Antique Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Creamer GERMANY

Whenever an unmarked basic tea set item is offered for sale, collectors should assess whether it is of German or Japanese manufacture. The latter were derivative of the former, tend to be more goofy looking, have less finished detailing and have a clunky feel to them. Many are overly knobby. Japanese tea set pieces bring ~50% or less of those tea set items made in Germany. (Refer to page 119 for more information.) This creamer is certainly a German-made item. This market segment has been hotter than many, so I’d expect the ending price to be significantly higher than the $61 level currently bid.

07/27 Update: This sold for $270.01.

Antique Vintage German JOL Pumpkin Halloween Childs Tea Set Rare

The stars of this superb lot were the saucers and the handled cups. You just don’t see such an assortment offered as a single lot often. The buyer, whomever it was, must be delighted.

Vintage Child's German Halloween Tea Set Pitcher Germany Jack o lantern pumpkin

When I first began collecting 30 years ago, pieces from this set were among my favorite finds. All these years later, I still love the inventiveness of the German artisans in fashioning the many interesting items in so many sizes that comprise the Halloween porcelain tea set market segment. (To see many more, turn to pages 119-121.) I'm glad this outstanding seller received such a strong price for the creamer. He is on my recommended dealer list. 

Antique Vintage German Halloween Child Pumpkin Tea Set Anthropomorphic Pitcher

It is difficult to differentiate German and Japanese porcelain tea set items from photos alone. We know that the Japanese copied a limited number of items from the more competently made German porcelain line. We also know that there is no evidence that the Japanese output was ever contemporaneously marked. I feel this creamer is likely one made in Japan for three reasons. It has a plethora of knobby protrusions. The lip of the creamer is inelegantly large. There is an open area where the handle ends inside the creamer. The German made creamers do not have this opening. Given that this is likely a Japan-made item, be cautious when bidding. SGV for the German creamers is $175. One made in Japan should bring substantially less. 

05/25 Update: I wasn't surprised this creamer fetched $132.50, as these Japanese porcelain items typically fetch far less than their German made counterparts. 

1920s Rare German Porcelain Children's Lidded Sugar Bowl & Creamer Set

The moment I saw this listing I knew both pieces would not have maker's marks to them. Why? These two items were both made in Japan and have perhaps half the value of their German counterparts, shown on page 120 of my third edition. (This seller, one of the collecting pioneers in this field, has not been an active buyer for many years. She references the now-outdated first edition from 2003.) Japanese porcelain tea set pieces were never marked. They have none of the grace and fine styling of their German brethren. The Japanese copied these designs, but turned out rather clunky versions that compare quite unfavorably to the German items. The asking price is far too high. 

10/04 Update: I was sorry to see that some buyer paid $395 for these Japanese made items. I contacted the seller to have her correct the listing, but as is so often the case she resisted, boldly saying that the Japanese never manufactured such items. Given that she hasn't invested in a decent reference in over ten years, she is content to remain ignorant. I think fair market value is in the $175 to $200 range. 

Vintage Halloween Porcelain Pumpkin Face Creamer - Germany!

I received a number of emails from readers asking if I felt this was a German item, rather than one made in Japan. Given the nice photos, it was easily discerned to be German. There are only a small number of pieces that were made by both countries. As I write on page 119, "The Japanese seem to have copied only a few items: the lidded teapot, the lidded sugar, the creamer, plain waste bowls and medium-sized cups without handles." Japanese pieces have a pebbled surface - some output more than others. The expressions also seem to be goofy. It is hard to explain these expressions, but as Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once wrote in a case, Jacobellis v. Ohio, "...I know it when I see it..." 

RARE Vintage Halloween German Children's Teaset JOL porcelain CREAMER 1908-1932

When I first saw this result I thought the price was surprisingly low - until I read the very full description. Pieces from the large and compelling tea sets issued by the Germans are very much in demand right now, so given the noticeable chip at the rim, I feel this piece brought top dollar. A very nice array of pieces from the trio of differently sized sets can be seen in my newly published third edition on pages 119-121.