Collecting Antique and Vintage Pottery

While pottery has been created in California since the earliest Native American settlers, it was after the gold rush that artisans and entrepreneurs discovered a gold mine in pottery and ceramics. The rich, diverse clay soils mixed with talc from the state's desert regions created the ideal ingredients for manufacturing pottery and created endless interesting clay combinations.

As the population increased, more businesses popped up, hiring from a widening pool of talented ceramists. The golden age of California pottery was from the 1930s to 1950s, and the Top 5 companies are considered to be J.A. Bauer, Gladding-McBean, Metlox, Pacific and Vernon -- all based in the Los Angeles area. Smaller, lesser known companies including Batchelder, Catalina Island, Brayton-Laguna, La Mirada and Monterey, to name a few.

Vintage pottery from California has become increasingly collectible. Accounts vary, but there have been possibly more than 1,000 pottery manufacturers, companies or studios in California in business – not at the same time, of course. Let’s take a look at the California Pottery companies in alphabetical order, I to Z. If any of your favorites have been left off the list, let us know. Companies that solely produced tile, brick or pipe (like Catalina and Malibu) are not included on this list.

Also see: California Potteries: A to H

Ivar of Hollywood

Where: Hollywood
When: 1940s
What: Art ware and figurines.

Jade Snow Wong

Also known as Connie Wong Ong
Where: San Francisco
When: 1950s to 1960s
What: Art and serve ware.

Jade Snow Wong was a San Francisco ceramist, enamelist and author (Fifth Chinese Daughter)

Jam Ceramic Design

Where: Sacramento
When: Mid-1970s to mid-1980s
What: Art ware, table ware, gift ware and figurines

Jaru Art Products

Where: Culver City (near Los Angeles)
When: 1950 to 1990s
What: Art ware and figurines. The exotic-sounding name, Jaru, actually comes from the husband-and-wife owners, Jack and Ruth Hirsch. The Hirsches sold Jaru in 1968 to 42 Products Co., which continued to make Jaru ceramics until the 1990s.

Jaska of California

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1946 to mid-1950s
What: Gift ware and "Cascade Ware" table ware

Jean Goodwin Ames

Where: Padua Hills, Claremont (Southern California)
When: 1950s
What: Gift ware and art ware

Josef Originals

Where: Monrovia (near Pasadena)
When: 1946 to 1985
What: Figurines. Example: Birthstone and birthday girl figurines. Founded by Muriel Joseph George in the mid-to-late 1940s to "express her love for children, families, animals and more," according to the website. Muriel produced the birthday and special occasion figurines in Monrovia until 1962, when the figurines began manufacture in Japan.
Muriel retired in 1982 and sold the company to her partner, George Good, who, in turn, sold the company in 1985 to the Southland Corporation (Applause). In 2004, Applause changed ownership to Dakin in Hong Kong, where Josef Original figurines continue to be produced.

Joy Thompson

Where: Pasadena
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Figurines

Kay Finch Potteries

Where: Corona Del Mar (Orange County)
When: 1940s to 1963
What: Table ware, art ware and figurines

Kay the Potter ( Also known as Kay Kinney)

Where: Berkeley (Northern California)
When: 1930s
What: Art ware and figurines

La Cañada

Where: Newhall (Southern California)
When: 1930s to 1940s
What: Table ware, kitchen ware and art ware

La Mirada Potteries

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1935 to 1939
What: Table ware, art ware and figurines

Lagunita

Where: Oakland
When: 1940s
What: Figurines. Examples: Child's milk cup with kitten handle; spaghetti poodle, chartreuse swan planter, black glazed cocker spaniel.

Lane Potteries

Where: Van Nuys (San Fernando Valley)
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: TV lamps and planters. Example: duck planter / TV lamps

Laurel Pottery and Manufacturing Co.

Where: Stockton
When: 1938 to 1962
What: Art ware, table ware, garden ware and flower pots

Leneige China

Where: Burbank
When: 1934 to 1955
What: Tableware and art ware

Los Angeles Potteries

Where: Lynnwood (LA County)
When: 1940s to 1971
What: Table ware, kitchen ware and cookie jars

M & L Manufacturing

Where: Azusa (San Gabriel Valley)
When: 1950s
What: De Maray line of table ware and art ware

Mackie Artware

Where: Corona Del Mar (Orange County)
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Figurines and art ware

Madeline Originals

Where: Pasadena
When: 1948 to present
What: Art ware and garden ware

Marc Bellaire

Where: Culver City (near Los Angeles)
When: 1950s to 1960s
What: Similar in style to Sascha Brastoff, whom he used to work under before opening his own ceramics studio in Culver City. Lines include "Luau," "Hawaiian" and "Peppermint Stick," which included punch bowl sets, art ware, serve ware, vases and figurines.

Marcia of California

Also known as Marcia Ceramics of California
Where: West San Gabriel Valley
When: 1950s to 1970s
What: While not particularly high-end, pieces marked "Marcia of Calif." include ashtrays, lazy-Susans, platters and serve ware, often hand-painted.

Maxine Cloud

Where:
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Handmade clay dinner, serve and art ware. Example: terracotta cup with twisted vine handle and leaf motif with matching saucer.

McAffee

Where: San Gabriel, California
When: 1940s
What: Table ware and art ware

Metlox Potteries

Also known as Metlox Manufacturing Company
Where: Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, Southern California
When: 1927 to 1989
What: Founded by the Prouty family in Hermosa Beach, who used mostly talc from Death Valley to make tile from 1920 to 1926 in a patented kiln they invented. As Metlox in nearby Manhattan Beach, the Proutys branched out into table ware, gift ware, kitchen ware, art ware, figurines and cookie jars. The Poppytrail line was one of the most popular and was introduced in the 1930s. Metlox is a blend of the words metal and oxide.

Miramar of California

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1950s to 1960s
What: Table ware, kitchen ware and art ware

Monterey Pottery

Where: Carmel Valley, California
When: 1940s to unknown
What: Art ware, figurines, gift ware and "Monterey Jade."

Mudflat Pottery

Where: Alviso, California
When: 1970s
What: Gift ware, table ware, utilitarian ware and cookie jars

Nipedal Manufacturing Co.

Where: Pasadena
When: 1940s
What: "Pas Cal" line of figurines and gift ware

Orange Grove Pottery

Where: Burbank, California
When: 1948 to 1974
What: Table ware, gift ware and planters

Pacific Pottery

Also known as Pacific Clay Products
Where: Los Angeles
When: Before it became Pacific Pottery, the company produced sewer pipes. From 1932 to 1942, the pottery company made table ware, kitchen ware, art ware and figurines. From 1943 to the present, Pacific Clay has made pavers and brick. Its present facility is the largest in the west.

Padre Pottery

Where: Lincoln Park, California (Los Angeles)
When: 1930s to 1940s
What: Table ware, kitchen ware, art ware and figurines. Some spectacular pieces of Padre are Art Deco style. A fire destroyed the Griffin Avenue factory in 1943.

Panama Pottery Co.

Where: Sacramento
When: 1913 to present
What: Founded by Swedish immigrant Victor Axelson, Panama Pottery has produced crocks, art pottery, vases, urns, lamp bases, sculpture and artisan pieces. The company has survived a factory fire and changed hands a few times, but remains in Sacramento and produces traditional and new artisan pottery. Hand-building and tile mosaic classes are also offered at the Panama studio.

Pat and Covey Stewart

Where: Laguna Beach
When: 1940s
What: Art ware

Peterson Studios

Where: El Segundo (near Los Angeles)
When: 1950s
What: Art ware

Phyllis Lester

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s
What: Art ware

Pillin Pottery

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1948 to 1992
What: Art ware

Pixie Potters

Also known as Millicent Andrews
Where: Los Angeles
When: 1939 to 1954
What: Millisan Drews miniature pixies (figurines)

Pond Farm Pottery

Where: Guerneville, California
When: 1953 to 1980
What: Art pottery

Redlands Pottery

Where: Redlands, California
When: 1902 to 1908
What: Art pottery

Rembrandt Pottery

Where: Laguna Beach
When: 1930s
What: Art ware

Rhead Pottery

Where: Santa Barbara, California
When: 1914 to 1917
What: Art pottery

Richenda Stevick

Where: Redwood City and Berkeley
When: 1930s
What: Art ware and figurines

Riverside Ceramics

Where: Riverside or Riverside County, California
When: Mid-to-late 1940s
What: Eva Zeisel table ware

Robert Maxwell Studio

Where: Venice, California
When: 1960s to 1970s
What: Art ware, planters and figurines under the "Robert Maxwell Stoneware" line.

Robert Simmons

Where: Costa Mesa (Orange County)
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Gift ware and figurines

Robertson / Hollywood Pottery

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Figurines

Robyn Ceramics

Where: Fallbrook (north San Diego County); after 1955, Idyllwild (near Palm Springs)
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Figurines

Rose S. Shep

Where: Seal Beach (Orange County)
When: 1948 to 1963
What: Table ware, gift ware, planters and lamps

Roselane Pottery

Where: Pasadena
When: 1938 to 1977
What: Gift ware, art ware and figurines

Ross

Where: Laguna Beach and Hawthorne
When: 1940s
What: Figurines

Saar

Where: Lawndale and El Segundo (near Los Angeles)
When: 1950 to 1962
What: Art ware, table ware and gift ware

San Carlos Pottery

Where: San Carlos (Northern California)
When: 1930s to 1940s
What: Art ware and figurines

Santa Anita

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Table ware and kitchen ware

Sascha Brastoff

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s to 1960s
What: High-end Midcentury modern art ware, dinner ware, serve ware, gift ware and abstract figurines. Brastoff was a well-known artist who had a ceramics studio and showroom in West Los Angeles.

Sasha Studios

Also known as Sasha Katchamakoff
Where: Los Angeles
When: 1950s
What: Figurines

Sierra Vista Ceramics

Where: Pasadena
When: 1942 to late 1950s
What: Gift ware, kitchen ware and cookie jars

Sorcha Boru

Also known as Claire Stewart
Where: San Carlos (Bay Area)
When: 1936 to 1950
What: Art ware, gift ware and figurines. San Francisco native Claire Stewart, who went professionally by the name of Sorcha Boru, was a potter and ceramist who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. She created art deco-style pieces that included figurines, vases, planters and salt and pepper shakers. One of her most famous pieces is an "Alice in Wonderland" chess set, which was created in 1932. She died in 2006 at the age of 105.
Also see: Sorcha Boru collection at Museum of San Carlos History

Southern California Ceramic Co.

Also known as California Art Products, Inc.
Where: Santa Monica and Los Angeles
When: 1945 to 1953
What: Table and serve ware, including the "Orchard" and "Hollywood Ware" lines.

Sunshine Ceramics

Also known as Sunshine Ceramics of Los Angeles
Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s
What: Gift ware

Susi Singer

Where: Pasadena
When: 1935 to 1955
What: Figurines

Sylvia Hood Designs

Where: Pasadena
When: 1960 to 1965
What: Figurines

Tony Hill - Wilmer James

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Art ware

Treasure Craft - Pottery Craft

Where: Gardena, South Gate and Compton (all near Los Angeles)
When: 1955 to 1995
What: Gift ware, kitchen ware and figurines. The company ceased production in California in 1995, moving their plant to Mexico and later China. Two changes of ownership resulted during the late 1990s, Zak Designs took the company over in 1999 and all the products that the company was known for completely disappeared.

Triangle Studios ( Also known as Vallona Starr Ceramics)

Where: Los Angeles and El Monte
When: 1940 to 1953
What: Novelty gift ware, kitchen ware and art ware
Also see: Vallona Starr Collector

Twin Winton

Where: Pasadena and San Juan Capistrano
When: 1936 to 1975
What: Gift ware, kitchen ware and figurines. Don Winton (one of the twins) continually produced designs and pieces even after Twin Winton company closed. In the mid 1990s the company was known as Don Winton Designs and although pieces were not commercially produced on a large scale, individual and small runs of sculptures, cookie jars and salt and peppers were created.

Valley Vista Ceramics

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1946 to 1962
What: Gift ware

Vally Werner

Where: Los Angeles
When: 1940s
What: Art ware

Van Straaton Company

Where: Santa Monica
What: 1940s
When: Art ware

Vee Jackson

Where: San Gabriel and Pasadena
When: 1940s
What: Art ware

Victoria Ceramics

Where: San Juan Capistrano
When: 1940s
What: Figurines

Vohann of California

Where: Laguna Beach, Capistrano Beach and San Clemente
When: 1950 to present
What: Art ware, kitchen ware, bath ceramics

Walker Potteries / Walker Renaker

Where: Monrovia (near Pasadena)
When: Walker Potteries, 1945 to 1952; Walker-Renaker, 1952 to 1959
What: Figurines

Walrich Pottery

When: 1922 to 1930
What: Art pottery

West Coast Porcelain Manufacturers

Where: Millbrae (Northern California)
When: 1920s
What: California Porcelain art ware and sanitary ware

Western Quarry Tiles

Where: Monrovia
When: 1959 to present
What: garden ware and tile

Wildwood Ceramics

Where: Pasadena
When: 1940s to 1950s
What: Gift ware

William Bonzi

Where: Pasadena
When: 1945 to 1950s
What: "Bonzi" gift ware, art ware and table ware

William Manker Ceramics

Where: Padua Hills in Claremont
When: 1930s to 1950s
What: Art ware and figurines

Winfield Pottery

Where: Pasadena
When: 1930s
What: Porcelain and ceramics with artistic glazes. First owner was Winfield Leslie Sample; followed by Margaret M. Gabriel.