  Julie-have you heard?  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Julie asked for eBay search hints and this reply came from Bev & Ernie...

Julie,  There is a problem in searching eBay for specific items like Tea Leaf.  Yes,
you should add ironstone to your search and also copper luster.  Some of the
people who sell on eBay don't know how to title their pieces to make it easy
for buyers to find it.  The easiest way I have found to search is to ask for
ironstone and then click the button that says 'descending' order.  That way
you see the newest postings and if you do it regularly, you don't have to go
through 300 to 400 listings.  Of course, that eliminates 'pottery' which is
what some dealers use because they don't know its ironstone.  Another way to
search is to make note of the names of the sellers who regularly post Tea
Leaf.  Then you could search those names regularly to see what they are
selling each week.  This should help you find more on eBay.  We all keep
learning.

Bev

- - - - - - - - - -

Gerald and Maxine suggest...

Hello to all,
Every week I say I'm not going to write, but I do anyway.  The Officers &
Board Members will be congregating in Peoria next weekend for the midyear
meeting.  Denny and his helpers have lots of good things planned for the
convention & it should prove to be a humdinger.  Everyone plan to head out to
Peoria in September.

If anyone has a copy of the Nov. 1998 issue of Country Living magazine, please
look on page 146.  There is a Tea Leaf teapot on a shelf on this page.  How
many TLOLers know what body shape it is & by what Potter?  

The above is a test run of an idea I presented to Dale by using the photo page
instead of a magazine picture.  Here is how it would work.  Dale would post a
photo of an uncommon body style or pattern on the photo page & it would be our
task to identify it & report to Dale in the weekly writings.  Since he will be
doing all the work, he will determine how often the puzzler will be posted.
This would help us learn more about our beloved Tea Leaf & also keep the cards
& letters arriving in Dale's emailbox for all of us to enjoy.

Best wishes to everyone & we will see some of you in Peoria next weekend.

Gerald & Maxine

[G&M, I love your puzzler idea and think the rest of us will enjoy it, too.  Of course we need some photos of pieces that are stumpers.  I’d like to start with the Country Living Magazine photo but don’t have a copy.  If anyone can send me a copy I’ll scan and post the photo.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

About this week’s Discussion Topic, Julie wonders why we selected Grandma’s as the source for our “wishes”...

HI!  I am so proud of myself (and AOL's 4.0) I couldn't find my printed copy
of last week's edition but went into My Files and there it was of course I
got cut off because I hadn't shown any activity but got right back on.  

First please don't restrict us to looking only at GTLI because there have
been several books published more recently that have wonderful photos in them
of TL and variants.  Dale did the article for Jean W's latest book and used
pieces from his collection.  Then there is the Schiffer book where there are
the most beautiful photos that I have ever seen of TL and a few other species
of ironstone all the pieces owned by members of TLCI as well as a few other
clubs.

I'd still like to find a Pinwheel Comport (compote) like Gale's in the
Schiffer book or a soup tureen like Dale's Lily of the Valley one shown in the
same book.. In Jean's book Dale has shown a Pinwheel sauce with ladle and
underplate that holds my interest.  

One thing that I would like to emphasize is that Annise' book was the first
and that was important to all of us 19 years ago when it was first published
but we have gone so much farther since the Club was founded.  We owe her a
vote of thanks for all the work she did for so many years.  And thank her for
getting that book published.  So, Helen, tell your Mom and our "Grandma" that
if it weren't for her we'd probably still be fumbling around looking for Tea
Leaf and passing up some of the other good stuff.  Thanks, Old Friend!

To the Comptons there are many of us who have had years like that the
first TL convention I attended in '81 I had been out of work for 10 months
and was having a hard time finding anything comparable to what I had gone to
MD to do especially money wise.  I passed up several Marketing Director jobs
at MD shopping centers because they didn't pay what I'd been making and no car
went with it  settled on the job at PGCC at a big cut in pay but never
regretted it.  Roxann refused a transfer back to MASS. and had to find a new
job and that took some months and is very happy to be with Bombay.  So good
luck to you hope you are as fortunate as we have been.

Funny that Blackberry should be mentioned I just bought a waste bowl in it
at the Mt. Joy auction the pattern that I bought is in Ellen Hill's book 
Blackberry Lustre by Mellor Venebles is under her listing of "Floral" and
dated to l849.  The leaf is what we call TeaLeaf but Ellen says that it is
also known as "Strawberry Lustre".  If you all don't know about Ellen's book,
you can write her and get a copy.  Doesn't she get TLOnLine, Dale?  The book
is "Mulberry Ironstone Fl ow Blue's Best Kept Little Secret" and can only be
bought through her and periodically she prints updates.  Great book for body
styles and much information.

Kears I will never forget how excited I was to learn that you were members [from Scotland].  Had to send your Tea Leaf Readings specially because you were our first
International members.  Later we had a member from Germany (husband was Army)
and she found a washbasin at a flea market in Germany.  I think we corresponded
some before you returned to USA.  Later, we expanded to Canada.  But the Kears
made "International" a truth!

Sorry to be so long winded or is it long worded.  

Juliehoo!

[Julie, we selected GTLI because we suspected everyone would have a copy and it would give us a single source to look through.  I think the photos in Wetherbee and Schiffer expand our wish list posibilities but am afraid that many of our TLOLers won’t have copies.  Regarding Ellen Hill, she isn’t, unfortunately, on line with us.  DA]

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Maxine mentioned that the Board and Officers will be meeting in Peoria next weekend so there will be NO TLOL NEXT WEEKEND (March 7).  This should give all of you a chance to dust off your GTLI books and submit your “wish lists” for the next TLOL.  

Looking forward to your replies.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  March 14, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

DISCUSSION TOPIC

“Everybody probably has a copy of Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone.   Spend a few moments looking at the pictures and pick out one or two pieces you really would like to own.  Send these to TLOL.  Who knows, maybe another TLOLer might have them for sale.”

Send in the photo number, page and item description and, if you feel like it, tell us what really like about the item(s) you have selected.

TLOL MEMBER INFO

Welcome to a couple of new TLOL members this week,  Shirley Leppert from Hamilton, Ohio and Marjorie Reisdorf.  Welcome to our group - we hope you’ll both become active participants.  As a starter perhaps we could convince you both to write to us about how you got started collecting, your collecting specialties and a little about your favorite pieces.

LETTERS

The letters this week are all of those that I’ve been saving up about favorite pieces from Grandma’s Tea Leaf Ironstone.  It’s sure fun to imagine that GTLI might be a Sear’s catalog and we could just order up items to satisfy our heart’s desire.  Of course, that would probably take the fun out of collecting for most of us!  

It came as no surprise to me that many of us selected the exact same piece - that fantastic reticulated Shaw compote pictured on page 115 - Photo AS-46.  I was surprised that no one selected the Shaw ironstone “business card” on page 106 which I have always thought was a very neat item.  For me, the compote is one of the two items on the top of my want list.  The second piece, not pictured in GTLI, is the nautilus shape TL spoon warmer in a private collection.

The first Wish List letter came from Tom Baker...

If Christmas came two times this year and Grandma's TL Ironstone was my
catalog, I would love to own (1) the Mellor, Taylor waste jar sound on
page 102 (MT9) it is so elegant, tall and simple in design and (2)
the absolutely exquisite "rare as a Derby winner"  Sebring shellshape
lidded jug found on page 200.
These are my 'votes'.

Tom Baker
Gahanna, Ohio

[Tom, I’d love to own a waste jar, too, but am pretty sure that the lid is wrong in the photo.  The actual lid would be more domed - the one pictured looks like a potty lid.  DA]

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Rick Nielsen selected a piece not from GTLI...

Since I have an extensive collection of white ironstone syrups, I will
opt for a tea leaf syrup pitcher. There does not seem to be a picture
in the book, although I have seen a picture in the handbook (vintage
beauty). I have this pitcher in white, so how cool would that be.
thanks for letting me fantasize.

Rick Nielsen

[In addition to the Handbook, there is also a photo of this piece in Jean Wetherbee’s book “White Ironstone: A Collectors Guide”, Shaw’s Vintage Beauty Syrup Pitcher is pictured on Page 155, 16-15.  There are very few pewter-lidded syrups in TL - Davenport made one and two of our TLOLers own the only examples I know of.  There is also a Mayer syrup which Chris W owns and an American syrup down in Alabama.  It seems to me that I recall someone mentioned having seen a Cable syrup but I’ve never seen one myself.  What other syrups are out there?  DA]

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Keith and Ruth Wilcox sent...

We have been enjoying all the TLOL messages and appreciate all the time and effort you devote to keep us in contact with TL friends between conventions.

You asked us to look through Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone and pick out a dream piece or two. These aren't exactly dream pieces, but being on the practical side...

   1. We'd like to have a lid for a Baker & Chetwynd sugar bowl, like the one on page 47 photo BC1. It came with a Meakin Scroll lid, so maybe we need a Meakin Scroll sugar bowl, too.

   2. We are also looking for a lid for an Arthur J. Wilkinson Hawthorn (Claw) sugar bowl. A soup tureen of this style is shown on page 126 photo WI6.
   3. And last we would like to find a lid to complete a Shaw Bullet
sauce tureen. On page 113 photo AS32 shows a soup tureen in this body
style.

I think we received our Tea Leaf Readings shortly after it was sent, but I agree a first class news letter needs to be sent first class. I don't think members would mind an increase in dues. We might have four Readings instead of five per year. Just a thought, but it is important that  all members receive their Readings promptly.

Keith and Ruth Wilcox

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Ila’s wish list includes...

Time has a way of getting away from me and before I realize another TLOL has
arrived.  I won't try catching up on the unanswered topics but will respond by
saying that it didn't take me long to locate the one main item that I would
LOVE to have left at my front door and that being the open work lace like
compote found in Grandma's TLI book on page 115 AS46.  Since I new exactly
were to look all I had to get the letters/numbers.  

I also have other favorites, being Davenport with pink lustre as on Page 61
DA5 and of course every ones favorite items any and all Children's item on
pages 211 213 and particularly Anthony Shaw Lily of the Valley.  

We can relate to finds that we never purchased.  When we were living in PA and
going to a lot of antique shows and one that we attended was a show on the
mainline and since we knew little about variants, we passed up the purchasing
of a large set of pinwheel.  Oh, how we have kicked ourselves many, many
times.  Of course that wasn't the only wonderful find we passed up before we
became aware of the beauty and value of variants.  At that time, we thought
that if it didn't have a tea leaf on the items it wouldn't have any valve and
therefore, not a wise purchase.  As the old saying goes "OLD TOO SOON AND
SMART TOO LATE."

We have just returned from a trip to the Southwest, I have to confess we
didn't spend much time in antique shops but mostly on the golf course. The
ones we did check out wasn't profitable at all.  We only saw a Shaw wash bowl
with a big ugly crack for $75.00 (no purchase).

Dale, sounds like you made another killing.  Of course, finds always come with
a price.

Solong till next time.
Ila

[Ila - I was so surprised that you are the only one who mentioned any child’s pieces given how desirable they are.  Must be that all the rest of the TLOLers already have their LOV child’s sets!  DA]

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Laura Butler enjoyed the excuse to reread GTLI and wrote...

I enjoyed going through GTLI again, have not really picked it up in years.
But, I knew without looking which two pieces I covet the most: the open work
footed compote on p. 115 (AS46) and the Edge Malkin round covered dish on
p. 66 (to match my oval one). Has anyone ever seen an open work piece?? I
don't even recall a sighting reported in Readings.

As suggested last week, another quick topic would be the one that got away.
"Country Home" magazine just did an amusing article on this, and the
unforgettable antiques ranged from a museum quality painted trunk to a heart
shaped mold for fried eggs. I have a Mickey Mouse shaped one I use for
special occasions, but I don't think it qualifies as an antique yet.

Mark and Janet: Thanks for the update on Nan, I will try to reach her.
John M: If you find someone with a spare lid to a child's LOV teapot, ask
them if they have one for my sugar bowl too, thanks very much.

Laura Butler

[Laura, A couple of others mentioned that EM pancake plate, too.  DA]

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The Stevens wrote...

We went to Grandma's and looked for pieces we really wished we owned.
We divided our wish list in two.  First, the very rare that we probably
won't ever own and secondly some pieces that appeal to us and have an
outside chance of buying.

At the head of the list of the very rare would be the Shaw's reticulated
compote on page 115.  (Wonder how many others also will pick this
piece?)  The Polonaise pancake plate and cover on page 66 qualifies for
the rare status and perhaps the Edge Malkin brush holder on page 65.
Every one would be happy to have a master waste jar and the Lion's Head
one on page 102 suits us.
Because they are new Red Cliff's candlesticks on page 180 might be found
but still rare.

Pieces that maybe in the collection of some TLOLers that appeal to us
include: The Elegance sauce tureen (page 56), The Fig Cousin butter
(page 61), Chelsea tea set (page 93), the J & G Meakin handleless cup
(page 98), Niagara Fan Soup Tureen (page 107), the Hawthorn Soup
tureen (page 126) and the Maidenhair Fern teapot (page 127).  Looks like
we have to start some serious looking if we were to fill this list.

In response to the question about what solvent to use remove glue we
wouldn't bother.  If the piece is going to be professionally repaired we
wouldn't touch it.  Let the professional do all the work.

Regards

The Stevens

[W&P - The soup tureen on your wish list (pg 107) is actually Shaw’s Hanging Leaves as opposed to Niagara Fan.  It is misidentified in the book.   DA]

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Donna Turner sent an extensive list...

One of the suggestions in last week's email was to prepare your wish list from Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone.

My wish list contains the Shaw Bullet pieces found on page 112 and 113 and Adams piece on page 45:
page 112 Sugar with lid, AS28
page 112creamer ( I believe this is Bullet pattern), AS27
I have the sauce tureen.
page 113Soup Tureen (I have the Bullet Soup Tureen by Red Cliff but would like to have the Shaw piece.)
page 113the butter dish or soap dish, AS33
page 45The Empress shape soup tureen, lid, ladle and service tray, AD3.

I also have a question for the group.  With the Bullet serving pieces, what type of plates, cups etc. would have been used?  I am assuming the plain plates but I was wondering if there were plates and other pieces that would have some type of unique marking to match these serving pieces.

[Donna, You’re right, the plates for Shaw’s Bullet place setting would have been quite plain.  DA]
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Dick Brackin mixed news and wish list in the following email...

     Here I am, back in southeastern Ohio following a week of "fun in the
sun" in Puerto Rico.  Actually, the sun was wonderful, and the trip was
quite rewarding though much of the activity of hurricane relief work is
hardly fun!  It was a very rewarding experience and had I not been
committed to going to Hong Kong so soon, I would have liked to have
stayed for another week or two.  The folks with whom we worked were so
appreciative of every little thing that we did. It was 85 degrees in San
Juan Tuesday afternoon when we left and 26 degrees and snowing when we
landed that evening in Columbuswhat a welcome home!

     We had Saturday afternoon free and went on a bit of an excursion to Old
San Juan where there are a number of antique shops.  One of the men at
the camp and with whom I worked on the site owns an antique shop and
furniture refinishing business in Mt. Holly, New Jersey, so he and I
visited every shop we came acrossnary one piece of Tea Leaf or
anything which even resembled copper lustre decorated ironstone!  :(

     Today I am getting my documents together for Friday when my tax man
visiteth, and took a break to look at Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone.  I
selected five pieces which I suspect were I ever to discover were up for
auction, and were I to become independently wealthy I would keep my
bidding card in the air until I went home with them in my possession.  I
have prioritized them.  Way at the top of the list is the reticulated
compote pictured on page 115 (AS 46).  (My guess is that this is at the
top of your list as well, Dale.)  I have NEVER seen anything remotely
like this in person and might experience momentary cardiac arrest were
that ever to happen!  Second on my list is the Edge Malkin pancake plate
shown on page 66 (EM 4).  I have seen but one pancake plate and that was
an American piece, I believe, and the lid had been severely damaged and
repaired (remember Mildred Karger's sad tale about an altercation in an
airport on the way to convention?).  Third priority is the teapot with
the same unnamed embossed pattern as my gravy boat, shown on page 92
(MEA 22).  Fourth is shown on page 200 (SB 1), the Sebring Pottery jug
(I have not one piece of Sebring ware and I grew up barely 30 miles from
there!)  Number five is pictured on page 73 (FU 3), the Furnival covered
vegetable dish with four Tea Leaves on the lid.  How is that for an
impossible wish list???  I agree with Annise that the reticulated
compote is easily the most spectacular piece in the book, perhaps that
any of us shall ever hope to see.  There are lots of other pieces
pictured over which I drool each time I see them, and lots for which
even now, I might be like Juliehoo and remortgage the house...again.  
By the way, I have decided that the Thomas Hughes plates are likely the
same pattern as my one tea cup, but are not the same as my tea pot which
is not only a unique embossment, but also a unique shape as tea pot
shapes go.

     I hope that everyone is keeping their eyes and ears open for a beaded
bow Thomas Hughes tea pot, waste bowl, and cake plate for me.

     Seems that there was something else to which I needed to respond, but
since I have a mind like a sieve, it is gone for the moment.  Perhaps it
will return by the time it is time to write next week.

     ttfn...Dick

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Lowell and Diana Youngen’s first TLOL email follows...

Hi to our TLOL members This is our 1st time sending a Email to you.
Have enjoyed reading the responses the past 34 weeks.

Our main line is Wedgewood ribbed. Here again as has been stated we have enough of the more common items & now are looking only the harder to find items.
Not just Wedgewood in the ribbed pattern but also Daisy & Tulip, Chelsea,&FleurDeLis Chain.  Any interesting items available??????

In Grandma's bookphoto #89, page 123  Wedgewood ribbed Brush Holder is an item to add to our ribbed bath set.

LOWELL & DIANA

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John M’s list also includes “the compote”...

I've searched the TL pages and here are my three wishes.  The compote on
page 115, the Walley preTL creamer or small pitcher on page 119 and the
large waste jar which could double as an ice bucket.   The Walley
creamer would be the mate to my sugar bowl and coffee pot and the
compote would be a stunning piece on its own.  I'm off to Conn. and
southern NY for two days of antiquinghope to have something good to
report next week.

John
[JM - Interesting how few people selected the variants, like the Pre-TL piece on your list.  Of course, variants aren’t all that well represented in GTLI, are they?  DA]

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The Kears took advantage of bad weather to browse through GTLI and create their wish list...

It is a chilly wet day here in Houston but we are glad for the rain we
need bad and a chance to get our discussion topic response submitted.

Connie and I both went through Grandma's TLI.  We each secretly chose
what we would like to have most.  Out of the whole book we both picked
the same first and second choices (wish we were as compatible during the
annual Tea Leaf convention auction).  First choice was the reticulated
fruit bowl on page 115 (AS46).  There is another picture in Jean
Wetherbee's, A Second Look at White Ironstone.  The owners listed in
Jean Wetherbee's book were the host for the last WICA regional meeting
in Texas.  We were anxious to attend and see this piece but the floods
were here then and we were unable to attend due to high water in our
area (plus we were busy building an ark).  Our second choice is the
pancake plate on page 66 (EM4).  We both felt this was unique and
certainly not seen often.  The Mildred Karger, in San Antonio, has one
and we have see that one.  There are many other pieces in Grandma's we
would be proud to own but since we were limited  to two choices we will
stop there.  We think it would be much more difficult if we had a pick
of two pieces from Dale's collection.

Denny enjoyed attending the mid year meeting in Peoria last week end.
It was good to see TL friends once again and the hotel will make a great
venue for our 20th convention.  Denny was also glad to get home before
the winter snow storm hit the Peoria area.

Well  that is all for this edition, we look forward to reading what
everyone else chose from Grandma's.

Connie & Denny Kear

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Maxine and Gerald wrote...

It was nice to see all the Officers & Board Members in Peoria last weekend.
Now to the topic.  Gerald & I listed four items each & these are the two that
we both chose out of the eight.  First, Page 107, picture AS4, Anthony Shaw
Niagara Fan tureen.  First of all we don't have one & secondly we think the
decoration is not too much, nor is it too little.  The second piece we would
love to own can be found on page 115, picture AS46, the open lacy compote.
What can I say, it is just a lovely piece & I fear it may be one of a kind.
We have heard for several years that a dealer told a friend of ours there is
another one just like it in our area.  We have never been able to track it
down.  Believe me, we keep looking.  Bye, Bye.

Maxine & Gerald

[M&G - I haven’t ever seen a Niagara Fan soup tureen but have enjoyed the pleasure of once seeing a 4-piece sauce tureen, a magnificent item as you can imagine.  DA]

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Margaret Mitchell checked in with...

Regarding the new discussion topic of things I would like to own from
"Grandma's Tea Leaf" book. My favorites would be the Clementson sugar
bowl CL3 and relish dish CL15 on pages 54 & 57. Beautiful! I'm still
looking for the bowl to my Mellor ewer on page 100 MT4. It will look
better when it is complete. You can't beat Anthony Shaw and Edward
Walley for true beauty and quality. I do agree with Julie, that
Schiffer's newest book on "White Ironstone" should also be considered
with all the gorgeous pictures of tea leafs and variants most of
which belong to Dale!

A few years ago I bought a Walley wrapped Sydenham scallop plate while traveling in Newport Rhode Island. Fell in love with the pattern, but have seen nothing since. Dale's gravy boat [Wrapped Sydenham with Scallops motif] on page 129 in Schiffer's
book is a great example. Also like Dale's Shaw relish dish [DeSoto Shape] on page 49 of the same book. Would encourage all members to add this book to their
library on Ironstone. Its a must!

[Margaret - I, too, think that everyone would enjoy a copy of the Schiffer book.  It’s not particularly “scholarly” but the color photos are spectacular.  If anyone wants to purchase a copy I do have a couple available.  DA]   

- - - - - - - - - -

Julie reports on the results of the Board’s conversation about First Class mail for Readings and the dues increase that would be required in order to support the increased costs...

HI!  Here I am again in a snowstorm for the second time in less than a week.
The only good thing is that this time I'm inside my house instead of inside my
car.  As you know by now I left Dick's in Tuesday's snow.  Sure is hard
staying on the road out there in the boonies where there aren't any lights and
not much of a road.  Made it from Athens to Clarksburg, WVA in just over 5
hours.  Think it usually takes about 2 but I made it in that Suburu Forester.
Didn't get any plowed roads until I got to PA on I79 north.  I70 was plowed
at least one lane.  By New Stanton, I gave up and pulled into the Day's Inn.
Really silly of me but something must be watching over me.  

As for Board Meeting:  I tried to convince the Board that Readings should be
mailed lst class.  I wasn't very convincing or the majority already had their
minds made up.  Aren't any of you out there in TLOL interested in getting your
newsletter sooner than 3 weeks.  Mine reached me on Feb. 18.  John M I
understand that yours didn't get to you until it was sent back and resent.  If
anybody is interested, the Heisey Club (with about 6000 memberscorrect me on
that Mark or Janet) mails lst class at a charge of dues plus $4 extra.  Our
editions do run larger but I'd be willing to pay.  No one else out there not
interested in faster service?  Maybe being part of TLOL satisfies our needs
and the majority doesn't feel concerned .  When do you West Coasters receive
yours?  Maybe it's just the East Coast on the late end of delivery.  
Had my say and I'm sure everyone wishes I'd shut up about it but I'm afraid I
just can't do that.

Juliehoo!

[Julie - You should write about the child’s cupboard search for next week - it’s a fun story.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Thanks for the wish lists.  I wonder why no one selected the mustard pot (OE-27) on page 220 or the Morning Glory and the Teaberry child’s sets which also made my list.

Going through GTLI was such fun - we all have copies but probably don’t spend enough time studying them.  

I’m missing a topic for next week so it’s going to be “open mic”.  Write about anything you care to and reply to any of the comments made this issue.

Looking forward to hearing from lots of you this week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  March 21, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC

We know that “The Computer” has altered the way things are done.  Should the Tea Leaf Club have a committee to explore more use of the computer?  Should this be an ad hoc committee?  A standing committee?  A subcommittee of another standing committee?  What are some of your ideas about how the Club could make more use of the computer?  If a committee is appointed would you be willing to serve on it?

PRIOR DISCUSSION TOPIC

“Everybody probably has a copy of Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone.   Spend a few moments looking at the pictures and pick out one or two pieces you really would like to own.  Send these to TLOL.  Who knows, maybe another TLOLer might have them for sale.”

TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new members this week.

LETTERS

The first items this week refer to pieces which I have posted on the TLOL Photo Page.  

Remember a couple weeks ago Maxine asked if anyone had seen and could identify a Tea leaf coffeepot in the November 98 issue of Country Living magazine?  Maxine was kind enough to bring the issue to me in Peoria and I have scanned the photo and posted it.  This exact item can be found in one of our standard reference books so I challenge you all to check out your books and send in your coffeepot identification - it’s a little on the unusual side.

Anne Skinner sent a couple of photos and wrote...

A few months ago we mentioned in a TLOL that we had gotten this small Teaberry compote.  Can you identify the body style?  Also, I am sending s picture of an unusual wire basket that we bought a few years ago.  It has a small Tea Leaf plate built in the bottom.  It is really lovely and although probably nothing special, I am fond of it.

Dallas has finally acquired an egg cup.  We have never seen one for sale and decided we were not meant for egg cups.  Anyway we found one in an antique mall in Chads Ford PA.  After getting home and examining it more closely, I reluctantly decided it has a rim repair, but we are still pleased to have it.

Anne Skinner

[Anne, I have posted both of your photos to the TLOL Photo Page to share with the rest of the group.  I can identify the body style of your magnificent tureen but will refrain from doing so because I’d like to see how many other TLOLers can identify it, too.  Send your responses to me for the next TLOL.  The wire plate basket is neat and I think most of us would have been happy to find it.  Does anyone else have a similar item?  DA]

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Mike and Marie sent...

Hope all was well at the midyear board meeting.  Believe that is where you
were?!

Thought I'd answer as to what piece in GTLI book we'd have on our wish list.
Lots to choose from but I guess I'd like the Wilkinson ewer WI26.  I think
it looks a lot like Maidenhair Fern not sure if that's what it is or not.
Just like it I guess.  Don't expect to find that soon anyway.

We'll be on the road next weekend looking a bit so maybe we'll find something
of interest in Arkansas.  For now, we are content to work on taxes and work 
with a few glances at Ebay now and then!

Take care.

Mike & Marie

[M&M, You’re right, the ewer is Maidenhair Fern.  DA]

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Marjorie, via Linda, contributed...

Could you accept a late contribution on the topic of favorite pieces from
Grandma's Tea Leaf Ironstone? Marjorie sent me her response and I didn't get
it until Monday. I'm not sure if the mail was slower than usual, or if I
neglected to check my box on Saturday. :) Here's what she wrote:

The piece of Tea Leaf which I long for this week is pictured on page 127,
photo number WI11, a Wilkinson Maidenhair Fern teapot. All offers to sell or
trade will be seriously considered. Why do I regard this piece as special? I
have the sugar bowl, creamer, gravy boat, covered butter, and cake plant, but
have never seen a teapot. Come on. Make my day!

M.J. Yambrovich
P.O. Box 299
Litchfield, OH 44253

Linda

- - - - - - - - - -

John M reports...

Don't have too much to say this week except to report on a nice find.  I
purchased a Mellor Taylor gold child's set consisting of 6 cups and
saucers, six flat plates, a waste bowl and sugar bowl.  Does anyone out
there have a creamer and teapot for sale?  Also, I'm still looking for a
lid to my LOV child's teapot.  I will even settle for a white ironstone
version.  Does anyone in WICA have such a lid?  I would even consider
buying the complete teapot in white.

That's it for now,

John

- - - - - - - - - -

Walt and Pat checked in with...

Greetings all
After being stuck at home for January and February we finally made a
trip to Minneapolis and an antique show.  If there was any justice we
should have found lots of Tea Leaf but in the entire Convention Center
there was only one butter pat.  We did talk to Chuck and Marti Peterson
who were equally disappointed.  Also went to a couple of shops in the
twin cities without finding anything worth buying.  Out of frustration
we went to a nearby dealer in Dodge Center Minnesota and bought a few
Shaw Chinese plates that we had turned down previously.  Included in the
group were 4 small sauce (?) dishes.  They could pass for a Child's soup
plate if there were such a thing.  We bought one interesting item and
that we need help identifying.  It is a round bowl,
6 1/2" in diameter and 2 1/2" high.  It has 4 panels each set off with a
leaf, perhaps an Acanthus leaf and a large Tea Leaf in the bottom of the
bowl.  It is marked J & G Meakin Hanley England.  Can any one identify
the body style?  And how was the bowl used?  It is shorter than our
other oatmeal or mush bowls.

This week we ventured to Northern Iowa and bought a Burgess Pagoda
butter dish and gravy boat.  Also got a very small Shaw baker and a
Furnival Little Cable sugar bowl.  Unfortunately the finial to the sugar
had broken off but it was a clean break and we will have it repaired.
After striking out at the last 4 or 5 antique shows it was nice to be
able to find some TL even if wasn't especially reasonable.  Pleased with
the J &G Meakin since they aren't even mentioned in the handbook as a
maker of Tea Leaf.

NCCA tournament calls. Pat is the leader in our family pool but she has
been very gracious about not crowing.

Regards
The Stevens

[W&P, Regarding your little bowl, I’m pretty certain it’s not a child’s soup bowl.  In my opinion there were no such pieces included with Tea Leaf child’s sets.  The J&G Meakin piece is quite unusual.  I believe it to be a rimless soup bowl like the ones Alfred Meakin made in Chelsea, although they are unusual and seldom-seen.  If you have a picture I’ll post it for all to share.  Thanks for the new discussion topic.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And the last letter this week came from Denny Kear...

Dale, you were correct in saying the Mellor Taylor waste jar (page 102
(MT9) has the wrong lid.  The correct lid, as you stated is domed.  We
are fortunate enough to own one of these waste jars.  It gets carried
from beside our fireplace to a safe place ever time our 2 ½ year old
grandson visits.

As a group, we certainly have a varied wish list and not surprisingly
several duplicates.   In our opinion, part of the fun of collecting is
the hunt itself.  Although we all know the odds may not be good  to find
some of these really rare pieces, we all know that the unexpected may
happen at the next antique shop, show or mall, mail delivery, phone call
etc.

We got our Mellor Taylor waste jar at an antique show. We also have the
Furnival tureen with the four Tea Leaves on the lid, mentioned by Dick
Bracken. We bought that piece at table sales three or four years ago.
Just last week Ebay sold a Wedgwood square ribbed brush holder that
Lowell and Diana have on their wish list.  So I guess the point is,  we
should not give up, be positive and keep on hunting.

Help! This week I purchase the lid for a cable tea pot. It is very
small, 2 3/4 high, 3" diameter with an opening to the dome of only 1
7/8".  Since it is flanged it would have to fit into a  very small
opening on a teapot body  The cables going down the side are not marked
with dots  but have three lines.  It does have a steam hole but does not
have a motif.   It will not fit on a Shaw cable coffee pot and it is
bigger than any lids we have for child's pieces. I have checked  my
reference books and can't find a match.  Anyone have any suggestions?

That is all for this week.

Denny Kear

[Wow, Denny, what a puzzle your lid is.  Without seeing it I’m not even sure it’s a Cable lid - how can you tell.  Perhaps it’s a Burgess Cable or other potter and not Shaw.   Can you email or send a photo?  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

That’s it for letters this week.  Seems like everyone was pretty written-out after their trips through GTLI.  Looking forward to hearing from lots of you this week.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  March 28, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

CONTINUING DISCUSSION TOPIC

We know that “The Computer” has altered the way things are done.  Should the Tea Leaf Club have a committee to explore more use of the computer?  Should this be an ad hoc committee?  A standing committee?  A subcommittee of another standing committee?  What are some of your ideas about how the Club could make more use of the computer?  If a committee is appointed would you be willing to serve on it?

NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC

Internationally-recognized ceramics expert Geoffrey Godden will be answering question at the Flow Blue Convention.  For those who aren't going to Rochester how about a TLOL question session.  Do you think the most interesting questions will be general or specific?  For example, specifically what was in a bath set or, in general, were the purchasers of Flow Blue / Ironstone / Tea Leaf working class or middle class?  What questions would you submit to Mr. Godden?  If you are sending a question to Mr. Godden will you send it to TLOL and let our local experts  take a crack at it.

TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new members this week.

LETTERS

Regarding the Tea Leaf plate in the wire basket a photo of which is posted on the TLOL Photo Page, Ila writes...

Nice find!  I wonder if it was manufactured as such or did someone insert it
in lieu of the original.

Regarding an identification for the coffeepot, how many guess can I have?  

My first guess is that this is a Wedgwood Ribbed, but I have now ruled that
out as the handle is different and there is no ribbing at the mouth.

Guess #2 is that it's Red Cliff, but again the handle looks like Wedgwood
Ribbed; ruled that out too.

Guess #3 and final entry to your question:
     It is a Square Ribbed: by W & E Corn, dates: ca 1864 1904 according to GTLI
on page 58.    

Do I win the prize One year subscription to TLOL?

Ila

[Ila, You’re absolutely right, it’s W&E Corn.  Good research!  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Walt and Pat reply to the Discussion Topic with...

Happy Easter,

We will be in London on Easter so won't be able to send a message next
week.

We think the board should consider appointing an ad hoc committee to
explore how the club could use the computer.  The committee should work
closely with the board.  The first task would be identifying club
members with computer skills and see if they would be willing to work on
specific projects.  This ad hoc committee could make a list of potential
projects for board consideration.

The committee might also look into the feasibility of putting more club
information on line or on disks.  For example, the auction information
might be put on disk and sold to club members.  A big job that we
discussed online before was a file of pictures of the various body
styles.  Another possibility could be putting the "Handbook Book" in a
data base format so a club member might match information about their
piece with the data base for identification.  There should be several
other areas where information can be computerized for access by club
members to get information about identifying pieces or prices.

The club may want to consider sponsoring another home page.  Dale has
maintained a great page that we all access frequently but can he use
help.  A club sponsored and maintained page might include articles from
forthcoming or current Readings, Tea Leaf auction info or a "Time to
Trade" section.  In other words put the Tea Bag of Wishes online.  Club
members could advertise items for sale or join us in making a list of
what we would like to buy.

As we reviewed our comments Pat pointed out that a danger of
concentrating services for the computer would be to divide the club into
those who have Internet access and those who do not.  We are sure the
board always is looking out for the interests of all the club members
but it is easy to ignore those without computers or the Internet.  Just
look what they are missing not being able to receive TLOL which only
works when we  respond to a topic.  Hope several of you have some
thoughts on the computer and the club.

Off to England for a short stay.  We will be sightseeing in London and
probably won't see any Tea Leaf but will look forward to messages when
we get back.

Regards
The Stevens

[W&P, Thanks for the thoughtful reply to the computer question.  As President Maxine is a TLOL participant perhaps she’ll want to add your suggestions to the agenda for the September Board Meeting.  What do the rest of you think?  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Kimmey ventures a guess on the body style of the Teaberry sauce tureen...

The Teaberry covered dish resembles the Teaberry punch bowl I bought at the
TL auction a few years ago, at least those little Vshaped decorations
around the handles.  However, my handles are like twisted rope and curve
upward. I'm not sure we ever gave the bowl a body shape name..It is not
covered. It does have the same upper lip shape as my covered "hot toddy
bowl"(?) which has a cover, whose embossing is Bordered Fuchsia. The mystery
continues.

Kimmey

{K - Actually, the sauce tureen is Prairie Shape and this is a highly collectible piece.  I don’t quite remember the specifics of your spectacular punch bowl (shame on me!) So I’m not sure that I remember the body style.  Can you send a photo for all to enjoy?  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

On their way out the door to London the Stevens also wrote...

Dale, from the pictures in Readings the display at the Wexner Center
must have been fantastic.  Wish we could have gone to Columbus to see
it.  We are going to London tomorrow for 8 days and will miss a couple
of a couple of TLOLs.
Best to you and the Buckeyes

Walt and Pat Stevens

[For those of you close enough to Columbus to go...the Wexner Center display stays up for about 3 more weeks.  Call me in you come - I’ll try to meet you.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Juliehoo sent comments on the items on the Photo Page and shared a wonderful story...

HI!  I'd like to take a guess at the identity of the teapot/coffeepot that
Maxine noticed in the magazine.  I thought at first it was a Wedgewood Square
Ridged but looking at the Handbook, it seems to be a W. & E. Corn Square
Ridged IV.

     Dale thought that I should share this story with my cronies.  Two years ago
on my way to Cedar Rapids, IA for the TL Convention, I stopped at a town
Called Farmer City, IL just before you reach Peoria.  I stopped at an antique
shop (where else?!) and found this beautifully crafted miniature doll
furniture.  I ordered a wall cupboard from Mike Richardson.  He told me that
he would have to find the aged wood and that it might take 6 months or so.
Agreed and I gave him a check for $100.  Two years later and I've heard
nothing from Mr. R. I had written and tried to call no answer.  I told Dale
the story and he agreed that we would stop on the way back from Peoria and
check it out.  We did on Sunday morning.  I wasn't sure about the shop it
looked like the place that I remembered was all boarded up.  We did stop at an
Antique Mall open early because there was an Antique Show in town.  Walking
to the back of the small mall, I found a lady and asked if she had been around
for a while.  "Just a few years since 1968,"  she replied.  "Well" said I "I
have a sad story to tell you” and proceeded to tell her about my order and my
lack of a response either merchandise-wise or answerwise from the illusive
Mr.R.  She looked at me and replied "I'm his mother.  That's my son."  Upshot
was that Mr. Mike R's shop had burned down Christmas Day (not sure which year)
and he had lost all his records.  She promised that she would take my card and
have him call me.  That's almost a month ago and still no call but at least I
know that I haven't lost my marbles just my $100 check so far.  Guess I'm
going to have to start to track him down and get an answer.  

     I'm late getting to you, Dale, because I went to the Howard County (MD)
Antique Show.  That's where I met our good friend, Gloria Weatherby. She is
always there and had some beautiful MG/TL/white ironstone.  As she always
does. Usually Gloria shops the show at setup and gets the best stuff but this
time I found something she missed.  I found a child's white ironstone syrup
pitcher.  It is about 41/2" tall and is perfect little pewter lid with
finial.  I'm going to get a photo to Bev and Ernie D.  I know they'll love it.
Sorry that it isn't Tea Leaf but it's the next best thing.  

     Roxann asked me to tell all of you Tea Leafers who sent cards and well wishes
a big "Thank you!"  She is better but will be in PT for quite a while.  She
has just received an award from Bombay Company at their annual convention. She
was voted District Manager of the Year crystal award, money award, stock in
the company and a raise.  Isn't that nice?!  Hope you don't mind my bragging
just a little.

Love to you all Juliehoo!

[Julie - what a charmed life you must lead!  I love your story.  Are you planning to bring the little syrup to the WICA convention at the end of the month?  I bet lots of folks will want to see it.  Along with Ila, you also got the Corn identification right.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And finally Maxine and Gerald contributed...

Hello everyone,

It's been a busy week but I want to visit with you for just a moment.  Last
week Denny wrote regarding the Mellor Taylor waste jar, (Grandma's book page
102 MT9).  We are also fortunate to own one with the correct lid.  Ours came
from Southern Minnesota area.  I have asked Nancy Upchurch if this had a
pattern name & she said she did not know of one.  I call it "Ribbon".  Anyone
else have an idea?

By observing the photo on our photo page (on our screen we can't make out much
detail) but our guess on the Teaberry covered dish is either Quartered Rose or
Ring O' Hearts.  I must say it is quite a lovely piece.  It would certainly be
an added attraction to the rare & unusual portion of the convention.

Fran tells me our membership has reached 861.  Only about 5 ½ months until
convention, can we reach 1,000 by September?

WICA convention is coming soon & we will be first timers.  Hoping to see some
of you there in April.  All for now.

Gerald & Maxine

[M&G, What a wonderful suggestion to bring the sauce tureen for Rare and Unusual in September.  It’s not too early to be thinking of what everyone can bring to share.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

That’s it for letters this week.  I’ll be out of town next weekend (Easter/Passover) to Florida.  I suspect I’ll poke my head in a couple of shops but I don’t find FL pickins’ particularly fruitful for TL.  I’ll also be gone the following weekend to NYC.  So...there will be an odd TLOL schedule for a couple of weeks.  I’ll try to get a TLOL out during the week between 4/4 and 4/11.  As long as I have letters from you look for the next issue around Wednesday April 7.

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  April 7, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm


NEW DISCUSSION TOPIC

Internationally-recognized ceramics expert Geoffrey Godden will be answering question at the Flow Blue Convention.  For those who aren't going to Rochester how about a TLOL question session.  Do you think the most interesting questions will be general or specific?  For example, specifically what was in a bath set or, in general, were the purchasers of Flow Blue / Ironstone / Tea Leaf working class or middle class?  What questions would you submit to Mr. Godden?  If you are sending a question to Mr. Godden will you send it to TLOL and let our local experts  take a crack at it.

TLOL MEMBER INFO

No new members this week, but lots of new folks will be added soon based on the number of TLOL requests we received on folks’ membership renewal forms!

LETTERS

This will be a brief TLOL because, as you’ll see, there were fewer than a half dozen letters the past ten days.  I very much appreciate those of you who did take the time to write...your letters follow.

Gene Emerson commented on the computer topic and volunteered...

I believe the Tea Leaf Club International should have either a committee or
subcommittee to explore ways in which the use of the computer, maybe through
TLOL or something similar, could enhance the Tea Leaf experience for ALL
members.  For instance:  1): one or more participants in each regional to
facilitate frequent, perhaps quarterly, gathering & dissemination of current
and recent Tea Leaf information to other members in their particular region.
Such information could provide the dates & locations of Tea Leaf items for
sale or auction, want lists, etc.;  2). catalog all of the maker, body style,
piece information, & photos on one or more CDs sort of an electronic version
of GTLI (It would be easy to update, add to, print, etc.); ...

If there were to be such a committee, I would be interested in
serving/participating.

Best Regards,

gene...

[Gene, Thanks for volunteering.  I bet Prez Maxine will take note of your offer.  I especially like the idea of an online reporter from each region who can submit info about local sales and regional meetings.  Thanks.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Mark and Janet are back from Paris and wrote...

         We have had a lot of trouble with our service provider so we have been out of touch for awhile. It seems someone broke in to the provider's place of business and stole, among other things, both servers for the email as well as the backup tapes. This is a prime reason why smart businesses take their backup tapes out off premises at the end of the day. At any rate we are now back.

The computer committee is an excellent idea. As to W&P's comments I can only say, "I wish I had said that”. They were right on thoughts.  Just think of the resource it would be to have body styles, decoration variations, set makeups etc. all on photo discs. Not to mention plates, mugs, sauce tureens and on and on. I was thinking of Ernie & Bev's library of plates. Think of expanding this sort of thing to all or most of the different pieces. Even ladles! Put me down as willing to pitch in to whatever extent I may be needed.

We will be away for a week or two. We're leaving for Taos, NM on Wed. of this week and will be back on Tues. the 13th. Don't expect to see much Tea Leaf out there. And, by the way my TLOL got cut off this week right in the middle of Julie's story. Can you send the rest of it.

Best to everyone.

Mark & Janet

{Maxine...another volunteer!  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

John M is headed out on vacation too...

Not much to report from Boston.  I do agree that it would be useful to
explore further possibilities with the computer and how it can improve
communications within the club.   I also agree that we need to be
sensitive to the feelings of those who do not own a computer.  I'm not
sure where we begin as I am barely computer literate myself.  Were it
not for having one at work, I probably would not own one.
I'm off today for an eleven day tour of the southwest including
Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon and Santa Fe.  I hope Tom and Carol have
left a piece or two of Tea Leaf for me to find.

So Long,

John

- - - - - - - - - -

Kimmey refers us to the Teaberry Punch Bowl we talked about last time...

just wanted to let you knowthat bowl is "well pictured" from the 1993
Nashville Convention at which I bought it,don't you remember Charlie
practically collapsing as I was bidding on it.  Well, I did.  On the bowl,
there is a large leaf embossed under those little "v's" but no other
embossing, so I don't think it is Prairie Shape, do you?  Well, anyway, the
picture in the  Readings after the convention is  very good.  OK?
Have a happy Easter and vacation.  Kimmey

[Kimmey, I went back and checked out the October 1993 Convention wrap-up issue of Readings and was reminded how spectacular your punch bowl is but...I can’t tell from the photo what it’s body style might be.  The handles are reminiscent of Balanced Vine because of the lustre dot treatment but without a better picture of the embossing I’m at a loss to be certain.  Won’t the rest of you check out this issue and see if your copies are more clear?  Also, please match the lustre treatment to pieces in your own collections and see if you can make a more positive identification.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

Margaret and Fonis are back!

Greetings from the Paynes to all of you.  We've missed you!

We are at last back from Texasdrove over 1400 miles in the last two and a half days and are ready to stay at home for at least a week.  Of course, the WICA Convention is coming up soonI hope to have all the washing done and my closets switched from winter to summer clothes before then. We had a great time and especially enjoyed the warm weatherone of the warmest Februarys in Victoria's history. Much time was spent with my brother, who is doing very well and my sisterinlaw, who is having lots of problems. Fonis took to retirement like a duck to water. Denny kindly copied or faxed TLOL to me, which was great but not fun to miss being in on the discussion topics, which were wonderful, as always.  Note regarding the Hoosier Regional on May 15It is now scheduled for Greenwood, IN, with Ida Wright as the hostess.  The Belchers  regretfully postponed their hosting duties due to selling their house.  Ida lives in a lovely retirement complex and has reserved one of the recreation rooms for our use.  The meal will be served by their staff. A little insider info for you TLOLers is thissome members plan to sell some pieces from their personal collections, so table sales could be verrrrry interesting. Will be back with more info regarding the Capitol Edition as soon as I check with Chris, but I have not received any requests myself except for the Hansens who volunteered as hosts on June 6, I believe.  Info will be sent to them pronto. Also have a lead from Eleanor regarding the Great Lakes Regional, but haven't heard directly from the proposed host.  Sorry for the delay with Regional info, but being in Texas with no email is like being  you know where with you back broke, to use an old KY expression. It was fun but scary  to come home and find so much email.  I am dealing with it as fast as my little fingers will fly, which is slower after weeks of idleness. Hope everyone will be patient including the IRS as I don't have my Sched C finished yet.

Margaret

[MP, We missed you!  I’m so glad someone has stepped forward to host the Great Lakes regional.  I think it’s odd that one of the most populous regions had trouble coming up with a site and date.  DA]

- - - - - - - - - -

And just today Margaret from Dayton, Ohio wrote about a sale she recently attended...

I went to an auction April 6 only a few blocks from my house. They had
a lot of Tea Leaf, but by the time I got there most of it was sold to a
couple that came fully prepared with a box complete with wrapping paper
for their purchases. Tea Leaf wasn't mentioned in our local newspaper
ad, but when I talked to the couple as they were leaving, I asked if
they belonged to our group. Sure enough it was Donna and Melvin
Pleines from Minier, Illinois and they drove 5 hours to get to Dayton
after reading about it in the Tri-State Trader paper. They asked if I
was going to Peoria in September, and I said, "Yes". SMALL WORLD!!!!

I bought 2 Tea Leaf itemsa large Meakin platter (as if I needed
another one!) and a Meakin Fish Hook covered vegetable dish with a
chipped lid. Even though damaged it was a bargain at $35 and a beautiful
piece! Melvin said he'd try to find me a new lid. Really made for a fun
day!!! I also saw a gorgeous complete washstand set of Meakin's Moss
Rose go for a reasonable $450. You never know what you will find around
the corner. Tea Leaf is still out there so keep looking!!!

- - - - - - - - - -

That’s it for this week’s correspondence.

I can report that antiquing in Florida was, as usual, dreadful.  I really think all the good stuff got sold at garage sales before they moved from up North because it sure isn’t in the shops I visited in Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, etc.  I’m off to NYC for the weekend so remember that the next TLOL will be the April 18th and I’m looking forward to hearing from you before that time.

Who all will be at the WICA meeting?  Seems like many TL Club officers and members are planning to attend.  I’m sure looking forward to it!

Dale
TEA LEAF ONLINE                            
  April 18, 1999

Web address for the TLOL Photo Page:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/da/tlonline.htm

CONTINUING DISCUSSION TOPIC

Internationally-recognized ceramics expert Geoffrey Godden will be answering question at the Flow Blue Convention.  For those who aren't going to Rochester how about a TLOL question session.  Do you think the most interesting questions will be general or specific?  For example, specifically what was in a bath set or, in general, were the purchasers of Flow Blue / Ironstone / Tea Leaf working class or middle class?  What questions would you submit to Mr. Godden?  If you are sending a question to Mr. Godden will you send it to TLOL and let our local experts  take a crack at it.

TLOL MEMBER INFO

Will you please add our names to the, Tea Leaf on Line group?  Please note our address has changed from the one in The Tea Leaf Readings.  Look forward to seeing you in Peoria, in September.  Thanks,
Kitty and Dale Argenbright

Welcome Kitty and Dale!

LETTERS

Mike and Marie were the first to write this week with...

The Comptons are alive and well for the moment at least.  We just got our
invitations for May 15th for the Heartland Regional here in Tulsa out so
remember you all are welcome.  If you are outside the region, just email us
and let us know if you want to come and we can send you details.  Would love
to have you.  Marie will have Giftique items set up at table sales and a
dealer acquaintance of ours (who specializes in among other things Tea Leaf
will also be attending.  I do plan to make her a member!  There will be at
least one new Giftique item for sale too!

Marie is leaving the employ of BP Amoco as it turns out she was offered a
position but we've decided it's best not to continue at this pace.  She's
plunging into our business (and Giftique of course!).  Mike is still fast and
furious leaves for London and Dallas next week.  There's no Tea Leaf there
actually saw California pottery (of Hearst Castle) in a pub on the last
trip!  Oh well!

We are attending the WICA convention so hope to see many of you there.  We
especially want to see the Ford museum and meet some of Marie's cousins in
Detroit area.  Who knows we might find some of our white ironstone!  

As to the discussion topic, it would be nice to know more specifics as to who
the targeted audiences were for the ironstone wares.  It has always seemed
some of it is way too fancy for the lowest income folks were there
significant price differences?

Great to have Margaret back!

Take care and plan to visit us in Tulsa!

Mike & Marie

[M&M, Julie’s letter this week addresses the target audience question.  It will be interesting to hear Godden’s response, too.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - - -

Tom Baker stopped by the Wexner Center and reported...

What a treat it was to see Dale's exhibition of (mostly Shaw Chinese)
Tea Leaf at the Wexner Center on the OSU campus here in Columbus, Ohio.
This was also on the front page of the latest TL Readings.

Dale, you did Tea Leaf proud!  You had excellent placement in the
showing of 18th and 20th century dishes and furniture and you had the
BIGGEST display of them all.  I tried to explain to the docent how rare
your many pieces of Shaw Chinese were, but I don't think I made a
convert of him.  Excellent job.

One question:  I have never seen one of your rather unusual pieces on
display there.  A "bowl" about a foot across with a hole in the middle
of the bowl's depression.  Rather unusual handles too sort of a lion's
head style.  Most unusual.  Can you explain better and tell me what it
is?

Tom Baker in Columbus, Ohio

[Tom, Thanks - the curators at the Wexner Center have reported that the TL has received a lot of attention.  The “bowl” you asked about is a Shaw Tea Leaf spittoon.  The top side is slanted inward towards the hole so that the spittle would drain into the bowl.  The open side handles (which look like a bearded pirate’s head) were used to empty out the contents.  Must have been quite disgusting.  DA]
- - - - - - - - - -

Maxine and Gerald have some finds to report...

Hello Everyone,

From our last TLOL the names of the volunteers regarding computer use were
noted & we are always grateful for them.  Thank you very much Gene, Mark &
Janet.  I agree with Dale that having an OnLine reporter from each region
submitting info about local sales, etc. is a good idea.  Now, I'm not
volunteering to do so, however I must share with you my latest tea leaf sale
experience.  I attended a sale which advertised a few pieces of tea leaf.  
Upon arriving, the usual inspection of the pieces ensued.  I found an
American mush bowl, very good.  A  MT Hearts sugar bowl with big chip on the
underneath rim of lid, base in good condition.  A 15 inch Meakin platter,
good condition.  Approximately 6 to 8 plates, very poor condition.  A
Wedgwood plain covered vegetable with chip on lid & on the base & a few rusty
spots on the inside of the base.  The platter sold first for $42.50.  Next
was the Wedgwood covered vegetable.  Keep in mind the condition of it
described above.  The covered vegetable sold for $230.00.  At this point, the
auctioneer stopped selling glass & china & went to selling rugs & furniture.  
I decided I didn't  want to stay any longer & prolong my agony.  No telling
what the sugar bowl brought with only one big chip on the lid hidden from
view.

Now on the brighter side of the weekend.  Gerald managed to find a very nice
cable soup ladle for a very reasonable price.  He was very lucky because
there were other Tea Leaf people in the area.  Apparently it was our turn to
find a real nice item.  Gerald claims to be waaaay ahead on my Birthday,
Christmas & any other day for which he feels a present might be in order.  
Right now he is thinking he is "doghouse" proof.

One last thing.  I want to encourage everyone who is OnLine to write to Dale.
 The more the merrier.  All your thoughts & comments are important.

Hope you had a nice trip, Dale.  We missed you.

Maxine & Gerald

[M&G, Gerald does seem to have a knack for finding soup ladles.  Congrats.  And thanks for reminding everyone to write.  DA]

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Walt and Pat have returned...

We plan on going to hear Mr. Godden.  We hope that there will several
general type questions rather just specifics particularly if the
specifics deal with Flow Blue.  We tend to enjoy supposing and our list
of questions would tend to be slanted.  Some of these opinion type
questions  have already been discussed on TLOL and we would be
interested in comparing our thought with Mr. Godden's.   Now to the
questions.

 Why can't you find Tea Leaf in England or in other words why was all
the Tea Leaf exported?  Does this apply to all Ironstone products?
 Was Tea Leaf marketed towards a particular economic class specifically
farmers and blue collar workers?  If so how do you explain child's sets,
butter pats or elaborated finials?  It seems as if these should have
been part of a more upscale household.

 It's been said when buying antiques "Know your marks".  Why, other than
identifying the maker.  We realize that marks can be guides to dating
but it seems that there are so many exceptions that it isn't worth the
effort to have several books devoted to marks

 Speaking of marks, why are so many pieces unmarked?  Does this affect
the value?

 We hope some questions will be asked about nomenclature and how certain
pottery was used.   For example, were brush vases for razors or toothbrushes?

 We are looking forward to this week's TLOL and hope that many of you
will send your list of questions.  Maybe we may receive enough questions
to supply us with several weeks of further discussion.

Warmest regards as always

The Stevens

[W&P, What good questions.  I hope several TLOLers will provide responses this week.  DA]

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Bev and Ernie need our help...

We have a request of all TLOL'ers.  Please check all plain shape dishes for
marks on the back to help us identify all the Plain Shape makers.  We would
be particularly interested in any with registry marks that would give us a
date.  Most of the dishes we have so far have no date.  We suspect that
Shaw's Pear and Davenport's Fig Cousin are Lustered on plain blanks.

We also need a Basketweave dish.

We would also like the marks of makers of Grape Octagon.  There are four or
five makers and we only have the J.F. backstamp.

The easiest way to capture the backstamps is to take the dish to a copy
machine and set the light/dark setting to lighter.

We would really appreciate any information you could give us.

Email us directly at dieringer1@aol.com

We haven't been very good at writing for the past few weeks because of
preparing for the WICA Convention, tax time and working on the Dish Book.  It
seems we are carrying white ironstone for several people who have chosen to
fly to Michigan so we are going to waddle across several states.  The nice
thing is that we have an opportunity to photograph some of the stuff before
the hustle of the Convention.   Hope to see a lot of you there.  We are
enjoying reading TLOL and thank you for the hard work putting each issue
together.   

Bev & Ernie

[B&E, Your letter will give me an opportunity to mention again that I think the Dish Book is a very significant piece of research and a publication that (when available) should be a part of everyone’s library.  It’s so difficult to identify the body styles of plates/dishes and your book will be an indispensable guide for all of us.  I have been fortunate to have seen a draft and know what a tremendous piece of work it is.  On the other hand, Bev and Ernie do need our help so please email them with your replies to their inquiry.  It’s important.  DA]

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The first of two regional reports this week came from Convention Chair Denny Kear...

Just wanted to report that the South Central Regional was held in
Tyler Texas, April 10, 1999 at the home of Carol and Paul Markel.  There
were 16 attendees from Texas, Louisiana and Wisconsin.  Ruth Young from
Chetek, Wisconsin was visiting her son in Texas and made a special side
trip to join us.  The Markel's have only been collecting Tea Leaf for
approximately four years but have a splendid collection for such a short
period of time.  Just goes to show you that if you work at it, you can
still find Tea Leaf.  Yours truly did a presentation on 32 pitchers
Connie and I carted up to Tyler.  The presentation was designed to get
everyone involved.  Two teams were formed and each team was asked to
name the parts that make up a pitcher, name the style and potter.
Points were awarded for correct answers and a prize was awarded.  It was
fun and I think most everyone learned something new and enjoyed the
competition.  Carol provided a wonderful lunch and we finished the day
off with table sales.  Our thanks go again to the Markel's for doing
such a fine job.