If you like antiquing, the Texas Hill Country is packed with good places to search and pick. Small towns all through the area often have at least one shop with the words ‘vintage’ or ‘retro’ posted outside. One category popular for collectors is pottery; Alamo Pottery is a brand that is not only fun to search for but also fun to own due its upbeat colors and geometric lines. Don’t be fooled though! Gilmer Pottery and Fiestaware can look similar to the untrained eye.
Lifestyle
Antiquers Love Searching For Rare Alamo Pottery
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Made in San Antonio from 1945 to 1951, Alamo Pottery has survived well through the years. Crazing (when networks of lines or cracks form in the fired glazed surface) is atypical, and the high gloss blazes still gleam new. The appeal of this mid-century modern American pottery is wide and collectors are lucky to find works. The Art Deco Pitcher is the signature piece of Alamo Pottery. Octagonally shaped, this useful ware is just the right size for gravy, sauce, and syrup.
Photo: delovelyness
Alamo Pottery closed after seven years in business partly because of high storing and shipping costs; the owners moved to Gilmer, Texas and began making pottery under the name Gilmer Pottery, which operated from 1951 to 2008. Gilmer Pottery is a different line of pottery with its own markings, although both types utilize white clay. They are also typically vitreous, which means fired at a high kiln temperature. A foil sticker occasionally remains on pieces but often the bottom holds the key. Alamo pottery will have a stamp or a raised Alamo U.S.A. mark, often accompanied with a number.
Interested in learning more about this American pottery collection, including styles and pricing? Order the book “Alamo Pottery Illustrated Edition” by N. Perryman Collins. This chronicle is packed with pictures and key information about the story behind the creators and the designs which are timeless. Keep an eye out while scouring shops: Alamo Pottery is utilitarian art, most often found in the form of vases, pitchers, planters, ashtrays, and bathroom fixtures.
