A brief history
Antique reproductions have been on the market for as many years as antiques. As early as the 1960s, reproductions of glass examples with antique patterns from the late 1800s began to appear in antique shops, markets, and shows. This early start to reproductions stimulated a niche market in the Antiques and Collectibles field.
What happened in the 1960s generated incredible growth in reproductions, not only in the glass markets, but also in almost all specialty markets for antiques and collectibles, including cast iron and ceramics. In the early 1970s, the Merritt family, led by Mary and Bob Merritt, started one of the oldest breeding wholesalers in the US, which later, through a family feud, branched out into one of the most successful trading companies in the field of antique reproduction, known as Fred and Dottie, Inc.
Until the late 1970s, Merritts enjoyed a monopoly until Fred Burkholder (Mary Merritt’s son) and Dottie (Fred’s wife), both minority shareholders, parted ways with Merritt after a bitter family feud. Fred and Dottie Burkholder formed Fred & Dottie’s, Inc. and started their own wholesale reproduction business just a few miles away from their former business partners.
Within a few years, rivals were competing fiercely as more reproduction wholesalers began to spring up in the US Ralph Lussino and his brother, John, friends and former Burkholder’s and Merritt customers threw their ‘hat in the ring’ and formed Castle Antiques and Reproductions.
All three reproductions wholesalers are still in business at the time of this writing, although Castle is in the process of liquidating all of its inventory and closing at the end of 2008.
Late 19th century glassware reproductions were extremely popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but they began to lose popularity, giving way to the Depression-era glassware reproductions in the 1980s. These trends were primarily marked by the public demand to decorate with the hottest trend of that time. While the 1980s and early 1990s saw a dramatic increase in demand for Depression-era glassware, replica markets responded with hundreds of Depression-era glassware patterns. Over time, the late 1990s saw a trend toward art ceramics from the 1950s, spurring a growth in reproductions by the Weller, McCoy, Roseville, and Mayolica potters. The most popular of all these companies was the McCoy Pottery Company, primarily because it was the most recognizable, the most affordable, and the most diverse of all the pottery makers of the 1950s.
In 1997, an American manufacturer set out to reproduce some of the most popular McCoy patterns, successfully manufacturing a line of more than 110 pieces that included cookie jars, vases, creams, bowls, black souvenirs, and flower pots. Until then, the vast majority of reproductions were made in China, Mexico, India, Taiwan, and England. This would be the only American manufacturer of ceramic reproduction and the only company allowed to use the USA logo on all of its pottery. (The law does not allow foreign imports to put the US on their items in compliance with US federal customs law.)
Why reproductions?
- Demand
Designers and decorators want to improve their clients’ homes and businesses, but cannot find an available supply of the types of antiques they need. Collectors looking to enhance their collection can search for years for that rare ‘missing piece’ in their collection. There is a shortage of original antiques on the market, and that supply is shrinking every day as more people buy original antiques.
- Affordability
Imagine buying an original tiffany lamp for $ 4500 or you can choose a reproduction that looks the same and most of the time better quality at a fraction of the cost ($ 300- $ 500). You could decorate a room with an original or your whole house with reproductions. Designers and decorators for the past decade have been using reproductions to decorate customer homes and businesses because it is more affordable and the premium for the replacement cost of insurance is much lower. The only one who really knows that the beautiful ‘Antique’ is not an original is you!
- The look’
When decorating, we all want to give our visitors, friends and clients the impression of wealth and the attitude of ‘we are doing it right’. What better way to stretch your decorating budget than to display beautiful antique reproductions in your home or business? Just yell, “I’m fine! Look at my beautiful collection!” We all want that LOOK, the look we keep with the Joneses, the look that oozes and exemplifies the epitome of wealth.
- Regards
Do you remember when …? A question that you have probably asked yourself many times in your life, reflecting on the old days or remembering that favorite vase that mom or grandmother always had on her mantle, or the cookie jar she had in the kitchen. Remember the “good morning from OLE” when you see Grandma’s cookie jar, you remember that she baked your favorite chocolate chip cookies and you can almost try them again.
Our lives are filled with memories that remind us of the pleasant moments in our lives as we grew up. Having reproductions available and being able to easily acquire them brings us a flood of memories, giving us a feeling of euphoria and satisfaction.
When you combine demand, affordability, “look” and memorabilia, you can see why antique prints are such an integral part of our lives. If you have been inspired by this article to remember, or if you want to decorate your home or business with beautiful antique ceramic reproductions, take a moment and visit the links below.
