David Mathias wrote on the Greene Style Furniture mailing list recently that he had seen a number of items of "Roycroft pottery" for sale on Ebay. As many collectors know, aside from a small amount of china used on the campus and produced by Buffalo China, the Roycroft mark never appeared on any commercially-produced pottery until the current resurgence of the movement, and to this day nobody knows what the original experiments looked like as none survived.
David did a little investigation and noticed the vase for sale was a beautiful trapezoidal dragonfly design by potter Janice McDuffie, part of the current Roycroft Renaissance, who has been selling her work under the apt name Roycroft Pottery since the late 1970s. It certainly is Roycroft pottery – but it is not a rare antique, and the seller was allowing the price to climb far above the actual cost of buying such an item new – and they certainly are available! So rather than the money going to the artist who made them, an Ebay seller was withholding information about the item and allowing the price to be inflated for their own personal gain. Certainly they have that right, this behavior is frowned upon in the antique business and the buyers should be made aware of whole truth about the items they are bidding on, especially when it comes to handicraft items. David did contact all of them – and none responded. It seems they enjoy being taken to the cleaners, and if so, then let them get what they want.
Example: Ebay user (deleted) (whom I have communicated with, and whom understands the problem – (s)he has contacted Ebay to change the description and make clear that this item is neither antique nor hard to acquire new) has this item, which costs $100 new, up on Ebay now; the reserve has not yet been met even at a current bid of $152! Janice would be glad to sell anyone who asked for $100, and then you’d be dealing with the artist herself. So – please bid responsibly, and don’t support unscrupulous dealers.
I was bidding on eBay for a set of 12 (4-piece) place settings of reproduction Roycroft china, I left off bidding when the price exceeded $600 because the set was missing a cup. It finally sold above $1200 -a single 4-piece place setting of this reproduction china costs $74.40 ($892.80 for 12) from Roycroft Shops, a 6-piece costs $78.40. Someone paid $400+ extra for the joy of buying from someone with no feedback and offering an incomplete set!
I am glad to get your info regarding Roycroft pottery, and find this happening on ebay with some frequency. But I have just unwrapped a small brown jug marked roycroft from an estate of a woman that died in 1965, the piece was wrapped in newspaper dated 1967. I was sitting in her daughter’s attic, with the box and wrapping deteriating in my hand. . .I really don’t think this is a hoax. Welcome your input.
In regards to the little brown jug- The Roycroft did sell maple syrup and honey in jugs like you describe although the pottery was not made on Campus. They came in brown, tan, pink, green, etc. and in a squat bean-pot size. They can be found on Ebay quite often selling for $10-$50.
Thanks Amanda. I wrote to Kathy earlier explaining the provenance of the jugs (and the Roycroft-marked china that was used at the inn but made in Buffalo). Note that the jugs are still used as vases at the inn and elsewhere on campus, too – there are lots of them floating around, and while not tremendously valuable, they are pretty and a nice gift for any Roycroft collector or A&C aficionado. I think the brown ones must have been the most popular – I see them pretty regularly.
I have had for the last 33 years a blue pottery jug which I found behind some old canning jars in my late Grandmother’s fruit cellar. It has no makers mark. It has a wax type seal w/ the Roycroft logo pressed into it. It also has a tag attached with a cord to the handle. It seems to be a retail tag from Roycroft for maple syrup. I believe there is fluid inside, but do not want to disturb the seal to see if it is maple syrup. I have taken some pictures and put them on a web page here. Thanks and I hope to hear your comments.
Hello Roberta! That is indeed a Roycroft jug. Now, whether they were made by Buffalo china or Roycroft themselves, I don’t know, but they were certainly used on the Roycroft campus and sold at the shop. I’ve never seen one in blue, and seeing one with the seal intact and the label, all in such good condition, must be rarer still. The brown jugs, empty and in somewhat good condition, can garner $10-$20; those in excellent condition can go for as much as $75. I would think that because yours is a much rarer color and includes these other marks, it could be worth double that. I am not, however, an antiques dealer, but there are many folks online who can value Roycroft items.
Nice find! It’s very pretty!
If you search google or ebay for roycroft maple syrup jug you’ll see several examples of the brown. Yours is much more attractive.
WOW! That is great to know. I have been packing it every time we have moved and display it always. It is pretty. Do you know who I could contact to place a value on it? Thanks for your input.