Roseville Pottery - Roseville & Zanesville Ohio - Wisconsin Pottery Association

Roseville America's Decorative Art Pottery
Wisconsin Pottery Association's 1999 Exhibit

Roseville Reproductions

Chinese-made pottery with the last Roseville trademark (a raised in-mold script "Roseville" and a shape number) became available from antique reproduction wholesalers in 1996. The first of these imports had "U.S.A." in relief, but unlike old Roseville, had unglazed interiors. These pots bear a paper "Made in China" label which is easily removed. This pottery is not made from the original Roseville molds, nor are the original glazes used, and it appears quite different to anyone familiar with Roseville.

The first copies were items based on the Magnolia line, but additional lines have since been reproduced. Later imports saw the removal of the relief "U.S.A.,, (or it appears only faintly) from the in-mold trademark. The interiors of recent pots are fully glazed. The Chinese-made pottery varies in quality and in how closely it matches original Roseville. The Zephyr Lily reproduction in the exhibit is close, but still can be easily distinguished from the original by comparing the bottoms, while the Luffa, Iris and Jonquil reproductions are poorly done and can be spotted at a distance with a little experience.

When marketed as reproduction Roseville, the price range observed in retail shops is about $12-$35 per item, depending on size. Because these items remain in production, there is no shortage of supply and buyers should pay accordingly.

These imports, as with other such reproductions, have no interest or value for most collectors or antique dealers.

Chinese-made Roseville does appear for sale in some shops, auctions, antique malls, and flea markets with the "Made in China" labels removed. It is sometimes tagged by sellers as "New Roseville" or "Post-1954 Roseville," or simply "Roseville." Under these circumstances, it may be sold for prices equivalent to those paid for collectible Roseville to buyers unaware that this merchandise can be purchased in quantity from antique reproduction wholesalers for an average cost of under $10 per piece.

General tips: [There may be exceptions to these of which we are unaware, or which may occur after August 1999.1 Examples of Donatello, Panel,

Blackberry, Jonquil, and Luffa with a relief script mark are reproductions. These Roseville lines had a paper label or an underglaze Rv mark. Donatello was also marked "Donatello R.P.Co."

In general, if a piece has "Roseville" in relief without "U.S.A." or with a blank where the "U.S.A." should be, or with a "U.S.A." much fainter then the rest of the mark, it is probably Chinese-made. Reproduced lines which should have the "U.S.A." in relief include Apple Blossom, Bittersweet, Bleeding Heart, Bushberry, Clematis, Foxglove, Freesia, Magnolia, Peony, Pine Cone, Snowberry, Water Lily, white Rose and Zephyr Lily. (Note: the presence of "U.S.A." does not guarantee authenticity since early reproductions included it.)

Many of the Chinese pieces feel sandy or coarse compared to Roseville, which feels smooth and soft. The Chinese pieces often appear flat and dull compared to the more lustrous Roseville matt glazes. The clay visible on the bottom of imported pieces is white; the clay used by Roseville (and by many Ohio potteries) is yellowish or buff-colored. The color applied to flowers and leaves on imports is often sloppily applied, and runs onto the body of the pot. Flowers may appear to be painted over the background glaze, rather than appearing to be a part of it. Handles tend to be thick and clumsy looking on the imports.

The Chinese imports often come in colors not used in the Ohio Roseville lines. For example, Blackberry reproductions come in background colors of bright blue and mint green which were never used in the original line. Roseville Iris was produced in sky blue, tan and pink, but never in green or dark blue. Further, the Chinese imports seem to use a couple of basic shades of blue or green across all their lines while Roseville shades of the same color usually varied across lines.

REFERENCES: http://www.ohioriverpottery.com/roseville_exchange/roseville.html This website is a great source of information on the Chinese reproductions.

Antique and Collectors Reproduction News-A Monthly Report on Antique Fakes and Reproductions. The December 1996 and May 1997 issues had articles on Chinese-made pottery with the Roseville mark.

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