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ROMANTIC STAFFORDSHIRE IN THE COLLEGE PLATES WORLD



One might wonder why we have added these two classic Staffordshire blue and white romantic plates to our CollegePlates.com inventory, and rightly so. This pattern is called 'University' and we think it fits right in with our late 19th and early to mid-twentieth century college wares offerings. The British potters, for the most part especially in the early days (this plate dates to about 1841), never left the Staffordshire area of central England. The scenes engraved on copper plates for transferring onto china were in many cases the figments of the artists' imaginations. That is why designs such as this are called 'romantic' and not 'historical' Staffordshire. This design is some artist's imagination of a scene at university. Perhaps he had been to a university and this was his memory. If your home is filled with lovely English ceramics or a collection of college wares, this plate would be right at home illustrating another facet of china collecting. We have two currently in stock, this one is in a bit better condition than the other, however, the other isn't bad, with a couple of slight dings. It was purchased at an estate sale in a lovely Georgian Colonial home full of exquisite china and looked right at home among the finery. Be sure to click on the photo to return to the regular inventory listing for further particulars. 





CL238A -- $95.00 [Add to Cart]
SPECTACULAR ROWLAND & MARCELLUS YALE ROLLED EDGE PLATE

Among the most beautiful of Staffordshire souvenir and historic plates are the Rowland & Marcellus (an English firm which exported a great deal of china to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) rolled edge plates. Every one we've ever seen was a deep blue, beautifully designed and boasting always gorgeous transfer scenes. This 10" historic plate represents Yale College, now University of course. There are 6 outer cartouches depicting scenes from the campus. The center shows the historic scene Old Brick Row. This plate was originally commissioned by Edward Malley in New Haven. These were made in the beginning of the 20th century and make spectacular statements in a Yale family's den, office, family room or even in the kitchen! Check the Yale University category for other historic plates, as well as a spectacular collection of pristine Yale Wedgwood china from a single-owner set. 





CL208 -- $168.00 [Add to Cart]
VINTAGE HARVARD COLOR ENGRAVING - YALE COLLEGE PRINT- U of VIRGINIA PRINT

We have three prints from well-known schools. They are a great look for study or office. On the Yale and Harvard prints, the gold tone wood frames are a tad bit worn, but nothing that detracts from the vintage look! The University of Virginia example is newer, with a different kind of frame, still a great vintage look. Browse the schools to see their photos and prices. Click the photo to return to the full listing for this item. 





CK702 -- $30.00 [Add to Cart]
HISTORIC BOSTON SERIES, MASSACHUSETTS HALL HARVARD

Another great recent find is this plate bearing the transfer design of Massachusetts Hall. This scene is not found on any other Harvard plate, only on the 1941 demitasse cups. This historic Queen's Shape plate is the classic Wedgwood look in historic plates from the 1950s. Our example is in mint condition and can easily be found by browsing the Harvard University listings. Click on this photo to return to the regular inventory listing, or hit your back button and Browse the Harvard category. 

WWKL701-03C -- $65.00 [Add to Cart]
THE MENTOR, Magazine 1924 West Point & Annapolis

We have found a new passion! "The Mentor" is the name of a magazine published by The Mentor Association, "Established for the Development of a Popular Interest in Art, Literature, Science, History, Nature and Travel". The Mentor Library was vast and covered MANY interesting topics. On the cover of each issue one finds "LEARN ONE THING AT A TIME". What a concept! The covers themselves are all interesting and very artistic, what today we would call coffee table material! Each issue contains articles about the subject and tipped in four to six individual gravures of representative samples of the topics. One really could learn a great deal about each topic by simply reading the complete issue. Many of the gravures would be beautiful framed too!

This issue we have about Annapolis & West Point is lavishly illustrated and describes in detail the schools, traditions, history and people. The 1920s era covers are frequently this vibrant blue & yellow, very attractive. Another thing we can study is inflation. The July 1, 1915 issue cost 15 cents, and as you can see by September, 1924 it was up to 35 cents! For any collector of ephemera or books, these volumes are wonderful; for a collector of Naval or Army ephemera, this particular issue is a wonderful find as well. We have two of them so our Navy and Army clients can have equal chances!

If you stumble on these magazines at house sales, flea markets, etc., be sure to look through them. Perhaps you'll find some on topics of interest to you! Be sure to click on the image above to return to our regular listing for this item. Enjoy! 











CL519 -- $20.00 [Add to Cart]
HISTORIC JONES, MCDUFFEE & STRATTON PLATE FOR ABBOT ACADEMY 1929

Here is another in the 1200-plus series of historic plates developed by the Boston china importing firm Jones, McDuffee & Stratton. Several were commissioned by colleges, including Yale and Harvard, usually for special anniversaries. Abbot Academy was 100 years old in 1929 when this plate was made to commemorate their Centennial. Wedwgood manufactured them as ordered by JMS, JMS having already received the commission from the school.

The design on this plate is beautiful. The traditional floral border is interspersed with four cartouches; Madame Abbot at the top, the Abbot Hall, Draper Hall (Merrill Memorial Gate), and McKeen Memorial. The central scene is the Academy located in Andover, MA, a lovely landscape scene.

The plate is properly impressed "Wedgwood Made in England" and the date code for 1929. Additionally there is a printed Wedgwood Etruria backstamp as well as the round JMS backstamp and the following information:

Abbot Academy Centennial 1829-1929 Abbot Academy Established 1829 Founder Madame Sarah Abbot Abbot Hall completed 1829 Draper Hall Dormitory opened 1890 McKeen Memorial Hall dedicted 1904 Merrill Memorial Gateway Dedicated 1921

Click on the photo to return to the regular inventory listing and for further information. This plate is in excellent condition, no cracks, chips, nicks, hairlines, etc. There are some hairfine marks as someone had used it perhaps as a tray, but certainly nothing to detract from its beauty. The glaze is clear and bright. If you would like a wall mount plate hanger to use with it, please say so when ordering and we'll send one along free of charge.

We have acquired another one of this plate, in equally beautiful condition. When you Browse Schools and Click on Abbot Academy you'll see both entries. 







WWLC724C -- $125.00 [Add to Cart]
COLLEGE SHIELDS PLATE BY LYONS

Here is a great find! We believe this is a sample made up for a prospective client to see the quality of transfers, colors, china composition, etc. The MIT crest is in the center, with other schools around the fairly flat perimeter edge. On the back are the names of the schools, and a crest for Keuka College. With all these bright colors, this would be a great display piece for parents who have had children in many schools, or a professor who has professed at many schools. Please contact us for further information and see our listing for the names of the schools represented by simply clicking on the photo. Also see our other interesting plate with multiple school crests, The American College Plate. 





CK213 -- $110.00 [Add to Cart]
FRANK BEARDMORE & CO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE PLATE

The center of our CollegePlates.com logo is a wonderfully interesting and rare plate from the Staffordshire (Fenton, England) pottery Frank Beardmore & Co. This company was only manufacturing pottery from 1904 to 1913, so all production from Beardmore is rare today, there simply was not much of it!

The American College Plate was produced in two colors, this beautiful dark blue and a nice clear green. This series has a rolled edge, much like that of the Rowland & Marcellus plates also manufactured in the Staffordshire area. The saying in the banner is "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword" and around the edge are the crests or emblems of twelve different American colleges & universities - U of VA, Harvard, Columbia University, Dartmouth, Williams, Princeton, Amherst, Cornell, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Yale & the University of Pennsylvania. What a statement this plate would make in a den or office! We just found a green one to replace the one we recently sold, so you now have your choice of color again! Hit your back button and choose BROWSE SCHOOLS, then click THE AMERICAN COLLEGE PLATE in the schools listing and take a look at the green listing. In our combined years of college wares sales, we've only found about five examples of this plate. 





CK205 -- $125.00 [Add to Cart]

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