What Is Yellowware? And… What Do I Need to Know Before Buying Antique Yellowware?

Yellowware entered our lives 60 years ago in our Grand-mothers kitchen! Yellowware reentered our lives 16 years ago when we became avid collectors of Yellowware. Prior to becoming a hot collectible, yellowware was highly prized as utilitarian kitchen pieces by country cooks, probably by your Grandmother.

Yellowware, is a finer clay than redware or stoneware & is defined by its color. After removing impurities, the yellow clay was aged, then refined into workable consistency. The yellowware clay was stored as balls in a cool site. When the potter was ready he dampened the yellowware clay & the creative process began.

Yellowware was first exported from England & Canada in the 1800s. American potteries were up & running full force in Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland & Ohio by the 1870s.

Early pieces such as bowls, nappies & plates were thrown on a potter’s wheel. Handles were applied to Yellowware mugs, pitchers & jars after the body was formed.

There were also "exotic end-of-day pieces". It was common practice to allow the artist use of any clay left “at the end of the day”. Artists created unique pieces for personal use or for gifts. End-of-day pieces were often animal figures, banks, humidors or inkwells.

Their advice is always purchase the best you can afford! Pursue quality NOT quantity! Resist the urge to purchase yellowware with chips, cracks or hairlines no matter how “great a deal” it seems. Hairlines may increase in size, enlarging across the base & leaking. Then you have a “dust catching -chotske” rather than a useful piece of yellowware.

Yellowware pieces are not only useful items, but beautiful to look at as well. Decorating with yellowware has been photographed in County Living, County Home & other popular decorator magazines over the past 10 years. Recent ads for a popular wiggly “gelatin dessert” used a Rockingham bowl to hold the treat.

Finally they told “the novice” how they learned about the yellow clay. When deciding to collect yellowware our only knowledge was that it was a beautiful clay, a mellow, soothing color & it looked good with decor ranging from modern to primitive.

Yellowware collecting rule #1 was education. They started by purchasing their first book on Yellow Ware. They give thanks to Lisa McCallister & John Michel for reliable, easy to read price guides with wonderful photos.

Notes were made in a small notebook that included page references & carried at all times. Reference books with photographs were also kept in the car for easy access whenever shopping or attending auctions. Then it was time to head out to antique stores and begin the next step of the learning process.

Once in a shop it was time to put the results of studying to work. Bowls were inspected, the weight of pieces was noted. The presence of potters marks, or lack of, condition & decoration was observed.

The yellowware was closely inspected, looking for flaws such as chips, dings, glaze pops & hairlines. Crazing was also noted. Crazing is cracking in the glaze due to exposure to hot & cold temperatures. It is unusual to find bowls without some crazing. if used, most bowls exhibit crazing. Moderate crazing never offends them. If however the crazing is so pronounced that it has turned into hairlines, then walk away.
Antique Yellowware pieces are highly sought after. Warning! Reproduction pieces are plentiful! Always buy from reputable dealers. An American Antique Adventure guarantees NO reproductions!

Their yellowware can also be found in two antique shops on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, locations noted on their site.

They have much more information to share about glazes, sponging, embossing, banding, lustres, slip, marks, age, etc. Please contact An American Antique Adventure http://TIAS.com/stores/mopedd with your thoughts or searches.