I go to a lot of auctions, and at these auctions I see a lot of Roseville Pottery. Only I suspect that I actually see very little true Roseville.

Roseville Pottery was founded in Roseville Ohio in 1892, and moved to Zanesville Ohio in 1898, where it operated until closing its doors in 1954.

Roseville manufactured high quality art pottery, and pieces of Roseville fetch high prices today.   Their pieces were predominantly display items, vases, planters, and jardinieres.  Early 20th century Roseville was often unmarked, and featured lines that reflected the Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, and Classical tastes of the period.  

Begining in the 1920s and continuing until the company ceased operation, Roseville created a broad line of items in floral themes, with names such as Freesia, Primrose and Floxglove.  These lines were impressed with the Roseville name, and these are the ones you most commonly see today.  The Pine Cone pattern was the best selling line in Roseville's history.  

The beginning collector needs to be VERY cautious before spending a lot of money on a Roseville piece, however, because there is a flood of reproductions out there!  

Some of these fakes are easy to spot, the hand decoration is so crude it would embarrass an elementary school crafts project.  But some of them are well-done enough to fool the unwary.  I saw a rather nice "Roseville" vase at an auction once that still had its Made In China sticker!  The problem, of course, is that most dealers take that sticker off.  

If you're new to collecting and are interested in collecting Roseville, you should do your homework before you start to buy.   The fake Roseville, even the good ones, are less finely detailed that true Roseville, and the colors are not an exact match.  Some pieces are even made in colors that were never used in the original line, like Donatello in blue.  

Take a good look at the bottom.  The fakes have the Roseville mark on the bottom (even for lines that are not marked in the original!), but look at the circle where the vase would rest on the shelf or table.  If it looks new and pristine with no signs of wear, be very skeptical - remember that the most recent piece of genuine Roseville will be over 50 years old! 

Here is an excellent site that provides information about what fakes are out there, and gives side by side comparative pictures of the fake and real pieces:

The Roseville Pottery Exchange

And of course, what collector can resist books about their obsession?




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